USA Today - 26.08.2019

4C z MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019 z USA TODAY E3 SPORTS

Mel Blount, Southern
Pos: CB. Years: 1970-83. Team: Steel-
ers.
Four-time Super Bowl champion.
Hall of Famer. Had 57 interceptions, 13
fumble recoveries.

Marion Motley, South Carolina
State (transferred to Nevada)
Pos: FB. Years: 1946-53 (1955).
Teams: Browns, Steelers (one season).
Hall of Fame. Averaged 5.6 yards
rushing; played both ways (LB) when
Cleveland was in the All-America Foot-
ball Conference before joining NFL.

Willie Davis, Grambling
Pos: DE. Years: 1958-69. Teams:
Browns, Packers.
Five-time NFL champion and two-
time Super Bowl champion; 10 seasons
with Packers; career 22 fumble recover-
ies.

Willie Brown,Grambling
Pos: CB. Years: 1963-78. Teams: Bron-
cos, Raiders.
Hall of Fame; 54 interceptions.

Ken Houston,Prairie View A&M
Pos: S. Years: 1967-80. Teams: Hous-
ton Oilers. Redskins.
Hall of Fame. Returned nine inter-
ceptions for TDs; 49 career picks.

Art Shell, Maryland State (now
Maryland Eastern Shore).
Pos: OT. Years: 1968-82. Team: Oak-
land Raiders (Los Angeles 1982).
Two-time Super Bowl champion.
Hall of Fame. Played 207 games. NFL
1970s all-decade team.

Lem Barney,Jackson State
Pos: CB. Years: 1967-77. Team: Lions.
Hall of Fame. Also punt-kickoﬀ re-
turner; 56 interceptions, 11 TDs; NFL de-
fensive rookie of the year.

Roosevelt Brown, Morgan State
Pos: OT. Years: 1953-65. Team: Gi-
ants.
Hall of Fame. Nine Pro Bowls.

Larry Little,Bethune-Cookman
Pos: OG. Years: 1967-80. Teams: San
Diego Chargers, Dolphins.
Hall of Fame.

Leroy Kelly, Morgan State
Pos: RB. Years: 1964-73. Team:
Browns.
Hall of Fame. Combined 12,330 yards;
ﬁve-time all-NFL. Two NFL rushing ti-
tles.

Richard Dent,Tennessee State
Pos: DT. Years: 1983-97. Teams:
Bears, 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Eagles.
Super Bowl champion. Hall of Fame.
Four Pro Bowls; 137.5 sacks (third all
time when he retired), including 17.5 his
second season. Super Bowl champ.

Jackie Slater,Jackson State
Pos: OT. Years: 1976-95. Team: Los
Angeles/St. Louis Rams
Hall of Fame. Played 259 games; sev-
en Pro Bowls; blocked for 24 quarter-
backs and 37 running backs.

Emmitt Thomas,Bishop
Pos: CB. Years: 1966-78. Team:
Chiefs.
Hall of Fame. 58 interceptions (ﬁfth-
best all time when he retired), including
12 in 1974; 937 interception return yards.
Longtime NFL assistant.

Harry Carson, South Carolina
State
Pos: LB. Years: 1976-88. Team: Gi-
ants.
Hall of Fame. Nine Pro Bowls; 14 fum-
ble recoveries; 20 tackles in a 1982 Mon-
day Night Football game versus Green
Bay. Super Bowl champ.

Robert Brazile,Jackson State
Pos: LB. Years: 1975-84. Team: Hous-
ton Oilers.
Hall of Fame. Seven Pro Bowls, 1970s’
all-decade team.

Len Ford, Morgan State (then
Michigan)
Browns, Packers (1958).
Hall of Fame. According to the Hall,
Cleveland in eﬀect created the ﬁrst 4-
defense to take advantage of Ford’s abil-
ity to rush the passer.

Rayﬁeld Wright, Fort Valley
State
Pos: OT. Years: 1967-79. Team: Cow-
boys.
Hall of Fame. Six consecutive Pro Bowls.

