30 Cool Facts About Brian Cushing You Didn’t Know Before

Brian Cushing, a former American football linebacker, had a successful 9-year career with the NFL Houstan Texans following his 2009 NFL Draft. He is still the team’s all-time leading tackler. His rookie season is often regarded as one of the best defensive seasons by a rookie in NFL history. Here are some interesting facts about the footballer that you might have missed before:

1.  Cushing was hired to work with strength and conditioning coaches with the Houston Texans of the National Football League on January 29, 2019. He also offers some assistance to defense players.
2.  He was released by the Texans after nine seasons with them on February 20, 2018. He remains the franchise’s all-time leading tackler.
3.  On January 5, 2010, Cushing was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, becoming the second Texan to win the award, the first being DeMeco Ryans in 2006.
4.  During the 2009 NFL Season, he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6, becoming the first rookie to earn the award in the 2009 season.
5.  He was again named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, in the Week 8, becoming the first Texans rookie to win the award twice in one season.
6.  Brian Patrick Cushing was born on January 24, 1987 to Frank Cushing and Antoinette Lukaszewicz in Park Ridge, New Jersey. He has a brother named Michael Cushing.
7.  His father was an intelligence officer in the Vietnam War. His mother is of Polish descent, who was born at a German forced labor camp in 1944.
8.  His great-great-uncle was American Civil War veteran Alonzo Cushing, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. The elder Cushing received a posthumous Medal of Honor in the year 2014.
9.  His brother played Rugby during his time at Providence College earning in both his junior and senior seasons, First-team All-American Honors.
10.  He attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey and went on to lead the Crusaders to the 2004 Group IV State Championship.
11.  During the game against Don Bosco Preparatory High School, he as a linebacker, tight end, and running back, provided huge plays in the 13–10 win.
12.  He was named as the "2004 North Jersey Player of the Year" by The Record, and played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
13.  He was recruited by top colleges, including Notre Dame, Georgia, and Penn State, but he eventually committed to the University of Southern California.
14.  While attending the University of Southern California, he played for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2008 under head coach Pete Carroll.
15.  He shared the No. 10 jersey with the USC Trojans starting quarterback John David Booty from the year 2005 to 2007.


Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

16.  He was on Phil Steele's 2007 pre-season All-America team and on the 2007 Bednarik Award and Lott Trophy watch lists.
17.  On January 1, 2007, he was named the Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl Game, after recording 2½ sacks and forcing a third-quarter fumble that changed the momentum of the game.
18.  He was regarded as potential first-round selections by the NFL scouts, who admired him for his versatility, rather than his pedestrian statistics.
19.  He, along with Rey Maualuga and Clay Matthews III, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2009 NFL Draft Preview magazine.
20.  He and Archie Griffin of Ohio State University, are the only two players in college football history to have competed in the Rose Bowl as starters in all four seasons of their college careers.
21.  He was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a starter, making him one of the three rookies to make it to the Pro Bowl, and another being his former USC teammate – Clay Matthews.
22.  Brian was reported to be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, on May 7, 2010.
23.  He was suspended for ten games for again violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances on September 13, 2017. However, he has denied that he ever ingested or injected any performance enhancers.
24.  Cushing is married to his college sweetheart Megan Ohai Watt after dating her for five years. Their relationship started just before his NFL Draft.
25.  Megan is a retired soccer player, who played for the University of Southern California. She won a number of national and regional honors including SoccerBuzz First Team Freshman All-American and SoccerBuzz Second Team All-West Region.
26.  Brain’s sister-in-law is soccer player Kealia Ohai, who is married to his former NFL Houston Texans teammate J. J. Watt.
27.  He and Megan have three sons together. They welcomed their first son - Cayden Cushing on October 15, 2012. Their second son Kai Cushing was born on June 30, 2014, and their third son Luca Cushing was born on January 12, 2021.
28.  The family currently resides in Missouri City, Texas, in their mansion that they purchased for $2.2 Million in 2014. The house has four bedrooms, five baths, a formal living room, and a dining room, in 5,400 square feet of living space.
29.  He was drafted as the 15th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Cushing had one of the best defensive seasons by a rookie in NFL history.
30.  He scored his first career points, recording a safety in the game against Oakland Raiders on October 4, 2009. In fact, this was the first recorded safety by a Texan since the 2002 season.
31.  Brian Cushing Net Worth: $42 Million