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Sport

Barry Werner

51 Pro Football Hall of Famers from small schools

The route to Canton doesn’t always go through big-time college football. These players went to small schools and still found a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Great thanks to the HOF for its wonderful bio info.

Larry Allen

Larry Allen began his college football career at Butte Junior College in Oroville, Calif. before transferring to Sonoma State, a Division II school near San Francisco. He quickly developed a reputation as a dominant lineman and his stock rose among NFL scouts. The Dallas Cowboys used their second-round pick, 46th player overall, in 1994 on Allen, who became a 10-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro.

George Allen

Malcolm Emmons- USA TODAY Sports

George Allen went to Alma College in Michigan and later at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Lem Barney

Lem Barney was a three-time All-Southwestern Conference star who had intercepted 26 passes in three seasons at Jackson State. Still, he was a comparative unknown when he joined the NFL as a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 1967. His career includes 56 interceptions for 1,077 yards, 143 punt returns for 1,312 yards and 50 kickoff returns for 1,274 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns on seven interceptions, two punt returns, one kickoff return and one field goal return. He also recovered 11 opponents’ fumbles and doubled as the Lions punter in both 1967 and ’69.

Elvin Bethea

Elvin Bethea, an outstanding prospect from North Carolina A&T, was the Houston Oilers’ third-round pick in the 1968 AFL/NFL Draft. Most observers agree that for a third-rounder, he was a steal. In hindsight, and after 16 seasons of outstanding play with the Oilers, it’s safe to say he was more than a “steal,” he was clearly one of the best players selected, and that in a draft that produced three future Hall of Fame players, Larry Csonka, Art Shell, and Ron Yary.

Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw was the first overall pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Louisiana Tech. All the great QB did was win four Super Bowls.

Robert Brazile

Robert Brazile was a preeminent linebacker in the NFL during a career that spanned from 1975-84 with the Houston Oilers. A consensus All-American at Jackson State, he was drafted by the Oilers in the first round (sixth player overall) of the 1975 NFL Draft. He lived up to the high expectations and was named to multiple All-Rookie teams and earned Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Brazile was named first-team All-Pro five times and was elected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls (1977-1983). He is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s.

Roosevelt Brown

Rooselevelt Brown has more Pro Bowl (nine) and All-Pro (six) selections than any Giant not named Lawrence Taylor. Not bad for an offensive tackle selected in the 27th round as the 321st overall pick out of Morgan State. Brown played his entire 13-year career with the Giants, won an NFL championship in 1956 and earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Willie Brown

Willie Brown was an end at Grambling but was not drafted when his college career ended in 1963. He was signed by the Houston Oilers as a free agent but cut before the end of summer camp. He then went to Denver where he became a starter midway into his rookie season. A year later, he intercepted four passes against the New York Jets to tie an all-time individual record, won All-AFL honors, and played in his first AFL All-Star game, where he was named the outstanding defensive player. Altogether, Brown was named to an all-league team seven years, three seasons as All-AFL and four more as All-NFL. He was named All-AFC four times. During his career, he intercepted 54 passess. His biggest pick came in Super Bowl XI, when he returned an interception 75 yards for a clinching touchdown.

Buck Buchanan

Eddie Robinson, Buck Buchanan’s coach at Grambling, where he had been an NAIA All-America in 1962, called him “the finest lineman I have seen.” Buchanan was extremely durable. He played in 182 career games that included a string of 166 straight. After dabbling briefly at defensive end as a rookie, Buchanan settled down to his permanent job as the Chiefs’ defensive right tackle. He was named to his first AFL All-Star game after his second season in 1964. It was the first of an eight-season period during which he played in either the AFL All-Star game or the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl.

Fred Dean

Fred Dean excelled as an All-Southland Conference linebacker during his collegiate football career at Louisiana Tech. The San Diego Chargers selected him in the second round, 33rd player overall, of the 1975 NFL Draft, and shifted him to defensive line. Dean’s finest year came in 1983 when he led the NFC with a career-high 17.5 sacks. In all, Dean played on five division winners. He played in three NFC Championship games and in two of San Francisco’s Super Bowl victories (Super Bowls XVI and XIX).

Al Davis

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Born July 4, 1929, in Brockton, Mass, Al Davis grew up in Brooklyn and first attended Wittenberg College and then Syracuse University where he was graduated with a degree in English. Davis is the only person to have served pro football in such varied capacities as (1) a player personnel assistant, (2) an assistant coach, (3) a head coach, (4) a general manager, (5) a league commissioner and (6) the principal owner and chief executive officer of an NFL team.