Michael Strahan, Texas South-
ern
Pos: DE. Years: 1993-2007. Team: Gi-
ants.
Hall of Fame. Had 141.5 career sacks,
including 22.5 in 2001 when he was NFL
Defensive Player of the Year.

Shannon Sharpe, Savannah
State
Pos: TE. Years: 1990-2003. Teams:
Broncos, Baltimore Ravens.
Three-time Super Bowl champion.
Hall of Fame. Had 815 receptions for
10,060 yards and 62 TDs. Played in 204
regular-season games.

John Stallworth,Alabama A&M
Pos: WR. Years: 1974-87. Team: Steel-
ers.

Four-time Super Bowl champion. Hall of Fame. Had 537 catches for 8, yards and 63 TDs – all team records at the time of his retirement.

Aeneas Williams,Southern
Pos: DB. Years: 1991-2004. Teams: Ar-
izona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams.
Hall of Fame. Had 55 interceptions;
made eight Pro Bowls. NFC Defensive
Rookie of the Year. Played mostly CB but
also made Pro Bowl once as safety.

Bob Hayes,Florida A&M
Pos: WR. Years: 1965-75. Teams:
Cowboys, 49ers (one season).
Super Bowl champion. Hall of Fame.
Had 76 TDs, 7,414 yards. Also won gold
medal in 100-meter dash at 1964 Tokyo
Olympics.

Claude Humphrey, Tennessee
State
Pos: DE. Years: 1968-81. Teams: Fal-
cons, Eagles.
Hall of Fame. Had 122 sacks, made six
Pro Bowls, played in 171 games.

Elvin Bethea, North Carolina
A&T
Pos: DE. Years: 1968-83. Team: Hous-
ton Oilers.
Hall of Fame. Eight Pro Bowls. Played
in 210 games.

Donnie Shell, South Carolina
State
Pos: DB. Years: 1974-87. Team: Steel-
ers.
Had 51 interceptions, 19 fumble recover-
ies; played 201 games. Five Pro Bowls.

Charlie Joiner,Grambling
Houston Oilers, Bengals, San Diego
Chargers.
Hall of Fame. Had 750 catches, 12,
yards, 65 TDs, 20 100-yard receiving
games. At the time of his retirement his
18 seasons were longer than any other
receiver in history.

L.C. Greenwood, Arkansas-Pine
Bluﬀ
Pos: DE. Years: 1969-81. Team: Steel-
ers.
Six-time Pro Bowler; 170 games

Lemar Parrish,Lincoln (Mo.)
Pos: CB. Years: 1970-82. Teams: Ben-
gals, Redskins, Bills.
Eight-time Pro Bowler and three-
time ﬁrst-team all-pro. Had 47 intercep-
tions, 176 games.

Ed “Too Tall” Jones,Tennessee
State
Pos: DE. Years: 1974-89. Team: Cow-
boys.
Super Bowl champion; stood 6-9;
played in 224 games. Three-time Pro
Bowler.

Ben Coates,Livingstone
Pos: TE. Years: 1991-2000. Teams: Pa-
triots, Ravens (one season).
Super Bowl champion. Had 499 re-
ceptions for 5,555 yards and 50 touch-
downs.

Ken Riley,Florida A&M
Pos: DB. Years: 1969-83. Team: Ben-
gals.

Everson Walls,Grambling
Pos: DB. Years: 1981-93. Teams: Cow-
boys, Giants, Browns.

Raymond Chester, Morgan State
Pos: TE. Years: 1970-81. Teams: Oak-
land Raiders, Baltimore Colts.

Steve McNair,Alcorn State
Pos: QB. Years: 1995-2007. Teams:
Houston Oilers, Titans, Ravens.

Otis Taylor,Prairie View A&M
Pos: WR. Years: 1965-75. Team:
Chiefs.

Winston Hill, Texas Southern
Pos: OL. Years: 1963-77. Teams: Jets,
Los Angeles Rams (one season).

