National Football Foundation

Called a scholar, humanitarian and a once-in-a-lifetime student-athlete, Kevin McCarthy overcame the death of his father three years ago to produce a string of successes that draws universal praise from coaches, teachers and administrators at Plant High School and the greater Tampa community. 

With a string of unblemished straight "A"s, McCarthy ranked second in his class of 450 students and earned a spot as a member of the National Honor Society. His GPA, when weighted for a heavy load of AP classes, tallies at a 7.28. In the community, he led a school wide blood drive; helped stage events to work with organ transplant patients; mentored other students; and assisted the underprivileged on a mission to West Virginia. 

As one of the four best defensive linemen in the state, he earned First Team All-County, All-Conference and All-State honors his senior year while accumulating 120 tackles (95 solo), 24 sacks (a county record) and 35 tackles for a loss. McCarthy received one of the top honors in Hillsborough County football by winning the coveted Jimbo Kynes Lineman of the Year Award. He also earned First Team All-County and All-Conference honors as a wrestler. 

"When I first started coaching at Plant, I knew that we had to start with character, so my first goal was to put great kids on my team," said Robert Weiner, the Plant High School head football coach. "I actively tried to encourage Kevin to join our football team. He worked hard during our strength and conditioning program, but we had no idea that Kevin would become one of the most accomplished defensive ends in Hillsborough County history." 

While opting to not play football in college, Kevin continues with his rigorous academic regimen at the University of Florida. After earning degrees in biochemistry and finance, he stayed at Florida to earn his M.D. McCarthy is currently an orthopedic resident at the University of South Florida and expected to graduate in 2019.