In an area known for football, McKinney resident Johnny Quinn has his eyes on gold. The McKinney High School and UNT graduate is in Sochi, Russia where he will compete on the 4-man US Olympic bobsled team.

Quinn’s unexpected journey began in high school where he was a football player. After playing at the University of North Texas, he spent some time playing professionally before a knee injury ended his gridiron career. Not ready to give up on sports, he took after football great Herschel Walker and trained to be an Olympic bobsledder.

The Red Ledger was able to catch up with Quinn shortly after his arrival in Sochi.

The Red Ledger: How does your background in football benefit you in bobsledding?

Johnny Quinn: “Learning to be mentally tough in football and playing through injury has helped me in bobsled I learning that you have to compete and compete at high level even if you are a little beat up.”

The Red Ledger: What are your eating habits, and what are the main focuses while training (core strength, upper body, etc.)?

Johnny Quinn: “I have to eat all the time in order to keep my weight up. I do a lot of Olympic lifting such as Squats and Power Clean. I also do a lot of short sprinting.”

The Red Ledger: Do other people (or yourself) find it odd that someone from Texas is an Olympic bobsledder?

Johnny Quinn: “They find it very odd. I always get asked if I am on the Jamaican bobsled team.”

The Red Ledger: Do you live in the area? If not, how often are you in town?

Johnny Quinn: “Yes, I live in McKinney in the off-season and the during season I spend a lot of time at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY.”

The Red Ledger: Where do you train?

Johnny Quinn: “During the off-season I train at the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney, TX.”

The Red Ledger: What is the hardest part about training for the Olympics?

Johnny Quinn: “Raising money to afford the upcoming season. As an Olympic sport athlete we do not get paid so funding the sport is the biggest challenge.”

The men’s four-man Bobsled events are held on February 22 & 23 and will be aired on NBC