Trey McBride‘s journey to becoming a Pro Bowl tight end for the Arizona Cardinals is a classic American sports story, filled with record-breaking performances and a historic contract. Yet, the most defining part of his story isn’t found on a stat sheet; it’s found at home with his parents, Kate and Jen McBride, whose love and support forged a path to the NFL. His family background, which includes his two mothers and four siblings, is a core part of the identity he carries with him both on and off the field.
In a league where personal histories are as diverse as the players themselves, McBride’s upbringing is genuinely groundbreaking. He is recognized as the first NFL player to have been raised by a same-sex couple, a fact that has brought increased visibility and representation to the world of professional football. For Trey, however, this wasn’t a public statement but simply his normal, everyday life—a childhood filled with the same chaos, competition, and unwavering support as any other.
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The Foundation of Family
At the heart of Trey McBride’s world are his two mothers, Kate and Jen McBride. The couple has been together for decades and raised their five children in Fort Morgan, Colorado, a tight-knit community where they initially stood out as one of the first same-sex couples many of their neighbors had met. Kate is the homemaker and runs a business breeding white golden European retrievers from their home. Jen brings a different kind of discipline to the family as a deputy sheriff in Morgan County. Together, they created a vibrant, active, and sometimes chaotic household where the rule was simple: you always had to be doing something.
They raised five children: four boys—Bryce, Toby, and twins Trey and Dylan—and a younger daughter named Taya. The McBride household was a whirlwind of athletic energy. To help manage the boundless energy of four young boys, Kate and Jen started them all in wrestling, partly for the sport but also as a clever tactic to wear them out so they’d go to bed early. This active lifestyle evolved into intense backyard games, from Oklahoma drills and baseball to indoor skateboarding and golfing with baseball bats, activities that inevitably led to frequent repairs. “We have a drywall guy,” Jen once joked.
Through it all, Kate and Jen were constant presences at their children’s games, with Kate often on the sidelines using a telephoto lens to take pictures. Their support was the bedrock of Trey’s confidence. As he once said, “They’ve done a great job of pushing me to be the best version of myself and just constantly giving support and love.”
Siblings and Personal Identity
Growing up with three brothers and a sister, Trey McBride’s competitive fire was forged in the daily battles with his siblings. He has often credited his brothers with being his first and most important teammates. “How we grew up, it was just us. It was just the boys,” Trey explained. “And that’s what we did, we played sports… I think ultimately, we just had each other. We were like each other’s dads.”
His older brother, Toby, was a particularly influential figure, first as a defensive end at Colorado State University and then as a trailblazer whom Trey followed to the same college. His twin brother, Dylan, was also a gifted athlete who wrestled at the collegiate level, while his oldest brother is named Bryce, and his younger sister is Taya.
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When it comes to his ethnicity and background, Trey McBride was born in Greeley, Colorado, and is American. The topic of his biological father has occasionally come up, and the family has been open about the fact that Kate and Jen’s children were conceived using different sperm donors. For Trey, this has never been a central focus. He was raised by his two moms, and that is the family he knows and loves. He has expressed that finding out who his biological father is wouldn’t change anything for him.
His story is ultimately one of a modern household defined not by convention, but by love, mutual respect, and a shared drive to succeed. This unique and supportive foundation has undoubtedly played a crucial role in shaping the humble, determined, and record-breaking athlete he is today.