Willie Davis

Willie Davis’ pro football career got off to a discouraging start. The Cleveland Browns drafted him out of Grambling in 1956, but Army service intervened and he didn’t join the team until 1958. Just when he appeared ready for a regular offensive tackle job in 1960, he was traded to Green Bay. He proved durable as he was dedicated, never missing one of a possible 162 games in his 12-year tenure. The defensive force recovered 21 opponents’ fumbles during his career, one shy of the record when he retired. Davis was an All-NFL selection five times in six years from 1962-67 and selected to play in five consecutive Pro Bowls. Undeniably Willie Davis was a major factor in Green Bay’s winning tradition of the 1960s that included five NFL championships and six divisional titles in eight seasons. Included in the historic championship run were victories in the first two Super Bowls.

Richard Dent

Richard Dent was an eighth-round draft pick out of Tennessee State. Dent played in every game as a rookie in 1983 and started in three. The following year, he became a permanent starter at right end. That year he recorded a team record 17.5 sacks the most of any defender in the NFC. At the time of his retirement, Dent’s 137.5 career sack total was third behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith. Additional career statistics include eight interceptions, a safety, and fumble recovery for a touchdown. Four times he was named first- or second-team All-Pro, five times All-NFC, and selected to play in four Pro Bowls.

Darrell Green

Darrell Green starred at Division II Texas A&I (now A&M-Kingsville) and was the 28th pick in the draft. Green became an immediate starter, then made seven Pro Bowl and four All-Pro teams. He played the most games (295) of any defensive player in history. He made 54 interceptions and played in four NFC championship games and three Super Bowls including Washington’s victories in Super Bowls XXII and XXVI. Green was voted to seven Pro Bowls. He is also a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

Bob Hayes

Bob Hayes had earned athletic stardom having won a pair of gold medals in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. His medal-winning performance in the 100 meters competition earned him the title “World’s Fastest Human.” For the Dallas Cowboys, the team that drafted him in the seventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft, the question lingered, “could a track man succeed in a contact sport like pro football?” The answer came quickly as the rookie’s 46 receptions for 1,003 yards led all Cowboys receivers. Four times Hayes was named first- or second-team All-NFL. Three times he led the Cowboys in receptions, including back-to-back titles in 1965-66 when he caught a total of 110 passes for more than 2,200 yards and 25 touchdowns. For his 11-year career, Hayes accumulated 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns. His 71 career touchdown receptions remain a Cowboys’ club record.

Charles Haley

Charles Haley joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1986 as the team’s fourth round draft pick out of James Mdison. He developed into one of the NFL’s most devastating pass rushers during a career split between the 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.

Cliff Harris

In 1970, the Dallas Cowboys, like every other team, opted not to select safety Cliff Harris during any of the 17 rounds of the annual player draft. However, after watching films of tiny Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, the Cowboys scouting department and coaching staff agreed he was worth a free agent tryout. Harris earned a starter’s berth as a free safety, but his rookie season was interrupted by obligatory military service. He returned the following year in time for training camp and regained his starter’s role. It was a role he would not relinquish during his 10-year career.

Ken Houston

Ken Houston excelled as the premier free safety of his era in a 14-year span that began with the 1967 Houston Oilers who drafted him in the ninth round of the AFL-NFL draft out of Ouachita Baptist. After excelling for six years with the Oilers, Ken was traded to the Redskins for five veteran players in 1973. He was selected for either the AFL All-Star game or the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl 12 straight seasons from 1968 through 1979

Claude Humphrey

The Atlanta Falcons, with the third overall pick in the 1968 AFL/NFL Draft, selected Tennessee State defensive end Claude Humphrey. The 6-4, 252-pound Humphrey was an impact player who immediately justified his first-round status. His outstanding play earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Although it didn’t become an official NFL statistic until after he retired, Humphrey is credited with 122 career sacks. A devastating pass rusher, he led his team in sacks nine of the 13 seasons he played for the Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles.

Leroy Kelly

Leroy Kelly was an eighth-round pick of the Browns in the 1964 draft after a fine career at Morgan State. For his first two years, he was an understudy to Jim Brown. When Brown retired just before the 1966 campaign, Kelly filled the void in a manner seldom seen in pro football circles. Overall, he rushed for 7,274 yards and ranked among the top 20 all-time rushers until midway through 1993 season. He added 2,281 yards on 190 pass receptions and excelled as a punt and kickoff return specialist, particularly in his early years in the NFL. His combined net yards total of 12,330 on rushes, receptions and returns ranks him among the best.

