Nine-year NFL veteran linebacker and safety Coy Wire joins the FOX Sports family in 2013 as studio analyst for FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL coverage on FOX Sports 1.
Wire offers his perspective each week on Thursday evening and Saturday games, including halftime and between-game updates on Saturdays, in addition to contributing to Friday editions of FOX SPORTS LIVE. The former Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills team captain has served as sports analyst, reporter and color commentator for CNN and Pac-12 Networks, among others.
He played football for Stanford University, and was the leading rusher as a freshman in 1998 and again in the 2000 Rose Bowl. Prior to his junior year, Wire moved over to defense and played linebacker. In his first defensive year, Wire led Stanford in tackles, becoming the first player in modern history to lead the school in rushing one year and tackles the next.
The Buffalo Bills drafted Wire in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Wire began his NFL career at strong safety, and twice was named Special Teams Player of the Year. In 2005, he was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award while with the Bills. After sustaining a neck injury in 2008, Wire was released and signed with the Falcons, for whom he played three seasons. He once again was named a team captain and was voted as the Ed Block Courage Award recipient by his teammates, an honor bestowed upon a player demonstrating inspiration, sportsmanship and courage.
After leaving the NFL in 2010 due to injury, Wire authored Change Your Mind: 10 Unconventional Secrets to Retrain Your Brain, a motivational book geared toward youth, and serves as an inspirational and motivational speaker. Wire has been a keynote speaker for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, UPS, the U.S. Military, the U.S. Department of Education and numerous corporations, to name a few. Wire also focuses on assisting NFL players adjust to life after football.
During his NFL days, Wire geared his fun-loving attitude toward pranking teammates and celebrities, earning the nickname "The Ninja Prankster." He founded Pranks for a Purpose, for which he recorded pranks, secured sponsorship and posted the videos online to raise charitable donations. Additionally, Wire sits on the Board of Directors for Make A Wish.
A native of Camp Hill, Pa., Wire graduated in 1997 from Cedar Cliff High School, where he set school records in football and wrestling. He earned a Sociology degree from Stanford University with a focus in Philosophy and Religion. Wire resides in Atlanta with his wife, Claire. You may follow him on Twitter @CoyWire.
