McNabb reflects on how far he's come

Sporting News, The, March 15, 2004

Beyond the Glory, season four, will premiere March 14 on FOX Sports Net. (For regional air times, check your local listings.) The life of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will be probed: the acts of racially motivated violence he says he faced after his family moved to a mostly white suburb during McNabb's youth; his days as a high school hoops star alongside teammate Antoine Walker; the resistance he felt from football coaches who didn't believe he could succeed as a quarterback, and, of course, the Rush Limbaugh flap. Some highlights from the show include:

McNabb on being let down by his preferred school. "I would have loved to go to Illinois to play football and basketball ... (but) to go to Illinois was not to play quarterback, it was for me to play running back, receiver or DB."

McNabb on playing at Syracuse with Marvin Harrison. "Not a lot of freshmen come in and have the best receiver in (the nation) to throw to.... The way that I matured and developed into the quarterback that I wanted to be in college, that was a tribute to Marvin."

McNabb on the reception he was given by Eagles fans at the 1999 draft. "They (announce) my name, and it's just like, 'Boo!' ... My room was crying. I'm like, 'What's the problem?' She's like, 'Were they booing out there!?' I've never been booed in my life, you know, so I was laughing."