Jerry Kramer

Jerry Kramer went from Idaho to Green Bay. Kramer played 130 games as a Packer guard and served as the team’s placekicker for several seasons. His leadership and talents helped the franchise capture five NFL championships and victories in Super Bowls I and II. At the time of his retirement in 1968, he held the NFL Championship Game record for most field goal attempts in a single game (five against the New York Giants in 1962) and the Packers’ team record for most PATs in a season (43 in 1963). He earned All-NFL acclaim five times and was voted to three Pro Bowls. Kramer was also named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s, the NFL’s 50th Anniversary Team in 1969 and the Super Bowl Silver Anniversary Team.

Charlie Joiner

Charlie Joiner is another Hall of Famer who went to Grambling. The Houston Oilers targeted Joiner for the defensive backfield when they picked the 5-11, 180-pounder in the fourth round of the 1969 AFL-NFL Draft. In his fourth season in 1972, Houston sent him to the Cincinnati Bengals in a four-player swap. Four years later in 1976, he was traded to San Diego. With the Chargers, Joiner blossomed into super-stardom. He and quarterback Dan Fouts formed a lethal pass-catch team that accounted for the preponderance of his 586 receptions as a Charger. During his 11 years in San Diego, Joiner caught 50 or more passes seven times and had 70 or more receptions three seasons.

Jack Lambert

Neil Leifer /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

Jack Lambert was a two-year All-Mid America Conference linebacker at Kent State and a second-round draft selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974. The 6-4, 220-pound Lambert immediately took charge of his destiny by winning the starting middle linebacker assignment as a rookie and keeping it throughout his 11-year career in Pittsburgh that ended after the 1984 season.

Jim Langer

Jim Langer played middle linebacker at South Dakota State before being signed by the Cleveland Browns as a free agent early in 1970, but was cut during training camp. He latched on with the Dolphins. Langer played in in 141 consecutive games from 1972 until a knee injury ended his Miami tenure with seven games left in the 1979 season. Early in the 1980 campaign, he was traded to the Vikings, with whom he played two more seasons.

Willie Lanier

Willie Lanier was a two-time Small College All-America at Morgan State. He was a second-round choice of the Chiefs in the 1967 draft and overcame stiff opposition to grab a starting job in the fourth game of his rookie season. He proved to be one of the most durable of all NFL stars of his time. He missed the last four games of his rookie campaign and then sat out only one more game in the next 10 seasons.

Steve Largent

Steve Largent attended the University of Tulsa, where he was an All-Missouri Valley Conference star with 103 receptions over his final two seasons. He was the fourth-round pick of the Oilers and the 117th player taken in the 1976 National Football League Draft. He played only four preseason games with Houston before being traded to the expansion Seahawks for an eighth-round draft pick. At the time of his retirement, he held six major career pass receiving records – most receptions (819), most consecutive games with a reception (177), most yards on receptions (13,089), most touchdowns on receptions (100), most seasons with 50 or more receptions (10) and most seasons with 1,000 yards or more on receptions (8).

Larry Little

The Dolphins acquired Larry Little from San Diego in 1969. The undrafted free agent from Bethune-Cookman became a Pro Bowl player and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. Little was named first-team All-Pro for five consecutive seasons from 1971-75 and was named to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade team.

Night Train Lane

Dick Lane went to Scottsbluff JC and was an Army veteran “looking for a good job” when he stopped in the offices of the Los Angeles Rams in 1952 and asked for a tryout. All he had for credentials was a battered scrapbook, which chronicled his football experiences in high school, junior college and the Army. Lane was named first- or second-team All-NFL every year from 1954-63. Named to seven Pro Bowls, Night Train intercepted 68 passes for 1,207 yards and five touchdowns during his Hall of Fame career.

Randy Moss

Randy Moss was drafted in the first round, 21st player overall, of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Viking. A wide receiver out of Marshall University, Marshall was twice a consensus All-American (1996-97), Moss played 14 seasons in the NFL. His career included stints with the Vikings (1998-2004, 2010), Oakland Raiders (2005-06), New England Patriots (2007-2010), Tennessee Titans (2010), and the San Francisco 49ers (2012). . A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Moss received first-team All-Pro honors four times and was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He finished his career with 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns.

Chuck Noll

Chuck Noll went to Dayton and played seven seasons as a messenger guard and a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns from 1953-9. He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Colts for nine years before accepting his first and only head-coaching job with the Steelers in 1969. He won four Super Bowl championships in a six-year period, won nine AFC Central Division championships and had a winning record in 15 of his last 20 seasons with the Steelers. He retired with an impressive 209-156-1 record in all games, including a 16-8-0 post-season record.