Tank Younger, Grambling
Pos:.RB. Years: 1949-58. Teams: Los
Angeles Rams, Steelers (one season).

Willie Galimore,Florida A&M
Pos: RB. Years: 1957-63. Team: Bears.

Doug Williams, Grambling
Pos: QB. Years: 1978-89. Teams: Bucs,
Redskins.

Harold Carmichael,Southern
Pos: WR. Years: 1971-84. Teams: Ea-
gles, Cowboys (one season).

Harold Jackson,Jackson State
Pos: WR. Years: 1968-83. Teams: Los
Angeles Rams, Eagles, Patriots, Vikings,
Seahawks.

Johnny Sample,Maryland State
Pos: DB. Years: 1958-68. Teams: Bal-
timore Colts, Steelers, Redskins, Jets.

Emerson Boozer, Maryland
State
Pos: RB. Years: 1966-75. Team: Jets.

Robert Mathis,Alabama A&M
Pos: DE. Years: 2003-16. Team: Indi-
anapolis Colts.

Erik Williams, Central State
Pos: OT. Years: 1991-2001. Teams:
Cowboys, Ravens (one season).

Donald Driver,Alcorn State
Packers.

Isiah Robertson,Southern
Pos: LB. Years: 1971-82. Teams: Los
Angeles Rams, Bills.

Roger Brown, Maryland State
Pos: DT. Years: 1960-69. Teams: Li-
ons, Los Angeles Rams.

Nate Newton,Florida A&M
Pos: G. Years: 1986-99. Teams: Cow-
boys, Panthers (one season).

Robert Porcher,South Carolina
State
Pos: DL. Years: 1992-2003. Team: Li-
ons.

Jimmy Smith,Jackson State
Cowboys (one season), Jaguars.

John Gilliam, South Carolina
State
Saints, St. Louis Cardinals, Vikings, Fal-
cons, Bears.

Jethro Pugh,Elizabeth City State
Pos: DL. Years: 1965-78. Team: Cow-
boys.

John Taylor, Delaware State
49ers.

Sammy White,Grambling
Pos: WR. Years: 1976-85. Team: Vik-
ings.

Hugh Douglas,Central State
Jets, Eagles, Jaguars.

Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd,Grambling
Pos: DT. Years: 1961-67. Teams: San
Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers, Chiefs.

Jimmie Giles, Alcorn State
Pos: TE. Years: 1977-89. Teams:
Houston Oilers, Bucs, Lions, Eagles.

Gary “Big Hands” Johnson,
Grambling
Pos: DL. Years: 1975-85. Teams: San
Diego Chargers, 49ers.

Doug Wilkerson, North Carolina
Central
Pos: OG. Years: 1970-84. Teams:
Houston Oilers (one season), San Diego
Chargers.

Leon Gray,Jackson State
Pos: OT. Years: 1973-83. Teams: Patri-
ots, Houston Oilers, Saints.

Greg Lloyd,Fort Valley State
Pos: LB. Years: 1988-98. Teams:
Steelers, Panther (one season).

Albert Lewis, Grambling
Pos: CB. Years: 1983-98. Teams:
Chiefs, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders.

Antoine Bethea, Howard
Pos: DB. Years: 2006-18. Teams: Indi-
anapolis Colts, 49ers, Arizona Cardi-
nals.

Rashean Mathis, Bethune-
Cookman
Pos: CB. Years: 2003-15. Teams: Jag-
uars, Lions.

Rich “Tombstone” Jackson,
Southern
Pos: DE/LB. Years: 1966-72. Teams:
Oakland Raiders, Broncos, Browns.

Nick Collins,Bethune-Cookman
Pos: S. Years: 2005-11. Team: Packers.

Thomas “Hollywood” Hender-
son,Langston
Pos: LB. Years: 1975-80. Teams: Cow-
boys, Houston Oilers (seven games),
San Diego Chargers (one game).

Ken Burrough,Texas Southern
Saints, Houston Oilers.

Coy Bacon,Jackson State
Pos: DL. Years: 1968-81. Teams: Los
Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers,
Bengals, Redskins.

