Emmitt James Smith III is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, 13 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and 2 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Among other accolades, he is the league's all-time leading rusher.
Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
Kurtis Eugene Warner is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend from an undrafted free agent to a two-time Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in NFL history.
Archie Mason Griffin is an American former football running back who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in NCAA history, 1974–1975, considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Buckeyes and was the first player to ever start in four Rose Bowls. He was selected in the first round by the Bengals in the 1976 NFL draft.
Timothy Donell Brown is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to do so. He spent sixteen years with the Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders, during which he established himself as one of the NFL's greatest wide receivers of all time. Brown has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2015, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
David Duke Carr is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL draft. Carr also played for the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers. With the Giants, Carr was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVI over the New England Patriots. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Bakersfield Christian High School.
Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. Nicknamed "Prime Time", "Neon Deion", and since becoming a coach, "Coach Prime", he played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. Sanders was also a baseball outfielder for nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He won two Super Bowl titles and made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was an American professional football defensive end and actor. Smith played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers.
Graduel Christopher Darwin Carter is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.
Kevin James Mawae is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Mawae played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft. After joining the New York Jets in 1998, he received six consecutive Pro Bowl selections and five-first All-Pro honors during his eight seasons with the team. Mawae spent his final four seasons as a member of the Tennessee Titans, extending his Pro Bowl selections to eight and his first-team All-Pro honors to seven. Near the end of his career, he also served two terms as NFLPA president from 2008 to 2012.
Sterling Sharpe is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and played in the NFL from 1988 to 1994 with the Packers in a career shortened by a neck injury. He became an analyst for the NFL Network. He is the older brother of Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe.
John Matthew Stover is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Cleveland Browns, he was among the Browns players transferred to the newly created Ravens franchise in 1996, with whom he played 13 seasons. Additionally, Stover was a member of the New York Giants during his first season and Indianapolis Colts during his last. His most successful season was in 2000 when he earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors en route to the Ravens winning their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV. He was also part of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXV. For his accomplishments with the Ravens, Stover was named to the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor in 2011.
John Mackey was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers. He was born in Roosevelt, New York and attended Syracuse University. He was the first president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) following the AFL-NFL merger, serving from 1970 to 1973. Mackey was also a major reason the NFLPA created the "88 Plan", which financially supports ex-players who required living assistance in later years.
Rashaan Iman Salaam was an American professional football running back who played for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s. Salaam played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and won the 1994 Heisman Trophy. He was picked by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Bears and the Cleveland Browns. Salaam died by suicide on December 5, 2016.
Mark Lee Simoneau is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, earning consensus All-American honors in 1999. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft, and played for the Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.
Michael Shane Matthews is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for all or part of fourteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the Florida Gators, where he was both a second-team All-American and SEC player of the year in 1991 and 1992. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, and four other NFL teams. Since retiring as a player, Matthews has lived near his college alma mater in North Central Florida, where he has hosted a sports talk radio program and coached high school football. In 2017, Matthews was incarcerated for three months in a federal prison upon pleading guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of causing a drug to be misbranded, after playing a small part in a large health care fraud conspiracy organized by former Florida teammate Monty Grow.
Carl E. Banks is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played from 1984 to 1995 for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans.
Charles Teetai Ane Jr. was an American football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions. He played college football at the University of Southern California.
Matthew Kale Snider was a former American football fullback. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Science and Health. The Carolina Panthers offered him an NFL free agent contract in April 1999, but he was waived from the Charlotte-based team in June.
William Clay Matthews III, primarily known as Clay Matthews, is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played 10 seasons for the Green Bay Packers and 1 season for the Los Angeles Rams. He is the all-time official sack leader for the Packers, with 83.5. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2024.
