Quarterbacks

No quarterback from Arizona State has gone on to have more statistical success in the NFL than Jake Plummer. Plummer started 136 games during his NFL career and won 69 games. He also threw for 29,253 yards and 161 touchdowns during his career, both tops for any former ASU quarterback. The quarterback that is second to Plummer in those and most other categories is for Dallas Cowboys player Danny White. White doesn’t have as many career wins as Plummer, but his record is a lot better as he won 62 and lost only 30 during his career. Other ASU quarterbacks to make their mark in the NFL include Bill Kenney, Mark Malone, Mike Pagel, Bob Lee, Paul Justin, Andrew Walter, Todd Hons, and Jeff Van Raaphorst.

Running Backs

Arizona State has had some great running backs over the years and some of them have even gone on to excel in the NFL. Running back is one of the toughest positions to put up a long career at, and statistically one former Sun Devils player stands above most of the rest. Gerald Riggs, who went on to star for the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins, ranks first in the categories of games started, rushing attempts (1,989), rushing yards (8,188), and rushing touchdowns (69). In second place in most of those and other rushing categories is Hall of Fame fullback John Henry Johnson. Other ASU running backs to play significantly in the NFL include Leonard Russell, Mario Bates, Benny Malone, Art Malone, Tony Lorick, and Gene Foster.

Receivers

The best NFL receiver ever turned out by Arizona is without a doubt Charley Taylor. Taylor had a long career and was very effective throughout it. He finished his career with 649 receptions for 9,110 yards, and 79 touchdowns. While Taylor sits at the top of the list, John Jefferson also had a very productive career, finishing with 351 receptions for 5,714 yards and 47 touchdowns. Two tight ends from Arizona State have also put up great receiving numbers, Jerry Smith and Todd Heap. Other prominent receivers who came out of ASU include Ron Brown, Larry Walton, Shaun McDonald, Ben Hawkins, Bruce Hill, Morris Owens, J.D. Hill, Bruce Hardy, Keith Poole, Zach Miller, Fair Hooker, Jerry Bell, and Aaron Cox.

Defense

Arizona State has also turned out some very good defensive players. Defensive statistics are a little fuzzy as they weren’t always kept before the early 1970′s. Based on available stats though, here is a look at some of the best defensive players from ASU. Trace Armstrong has recorded more sacks in the NFL than any other former Sun Devils player with 106, just ahead of the 102.5 that was put up by Jim Jeffcoat. No defensive player from Arizona State played in as many games (214), intercepted as many passes (54), or scored as many defensive touchdowns (8) as all world defensive back Eric Allen. The leading tackler in the NFL out of former ASU players is Darren Woodson with 803 tackles. This is just one more than the player in second place, Derek Smith. Some of the other notable defensive players to leave Arizona State and go on to play in the NFL include Mark Gastineau, Terrell Suggs, Mike Haynes, John Harris, Dan Saleaumua, David Fulcher, Al Harris, Louis Wright, Adam Archuleta, Phillippi Sparks, Brian Noble, Mike Richardson, Bob Breunig, Derrick Rodgers, Darren Comeaux, and Pat Tillman.

Little known info about Arizona State football players in the NFL:

-Jake Plummer, Danny White, and Bob Lee are the only former ASU quarterbacks to have winning records as starters in the NFL.

-The player who went on to score the most points in the NFL after playing football at ASU is kicker Mike Mercer with 594 points. This is 54 points ahead of the second place name on the list, Charley Taylor.

-The former ASU football player who went on to make it to the most NFL Pro Bowls is offensive guard Randall McDaniel. Twelve times during his career he was a Pro Bowler.

-The longest touchdown run in the NFL by a player from Arizona State went for 87 yards and was run in by John Henry Johnson. Second on the list is a 77 yarder by Robert Weathers.

-Defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua scored on three safeties during his NFL career. This is more than any other former Sun Devil.

-The tallest player ever drafted out of Arizona State University was offensive tackle Juan Roque who measured in at 6’8″.

-The heaviest player ever drafted out of ASU was offensive guard David Dixon who weighed in at 343 pounds at the time of the 1994 NFL Draft.

-When ranking the top ten former Sun Devils players by how many rushing yards they gained in the NFL, number eight on the list is quarterback Jake Plummer (1,853 yards rushing) and number ten on the list is Hall of Fame wide receiver Charley Taylor (1,488 yards rushing).

-No former ASU defensive player recovered more fumbles in the NFL than defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua with 18.

