Survivor 41: Danny McCray’s NFL & College Football Career Explained

Survivor has cast plenty of former athletes during its 41 seasons, and the latest to find success is former NFL athlete Danny McCray. An original member of the Luvu tribe on the current season, Danny has been one of the least targeted contestants thus far and is in a solid position among the final 7.

Danny is hardly the first professional athlete cast on Survivor, but he is among the few who have done an exceptional job at the game. While other athletes have either fallen in the pre-merge or been outed for their prowess in challenges, Danny has diminished his threat level enough to make his fellow tribemates focus on others to vote out of the game. Danny appears to be driving the strategy without being too outspoken, like his closest ally Deshawn or the most recently voted out contestant Shan. And whether Danny is actually struggling to win challenges or simply doesn’t want to be seen as a threat, his lack of physical dominance has been a net positive for him. His biggest uphill battle, should he make it to the end, will be proving to the jury that he did enough to win the title of Sole Survivor and the million dollar prize, money he may not need as much as his competitors due to his celebrity status as a former professional athlete.

The 33-year-old Frisco, Texas, resident played for four years at LSU, contributing on special teams and at safety and linebacker. He recorded 196 tackles in his four years on the team. Danny went undrafted in 2010, but soon after joined the Dallas Cowboys. He played nearly his entire professional career for the Cowboys, from 2010-13 and again in 2015—he was on the Chicago Bears in 2014—tallying 91 tackles and two interceptions.

Danny started on special teams his rookie season and had a stellar year at special teams, which earned him a spot in the defensive rotation. He started out as a hybrid linebacker and safety and started his first game at strong safety in 2012. In Danny’s final NFL season, he blocked a punt for the Cowboys that was returned for a touchdown. He is the third former Cowboy to play Survivor, following Gary Hogeboom and Alan Ball.

Survivor is an egalitarian game, such that it does not favor the physically strong to an extreme extent that the most athletic person will always win. While Danny could ostensibly win the final few immunity challenges to bolster his odds at a victory, it is ultimately up to the jury to decide who wins the title of Sole Survivor. Like many recent Cowboys teams, Danny could fall short of his ultimate goal if he doesn’t make more moves to prove he’s the best this season.

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8pm EST on CBS.

About The Author

Justin Fedich
(479 Articles Published)

Justin Fedich is a reality TV editor based in Washington, D.C. He has reported on the need for increased representation in the Survivor franchise and has interviewed stars from Netflix hit shows The Circle, Too Hot To Handle and Love Is Blind.

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