Clem Daniels, Prairie View A&M
Pos: RB. Years: 1960-68. Teams: Dal-
las Texans, Oakland Raiders, 49ers.

Jake Reed,Grambling
Vikings, Saints (two seasons).

Jimmie Lee Hunt, Prairie View
A&M
Pos: DL. Years: 1960-71. Team: Boston
Patriots.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie,
Tennessee State
Pos: CB. Years: 2008-18. Teams: Ari-
zona Cardinals, Eagles, Oakland Raid-
ers.

Herbert Scott,Virginia Union
Pos: G. Years: 1975-84. Team: Cow-
boys.

Yancey Thigpen,Winston-Salem
State
San Diego Chargers, Steelers, Tennes-
see.

Rich Caster,Jackson State
Pos: TE. Years: 1970-82. Teams: Jets,
Houston Oilers, Saints, Redskins.

Henry Lawrence,Florida A&M
Pos: OL. Years: 1974-86. Team: Oak-
land/Los Angeles Raiders.

Howard Ballard,Alabama A&M
Pos: OT. Years: 1987-98. Teams: Bills,
Seahawks.

Jacoby Jones, Lane
Houston Texans, Ravens, Steelers, San
Diego Chargers.

Justin Durant,Hampton
Pos: LB. Years: 2007-17. Teams: Jag-
uars, Lions, Cowboys, Falcons.

Speedy Duncan,Jackson State
Pos: DB. Years: 1964-74. Teams: San
Diego Chargers, Redskins.

Verlon Biggs,Jackson State
Pos: DE. Years: 1965-74. Teams: Jets,
Redskins.

Jim Kearney,Prairie View A&M
Pos: S. Years: 1965-76. Teams: Lions,
Chiefs, Saints.

Carl Hairston, Maryland State
Pos: DL. Years: 1976-90. Teams: Ea-
gles, Browns, Phoenix Cardinals.

Robert James,Fisk
Pos: DB. Years: 1969-74. Team: Bills.

Mack Lee Hill,Southern
Pos: RB. Years: 1964-65. Team:
Chiefs.

Ashley Ambrose, Mississippi
Valley State
Pos: DB. Years: 1992-2004. Teams:
Indianapolis Colts, Bengals, Saints, Fal-
cons.

James “Shack” Harris, Gram-
bling
Pos: QB. Years: 1969-81. Teams: Bills,
Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers.

Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T
Pos: RB. Year: 2017. Team: Bears.

Larry Brooks, Virginia State
Pos: DT. Years: 1972-82. Team: Los
Angeles Rams.

Terron Armstead, Arkansas Pine
Bluﬀ
Pos: OT. Year: 2013. Team: Saints.

Julius Adams,Texas Southern
Pos: DL. Years: 1971-87. Team: Patri-
ots.

James Hunter, Grambling
Pos: DB. Years: 1976-82. Team: Lions.

Homer Jones,Texas Southern
Pos: WR. Years: 1964-70. Teams: Gi-
ants, Browns.

Donal Ware is a national radio per- sonality who has interviewed some of the top names in sports and entertain- ment and is the founder of BOXTOROW. The radio program can be heard on Siri- usXM and radio stations across the country. A graduated of Morgan State University, he has a great passion for HBCU sports.

Discussion about this ranking can be heard on BOXTOROW this Saturday at 9 a.m. ET/8 a.m. CT/6 a.m. PT on Siri- usXM Channel 142.

Sources: Pro-Football-Reference. com, profootballhallof.com

(Note: Sacks not oﬃcial NFL stats un- til 1982)

HBCU

Continued from Page 1C

Jerry Rice, who played at Mississippi Valley State, was arguably the greatest player in NFL history and its greatest receiver. JOHN DAVID MERCER/USA TODAY SPORTS

Michael Strahan, who played at Texas Southern, had 141.5 career sacks in the NFL.BOB DONNAN/USA TODAY SPORTS

USA Today - 26.08.2019

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