-The longest touchdown pass thrown by a former Arizona State Sun Devils player went for 85 yards and was thrown by quarterback Jake Plummer.

-Quarterback Danny White also played punter for much of his career. He ended up with more punts (610) and put yardage (24,509) in the NFL than any former ASU player.

-The longest career NFL touchdown reception ever caught by a former ASU player went for 92 yards and was caught by Ben Hawkins.

-The second longest touchdown pass ever caught in the NFL by a former Sun Devils player went for 90 yards and quarterback Mark Malone was actually on the receiving end of it.

-The leading kick returner in NFL history from ASU is Ron Brown who scored four kick return touchdowns and gained 4,493 yards. The leading punt returner is Eric Guliford who amassed 1,300 yards and 1 touchdown during his career. Neither player scored the most return touchdowns though, Mike Haynes scored twice on punt returns and Travis Williams scored six times on kick returns.

-Non-quarterbacks from ASU who threw passes for touchdowns during their NFL career include running backs Gene Foster (1), John Henry Johnson (2), and Mario Bates (1); as well as receivers Charley Taylor (1) and Larry Walton (1)

-The highest an Arizona State player has ever been taken in the NFL Draft is with the third pick of the first round. This happened in 1964, when the Washington Redskins used that pick to take wide receiver Charley Taylor.

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-Two former Washington State University football players have gone on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: offensive lineman Turk Edwards and center Mel Hein.

-In 1978, there were eight players from Washington State University drafted into the NFL, that was the most ever taken from the school in one year. The players selected that year were: Ken Greene, Don Schwartz, Mike Levenseller, Dan Doornink, Don Hover, Gavin Hendrick, Eason Ramson, and Mark Patterson.

-The former WSU Cougars football player to go on to play the most games in the NFL is kicker Jason Hanson.

-No player has played college football at WSU and scored more touchdowns in the NFL than running back Keith Lincoln who scored 40 touchdowns while playing for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills during the 1960s.

-The heaviest player ever drafted out of Washington State University was center Jason McEndoo who taken by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round in 1998. He tipped the scales at 307 pounds at the time he was drafted.

-Kicker Jason Hanson has played more seasons in the NFL than any other player from Washington State University.

-Keith Lincoln, a running back drafted in 1961, played in more Pro Bowls than any other former Cougars football player with five.

-The tallest player ever drafted out of WSU was offensive tackle Allan Kennedy who stood 6’7″ tall when the Washington Redskins took him in the 10th round of the 1981 NFL Draft.

-One time in history a player from Washington State University was taken with the first pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. This happened in 1993 when the New England Patriots selected quarterback Drew Bledsoe first overall.

-Ten different quarterbacks have gone on to appear in the NFL after playing collegiately at Washington State University: Ed Blount, Ricky Turner, Porter Lainhart, Bob Gambold, Mark Rypien, Don Horn, Jack Thompson, Timm Rosenbach, Ryan Leaf, and Drew Bledsoe.

Notable former NFL football players who played college football at Washington State University: Pat Beach, Drew Bledsoe, Ed Blount, Steve Broussard, John Burrough, Lewis Bush, Gail Cogdill, Mike Connelly, Joe Danelo, Dan Doornink, Turk Edwards, Mark Fields, Steve Gleason, Ken Greene, Jason Hanson, James Hasty, Mel Hein, Don Horn, Erik Howard, Bernard Jackson, Ryan Leaf, Keith Lincoln, Rian Lindell, Rueben Mayes, Rob Meier, Keith Millard, Kerry Porter, Mike Pringle, Ricky Reynolds, Timm Rosenbach, Mark Rypien, Jack Thompson, Robbie Tobeck, Marcus Trufant, Mike Utley, Clancy Williams, Eric Williams, Mike Wilson, Cory Withrow, and George Yarno.

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-Three former Washington Huskies football players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Arnie Weinmeister, Hugh McElhenny, and Warren Moon.

-The Washington Huskies football players that went on to play the most games years in the NFL are quarterbacks Chris Chandler and Warren Moon, and center Blair Bush who all played 17 seasons in the pros.

-No former Washington Huskies football player made it to more Pro Bowls than quarterback Warren Moon.

-The tallest player ever drafted into the NFL out of the University of Washington was defensive lineman Ben Davidson who was taken in 1961 in the 4th round by the New York Giants and went on to have an 11 year career.

-The highest any former Husky player has been taken in the NFL Draft is the first pick in the first round. This has happened on just one occasion, in 1992 when the Indianapolis Colts selected defensive lineman Steve Emtman.

