Column: NFL dominated by former SEC standouts

By By Josh Taylor/sports writer
November 16, 2003
My best friend from high school is now a resident of Eugene, Oregon. For those of you that don't know, Eugene is home to the University of Oregon.
In one of our recent email exchanges we began debating which was the better conference between the SEC and the PAC-10. The SEC has winning hands down as we threw stats back and forth. The SEC had more national titles, more bowl ties, higher fan attendance, etc. My Oregon friend then stated that the PAC-10 had more players in the NFL than the SEC. Well, I did some research and guess what? As it turns out, the SEC has more players in the NFL than the PAC-10. As a matter of fact, the SEC has more players in the NFL than any other conference.
This is not all that surprising, but it is interesting.
As of NFL opening day 2003 there were 263 former SEC players on starting rosters in the NFL. The Big Ten came in second with 207 followed by the PAC-10 with 191. Those guys didn't even come close.
Every SEC school has at least nine former players currently on NFL rosters, including Vanderbilt. Most of the schools have a lot more than nine.
Here's how it breaks down within the SEC. Florida is tied with Notre Dame for the most players of any team in the country currently in the NFL with 40. That's a lot of former Gators running around the NFL. That number goes up to 41 if you count Steve Spurrier. This includes guys like Jevon Kearse, Lito Sheppard, Emmitt Smith, Fred Taylor, and about 36 other guys.
Georgia and Tennessee come in next with 36 players each. This includes Payton Manning, Quincy Carter, Garrison Hearst, Mo Lewis, Hines Ward, Travis Henry, Jamal Lewis, Donte' Stallworth, and the list goes on and on.
Next up is Auburn with 25 players followed closely by LSU with 24. Alabama rolls in next with 20. Mississippi State and South Carolina are tied at 18. Ole Miss is up next with 17. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are tied at ten with Arkansas bringing up the rear with nine former players currently in the NFL.
How many of the guys from Mississippi State can you name? There's Eric Moulds, Fred Smoot, Justin Griffith, Floyd Pork Chop' Womack, Dorsett Davis, and Ellis Wyms just to name a few.
What about all you Ole Miss Fans? Here's the short list: Norman Hand, Deuce McAlister, Ken Lucas, Wesley Walls, and Nate Wayne. There will most likely be a quarterback added to this list next year.
We can take this argument a step further. Let's look at the top five players in one important NFL category: rushing.
The top five rushers going into today's games are as follows: Jamal Lewis, Ahman Green, Stephen Davis, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Deuce McAlister. Jamal Lewis is a former Tennessee Volunteer, Stephen Davis is a former Auburn Tiger, and we all know Deuce McAlister is a former Ole Miss Rebel. That's three of out of the top five rushers in the NFL are from the SEC.
Now that's impressive.
Just in case you're curious, Tomlinson played at Texas Christian while Green is a former Nebraska Cornhusker.
Only about 2 percent of college football players ever make it to the NFL. The fact that a large majority of the top players in the NFL come from only twelve schools says a lot about the SEC. I think I won this argument.
On a side note only about .09 percent of high school football players ever make it to the NFL. This seems somewhat appropriate as we watch the prep playoff race continue. Who will be next year's Deuce, McNair, Manning, Rice, or Favre?
Game of the Week
This week holds a true jewel of a football game. Tonight's ESPN game features the 7-2 Dallas Cowboys on the road versus the 7-2 New England Patriots. The Patriots are currently on a five-game winning streak while the Cowboys continue to surprise everyone in the league.
Both of these teams are likely contestants in this year's playoffs. Tonight's game could be a hint of things to come. I'm not suggesting that Dallas and New England will meet again in the Super Bowl, but if they did it wouldn't surprise me!