Merlin Olsen

As a rookie Merlin Olsen was voted into the Pro Bowl after being taken in the first round out of Utah State by the Los Angeles Rams. They never played a Pro Bowl without him for 14 consecutive years. Ten times he was selected a first- or second-team All-Pro.

Bill Parcells

Bill Parcells attended Colgate and Wichita State. Parcells compiled an overall record of 172-130-1 in the regular season and 11-8 in the playoffs. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1994.

Walter Payton

The 5-10, 200-pound Walter Payton rushed for 3,563 yards in four seasons at Jackson State before being taken fourth overall by the Chicago Bears in 1975. The records he held at the time of his retirement included 16,726 total yards, 10 seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing, 275 yards rushing in one game against Minnesota (1977), 77 games with more than 100 yards rushing, and 110 rushing touchdowns. Payton had 4,368 combined net attempts and accounted for 21,803 combined net yards. He also scored 750 points on 125 touchdowns. Payton won the NFC rushing title five straight years from 1976- 1980. Payton was selected as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1977 and 1985, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1977 and 1985 and the NFC Most Valuable Player in 1977.

John Randle

John Randle, a Little All-America from Texas A&I, signed a contract as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 1990. He played in all 16 games as a rookie before he earned a starting role at defensive tackle in his second season. Randle amassed 137.5 sacks during his 14-season career. He led the Vikings in sacks nine times and the Seahawks twice. Thirty-five times he recorded multi-sack games including eight games with three or more sacks. Randle was elected to seven Pro Bowls (1994-99, 2002) and named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

Andre Reed

In 1985, the Buffalo Bills used their fourth round pick in the draft to select wide receiver Andre Reed out of relatively little known Kutztown State University. Reed played 15 seasons with the Bills (1985-1999) and one final year with the Washington Redskins (2000). In the process he was selected to play in seven consecutive Pro Bowls (1989-1995), rewrote the Bills’ record book and added several entries in the NFL’s record book. When Reed retired, he was considered one of the greatest “yards after catch” receivers and his 951 career receptions ranked third in league history.

Jerry Rice

The San Francisco 49ers used their first round draft pick in 1985 on wide receiver Jerry Rice from little known Mississippi Valley State. In 1986, Rice recorded a season that began perhaps the finest stretch by any receiver in NFL history. That year, he caught 86 passes for a league-leading 1,570 yards. He also led the NFL in touchdown catches with 15. It marked the first of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons for Rice who also recorded double-digit receiving touchdown totals in nine of the next 10 seasons. He owns virtually every significant receiving mark. Some of the more notable career records include receptions (1,549); receiving yards (22,895 yards); most 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14); total touchdowns (208); and combined net yards (23,546).

Willie Roaf

The New Orleans Saints drafted tackle Willie Roaf out of Louisiana Tech in the first round eighth player overall, in the 1993 NFL Draft. He was the first offensive lineman selected in that year’s draft. He played nine seasons in New Orleans where he started 131 regular season games. He also started two playoff games including the franchise’s first postseason win, a 31-28 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams in the 2000 NFC Wild Card game. He was also voted to 11 Pro Bowls. The only times he did not receive an invitation to the league’s All-Star game during his career was following his rookie year and his injury-shortened 2001 season.

Andy Robustelli

The Los Angeles Rams drafted Andy Robustelli, an end from tiny Arnold College, in the 19th round of the 1951 National Football League Draft. He switched from offense to defensive line. After five outstanding seasons in Los Angeles, the Rams dealt him to the Giants for a first-round draft pick. Andy performed better in New York, and is credited with molding together the 1956 Giants team that won the NFL championship. He was named All-Pro seven times and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. In 1962 the Maxwell Club selected Robustelli (No. 81 in picture) as the NFL’s outstanding player, an honor that up until then was generally reserved for an offensive player.

Shannon Sharpe

Shannon Sharpe was a seventh-round choice in 1990 out of Savannah State. draft. He was switched to tight end by Dan Reeves’ staff. He won three Super Bowl rings — two with the Broncos, one with the Ravens — and was named to eight Pro Bowls.

Art Shell

Art Shell, a third-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in 1968 out of Maryland Eastern-Shore, excelled on the special teams for two seasons before winning the starting offensive left tackle job in his third campaign. Within a short time, he became widely recognized as one of the premier offensive linemen in the NFL. He played in eight Pro Bowl games and 23 post-season contests, including eight AFL/AFC championships and the Raiders’ victories in Super Bowls XI and XV.

Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan was taken in the second round, 40th player overall, in the 1993 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. At Texas Southern he had a reputation for sacking quarterbacks as demonstrated by his school record 41.5 career sacks. That ability transitioned well to the pro level and by the time his 15-season NFL career ended, he ranked fifth all-time in sack leaders and was the Giants’ record holder with 141.5 career sacks.

Don Shula

Don Shula played college football at John Carroll University in Cleveland and then became one of two rookies on Coach Paul Brown’s 1951 Cleveland Browns team. In 1953, Shula moved to the Baltimore Colts as part of an historic 15-player trade. He played cornerback for the Colts for four seasons and for Washington in 1957. Shula holds the NFL record for having coached in six Super Bowls but his teams won only twice.In 1995, he concluded his 33rd season as the winningest NFL head coach ever with a career mark of 347-173-6 (.665).

Jackie Slater

Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft out of Jackson State, Jackie Slater is tied for third all time for the most seasons played in the history of the league. His 259 regular-season games played were the most by an offensive lineman when he retired, and his 20 seasons with one team was an NFL record.

Jackie Smith

An outstanding football and track competitor at Northwestern Louisiana, Jackie Smith was the Cardinals’ 10th-round draft pick in 1963. Smith was a talented receiver, a punishing blocker, a fierce competitor and an excellent runner after he caught the ball. He handled the Cardinals’ punting chores his first three seasons. . He finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 1978. At the time of his retirement, he ranked as the all-time receiver among tight ends with 480 receptions for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns.

John Stallworth

John Stallworth was an All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference receiver for Alabama A&M in 1972 and 1973. He was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 1974 NFL Draft. Stallworth caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all Steelers team records at the time of his retirement. A veteran of six AFC championship games and four Steelers Super Bowl triumphs (IX, X, XIII, XIV), Stallworth was named All-Pro in 1979 and All-AFC in 1979 and 1984. He also played in four Pro Bowls following the 1979, 1982, 1983 and 1984 seasons.

Jason Taylor

Defensive End Jason Taylor was selected in the third round, 73rd player overall, in the 1997 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Taylor was no stranger to sacking the quarterback as evidenced by his school-record 21 career quarterback takedowns at the University of Akron. That did not change at the pro level and by the time Taylor’s 15-year career was over, he had tallied 139.5 career sacks which ranked sixth in league annals at the time of his retirement.

Emmitt Thomas

Emmitt Thomas joined the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent from Bishop College in Dallas in 1966. He excelled for the Chiefs for the next 13 seasons before retiring after the 1978 season as the team’s all-time leading interceptor.

Jim Thorpe

Kust before the season-ending series between the Canton Bulldogs and the arch-rival Massillon Tigers in 1915, Bulldogs general manager Jack Cusack signed the most famous athlete of the age, Carlisle’s Jim Thorpe, for the princely sum of $250 a game. Thorpe was everything Cusack expected him to be – an exceptional talent and an unparalleled gate attraction. With Thorpe as star and coach, the Bulldogs claimed unofficial world championships in 1916, 1917, and 1919. His mere presence moved pro football a giant step forward in the public’s estimation.

Gene Upshaw

Gene Upshaw was the Oakland Raiders’ first-round choice in the first combined AFL-NFL draft in 1967. The 6-5, 255-pound lineman had played center, tackle, and end while winning NAIA All-America honors at Texas A&I. Upshaw held the guard spot for the next 15 seasons, starting in 207 straight regular-season games until finally being forced out of action for one game in 1981. Upshaw returned the next week to play 10 more games in what turned out to be his final season. Altogether Upshaw played in an incredible 307 preseason, regular season, and post-season contests. Included in his 24 post-season games were three AFL and seven AFC championship games and Super Bowls II, XI and XV. Counting the AFL championship in 1967 and victories in Super Bowls XI and XV, Upshaw became the only player to start on championship teams in both the AFL and NFL.

Brian Urlacher

Brian Urlacher played his entire 13-year career with the Chicago Bears. The versatile linebacker was selected by the team out of New Mexico in the first round, ninth player overall, of the 2000 NFL Draft. In his 182 career games, Urlacher had 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns as well as 90 passes defensed, 12 forced fumbles and 16 fumble recoveries. Additionally, he made 1,358 tackles, including 44 games with 10 or more tackles.

Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner’s unique path to the National Football League started with several seasons of play in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe after a college career at Northern Iowa. He signed as free agent with the St. Louis Rams in 1998 and saw only brief action in the last game of the season when injuries ravaged the Rams quarterbacks. Named first-team All-Pro twice and selected to four Pro Bowls, Warner racked up 32,344 career yards, threw 208 touchdowns and recorded a 93.7 career passer rating.

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