-14 players have played quarterback at the University of Washington and gone on to appear in the NFL: Mark Brunell, Chris Chandler, Cary Conklin, Tom Flick, Lee Grosscup, Don Heinrich, Billy Joe Hobert, Brock Huard, Damon Huard, Hugh Millen, Warren Moon, Steve Pelluer, Cody Pickett, and Marques Tuiasosopo.

-The most players drafted out of the University of Washington in one year is 11. This was done twice, first in 1984 and then again in 1992. The Washington Huskies NFL Draft Class of 1984: Ray Horton, Tony Caldwell, Chuck Nelson, Vince Newsome, Mark Stewart, Paul Skansi, Anthony Allen, Bill Stapleton, Eric Moran, Aaron Williams, and Don Dow. The Washington Huskies NFL Draft Class of 1992: Steve Emtman, Dana Hall, Ed Cunningham, Siupeli Malamala, Aaron Pierce, Orlando McKay, Mario Bailey, Donald Jones, Kris Rongen, Brett Collins, and Chico Fraley.

-Offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy was the heaviest Washington Huskies player ever drafted when the Atlanta Falcons took him with the 9th overall pick in 1993. He weighed 335 pounds at the time.

Notable NFL players who played college football for the Washington Huskies: Chuck Allen, Eric Bjornson, Bern Brostek, Dennis Brown, Mark Bruener, Mark Brunell, Blair Bush, Rich Camarillo, Chris Chandler, Cam Cleeland, Ernie Conwell, Ben Davidson, Corey Dillon, Steve Emtman, D’Marco Farr, Rick Fenney, Frank Garcia, Nesby Glasgow, Kevin Gogan, Brian Habib, Dana Hall, Don Heinrich, Lonzell Hill, Billy Joe Hobert, Ron Holmes, Ray Horton, Brock Huard, Damon Huard, Charles Jackson, Michael Jackson, Vestee Jackson, Jeff Jaeger, Tank Johnson, Napoleon Kaufman, Joe Kelly, Lincoln Kennedy, Dave Kopay, Olin Kreutz, Jake Kupp, Mike Lansford, Greg Lewis, Siupeli Malamala, Ray Mansfield, Doug Martin, Hugh McElhenny, Hugh Millen, Lawyer Milloy, Charles Mincy, Warren Moon, Vince Newsome, Benji Olson, Tony Parrish, Jerome Pathon, J.C. Pearson, Steve Pelluer, Aaron Pierce, Pete Pierson, Ray Pinney, Rick Redman, Bob Sapp, Rashaan Shehee, Jim Skaggs, Paul Skansi, Jerramy Stevens, Lester Towns, Larry Tripplett, and Marques Tuiasosopo.

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It seems that because the players communicated by hand signals, that the team’s opponents had a habit of trying to guess their plays based on the signals they gave each other. To minimize this risk, the team would come together in a group before each play to communicate what the next play would be. And thus the huddle was born.

All thanks to Gallaudet University, and they’re still playing football to this day.

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-No former Nevada-Reno football player has scored more NFL touchdowns than running back Marion Motley who accumulated 39 TDs during his career.

-Brock Marion, who played in 182 NFL games during his career, played in more NFL games than any other former Nevada-Reno football player.

-In the history of the NFL Draft, only three quarterbacks were ever selected out of Nevada-Reno. Interestingly all three quarterbacks were drafted within six years of each other. Those Nevada-Reno quarterbacks were Bill Mackrides in 1947, Stan Heath in 1949, and Pat Brady in 1952.

-At 6’7″ tall, defensive lineman Doug Betters was the tallest player ever drafted out of Nevada-Reno when the Miami Dolphins picked him in the 1978 NFL Draft.

-Four players tie for first when determining what former Nevada-Reno football player played the most seasons in the NFL, they are Brock Marion, Victor Carroll, Charles Mann, and Eric Sanders who each played 12 seasons in the NFL.

-Offensive linemen Tony Moll and Derek Kennard, both weighing 285 pounds, are the heaviest players ever drafted out of the University of Nevada-Reno.

-The first football player ever drafted by the NFL out of Nevada-Reno was guard Bob McClure who was taken in the 1946 NFL Draft by the Boston Yanks.

-Charles Mann appeared in more NFL Pro Bowls, four, than any other former Nevada-Reno football player.

-Nevada-Reno quarterback Stan Heath was drafted higher than any other player coming out of Nevada-Reno ever has been when in 1949 the Green Bay Packers selected him with the fifth pick in the first round.

Notable players who played college football at Nevada-Reno and then went on to the NFL include Victor Carroll, Brock Marion, Eric Sanders, Charles Mann, Derek Kennard, Tony Zendejas, Terry Hermeling, Doug Betters, Patrick Hunter, Ed Sharkey, Marion Motley, Frank Hawkins, Henry Rolling, Robert Awalt, Nate Burleson, Bill Mackrides, and Alex Van Dyke.

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-No University of Arkansas football player has gone on to score more touchdowns in the NFL than Lance Alworth who accumulated 87 during his career.

-Quarterback Joe Ferguson appeared in 186 games during his NFL career, this is more NFL games than any other Arkansas football player ever played in. Ferguson also played more seasons in the NFL than any other Arkansas football player with 17 years of NFL service.

-The two heaviest players ever drafted out of the University of Arkansas were oddly enough both taken by the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2000 they picked guard Bobbie Williams and in 2004 they chose offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, both players weighed 340 pounds at the time they were drafted.

-In 1984, the New York Jets drafted defensive lineman Ron Faurot in the first round of the NFL Draft, he is the tallest Arkansas player to ever be drafted into the NFL.

-With eight NFL Pro Bowls on his resume, defensive back Steve Atwater holds the record for most Pro Bowl appearances by a former Arkansas Razorbacks football player. This is one more Pro Bowl appearance than Hall of Famer Lance Alworth.

-The highest any Arkansas Razorback player has ever been taken in the NFL Draft is the second pick of the first round. This happened in 1954 when the Chicago Cardinals used their first round pick to take quarterback Lamar McHan. He would go on to lead the league in interceptions his first year in the NFL.

-The first Arkansas football player to ever be drafted into the NFL was tailback Jack Robbins, chosen by the Chicago Cardinals with the fifth pick of the 1938 NFL Draft.

Notable players who played college football at the University of Arkansas before heading to the NFL include Joe Ferguson, Fred Williams, Dave Hanner, Billy Ray Smith Sr., R.C. Thielemann, Preston Carpenter, Dan Hampton, Raylee Johnson, Greg Koch, Steve Atwater, Wayne Martin, Lance Alworth, Lew Carpenter, Dirt Winston, Dave Reavis, Pat Summerall, Henry Ford, Billy Ray Smith, Lamar McHan, Kenny Wright, Gary Anderson, Tarvaris Jackson, Jamaal Anderson, Kenoy Kennedy, Ravin Caldwell, Derek Russell, Ray Hamilton, Bobby Duckworth, Barry Foster, Bobby Joe Edmonds, and Boo Williams.

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-No former Colorado State football player has gone on to score more NFL touchdowns than running back Lawrence McCutcheon who racked up 39 during his career.

-During his career, punter Tom Rouen played in 188 regular season NFL games. That is more NFL games than any other former Colorado State football player ever played in.

-At 6’7″ tall and 302 pounds, tackle Kevin Call became both the tallest and heaviest player ever drafted into the NFL from Colorado State University in 1984.

-Defensive back Jim David appeared in more NFL Pro Bowls, 6, than any other former Colorado State football player.

-Since the NFL Draft began, only four Colorado State University quarterbacks have ever been drafted into the NFL. Those four players were Terry Nugent in 1984, Kelly Stouffer in 1987, Moses Moreno in 1998, and Bradlee Van Pelt in 2004.

-The most seasons any former Colorado State football player ever spent in the NFL was 13. Two players set this mark, punter Tom Rouen and defensive end Al Baker.

-The highest any former Colorado State football player has ever been taken in the NFL Draft is the first pick in the first round. This happened in 1956 when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected halfback Gary Glick with the number one overall pick in the draft.

Notable players to have played college football for Colorado State and then gone on to play in the NFL include Tom Rouen, Al Baker, Linden King, Mark Mullaney, Mike Bell, Don Burroughs, Harper LeBel, Jason Craft, Kevin Call, Joey Porter, Lawrence McCutcheon, Brady Smith, Rick Dennison, Fred Glick, Willie Miller, and Gary Glick.

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-With 65 career touchdowns, wide receiver Charlie Joiner has scored more TDs in the NFL than any other player from Grambling State University.

-No former Grambling State player has played in more NFL games than wide receiver Charlie Joyner who appeared in 239 regular season games during his career.

-At 6’9″ tall, defensive lineman Ernie Ladd is the tallest player ever to be drafted by an NFL team out of Grambling State. Robert Woods was the shortest at 5’7″ tall when he was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1978.

-Herman Arvie weighed 312 pounds when he was picked by the Browns during the 1993 NFL draft, he is the heaviest football player ever drafted out of Grambling State.

-No Grambling State played more years in the NFL than Charlie Joiner who sits atop the list with 18 NFL seasons.

-Though it was in the 1963 AFL Draft, Buck Buchanan was picked with the highest draft pick ever used on a Grambling State player with the Kansas City Chiefs used the first pick in the first round on this great defensive lineman. The highest a Grambling State player has ever been picked in the NFL Draft is the fifth pick of the first round, this happened when the Philadelphia Eagles selected defensive lineman Richard Harris in 1971.

-Only two quarterbacks have ever been drafted into the pro football out of Grambling State, James Harris by the Buffalo Bills in 1969 and Doug Williams by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978.

-Defensive back, and Hall of Famer, Willie Brown appeared in nine NFL Pro Bowls despite the fact that no team drafted him when he came out of Grambling State. That is more Pro Bowls than any other former Grambling State player appeared in during their career.

Notable players that played football in the NFL after playing collegiately at Grambling State include Charlie Joiner, Willie Brown, Albert Lewis, Frank Lewis, Buck Buchanan, Everson Walls, Jake Reed, Woody Peoples, Willie Davis, Rosey Taylor, Gary Johnson, Bennie Nemiah Wilson, Clifton McNeil, Sammy White, Andrew Glover, James Harris, Essex Johnson, Doug Williams, John Mendenhall, Fakhir Brown, Willie Williams, Ernie Ladd, Leonard Griffin, Frank Cornish, Richard Harris, Mike St. Clair, and Trumaine Johnson.

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-No former Yale football player has scored more touchdowns in the NFL than running back Calvin Hill who accumulated 65 TDs during his career.

-The most NFL games any former Yale football player has played in is 164, this record is held by former Chicago Bears defensive back Gary Fencik.

-The highest any former Yale football player has been taken in the NFL Draft is the third pick in the first round, this happened in 1947 when the Boston Yanks selected offensive lineman Fritz Barzilauskas.

-Two players played college football at Yale and then went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL, no other Yale footballer has played more seasons than them. The players who hold that record are running back Calvin Hill and defensive back Gary Fencik.

-The heaviest Yale football ever drafted into the NFL was guard Greg Dubinetz who weighed 260 pounds when selected by Cincinnati in 1975. The lightest was defensive back Don Martin who weighed 187 pounds when the Raiders picked him in the 7th round of the 1971 NFL Draft.

-In 2004, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected tight end Nate Lawrie out of Yale University. Standing at 6′ 7″ tall, he was the tallest Yale football player ever drafted into the NFL. The shortest was running back Rich Diana who stood at just 5′ 8″ tall when Miami selected him in the 5th round of the 1982 NFL Draft.

-Calvin Hill made more Pro Bowl games in the NFL, four, than any other former Yale football player.

-Yale University has only had one quarterback drafted into the NFL in their entire history, this happened when Brian Dowling was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL Draft.

Notable NFL players who played college football at Yale include Gary Fencik, Calvin Hill, Dick Jauron, Chris Hetherington, Eric Johnson, and John Spagnola.

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-Brett Favre has played in more NFL games than any other former Southern Miss football player.

-No former Southern Miss football player has scored more NFL touchdowns than running back Sammy Winder who racked up 48 TDs during his career.

-It should come as no surprise that the player who holds the record for most NFL Pro Bowl appearances by a former Southern Miss football player is quarterback Brett Favre, second on the list is former Raiders punter Ray Guy.

-Brett Favre has also played more seasons in the NFL than any other former Southern Miss player.

-Southern Miss has had five different quarterbacks drafted into the NFL during the school’s history, they are George Herring in 1956, Val Keckin in 1961, Reggie Collier in 1983, Brett Favre in 1991, and Jeff Kelly in 2002.

-Defensive tackle Daleroy Stewart is the heaviest Southern Miss player to ever be drafted into the NFL, he weighed 327 pounds at the time of his selection.

-Offensive lineman Glen Howe stood at 6′ 7″ tall, he is the tallest former Southern Miss football player ever taken in the NFL Draft.

-When the Atlanta Falcons selected running back Tony Smith with the 19th pick in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft, it marked the highst any former Southern Miss player had been chosen during the selection process.

Notable NFL players who played college football for Southern Miss include: Brett Favre, Louis Lipps, Ray Guy, Todd Pinkston, Patrick Surtain, Sammy Winder, Michael Jackson, Adalius Thomas, and Marcus Dupree.

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