Quarterback
Steve McNair, Alcorn State
Running Backs
Walter Payton, Jackson State
Leroy Kelly, Morgan State
Leroy Kelly, Morgan State
Receivers
Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State
John Stallworth, Alabama A&M
John Stallworth, Alabama A&M
Tight End
Shannon Sharpe, Savannah State
Offensive Line
Roosevelt Brown, Morgan State
Art Shell, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Jackie Slater, Jackson State
Rayfield Wright, Fort Valley State
Larry Little, Bethune-Cookman
Art Shell, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Jackie Slater, Jackson State
Rayfield Wright, Fort Valley State
Larry Little, Bethune-Cookman
Defensive Line
Deacon Jones, South Carolina State/Mississippi Valley State
Willie Davis, Grambling State
Buck Buchanan, Grambling
Michael Strahan, Texas Southern
Willie Davis, Grambling State
Buck Buchanan, Grambling
Michael Strahan, Texas Southern
Linebackers
Robert Brazile, Jackson State
Willie Lanier, Morgan State
Harry Carson, South Carolina State
Willie Lanier, Morgan State
Harry Carson, South Carolina State
Defensive Backs
Willie Brown, Grambling State
Mel Blount, Southern
Aeneas Williams, Southern
Mel Blount, Southern
Aeneas Williams, Southern
Ken Houston, Prairie View A&M
The talent on this team is ridiculous.
22 players. 21 are honored in Canton.
The one player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the quarterback. Steve McNair.
Black colleges have sent an abundance of talent to the NFL at all positions but quarterback. I wonder if that has more to do with the league's coaches being so unwilling for so long to give a black quarterback a shot. Many think that Warren Moon was the first great black quarterback. Even he was forced to start his throwing career in Canada due to the prejudices of coaches. Doug Williams and James Harris had some fine moments. Maybe they would've had more if their path was less rocky. Maybe Parnell Dickinson could've been the first great black if he'd been given a chacne. Joe Gilliam? Eldridge Dickey? Charles Brackins? Willie Thrower? None had the opportunities routinely given to modestly talented white quarterbacks.
HBCUs have sent much more football talent than the above All-Time Team to the NFL. Here are some of the players that I had to reluctantly leave on the bench.
Lem Barney
Elvin Bethea
Richard Dent
Bob Hayes
Charlie Joiner
Emmitt Thomas
That's six Pro Football Hall of Famers sitting on the bench. The talent doesn't end there. Here's a few players that have a strong case for Canton induction.
Roger Brown
L.C. Greenwood
Ken Riley
Donnie Shell
Otis Taylor
Everson Walls
Just silly with talent. The talent was at these "small" schools because it wasn't welcome at the "big" schools. The smart NFL teams sent scouts to the schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1960s Kansas City Chiefs benefited greatly. So did the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. It's really no surprise that the rise in the scouting of the HBCUs coincided with the escalating AFL-NFL wars. There were more professional teams and it resulted in a hotly contested race for talent. The AFL had the edge at these long-neglected schools and it helped catch the NFL and force a merger in only seven years. Despite being loaded with talented players and greatly impacting the NFL the Historically Black Colleges and Universities have long been over there on the periphery of college and professional football. It's well past time to celebrate these schools and the players that played there. The Black College Football Hall of Fame has been inducting players since 2010. It's a grassroots effort that's slowly gaining traction and now they're getting some support from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They deserve more support and attention. Just look at the players. Silly with talent.
***
The talent on this team is ridiculous.
22 players. 21 are honored in Canton.
The one player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the quarterback. Steve McNair.
Black colleges have sent an abundance of talent to the NFL at all positions but quarterback. I wonder if that has more to do with the league's coaches being so unwilling for so long to give a black quarterback a shot. Many think that Warren Moon was the first great black quarterback. Even he was forced to start his throwing career in Canada due to the prejudices of coaches. Doug Williams and James Harris had some fine moments. Maybe they would've had more if their path was less rocky. Maybe Parnell Dickinson could've been the first great black if he'd been given a chacne. Joe Gilliam? Eldridge Dickey? Charles Brackins? Willie Thrower? None had the opportunities routinely given to modestly talented white quarterbacks.
HBCUs have sent much more football talent than the above All-Time Team to the NFL. Here are some of the players that I had to reluctantly leave on the bench.
Lem Barney
Elvin Bethea
Richard Dent
Bob Hayes
Charlie Joiner
Emmitt Thomas
That's six Pro Football Hall of Famers sitting on the bench. The talent doesn't end there. Here's a few players that have a strong case for Canton induction.
Roger Brown
L.C. Greenwood
Ken Riley
Donnie Shell
Otis Taylor
Everson Walls
Just silly with talent. The talent was at these "small" schools because it wasn't welcome at the "big" schools. The smart NFL teams sent scouts to the schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1960s Kansas City Chiefs benefited greatly. So did the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. It's really no surprise that the rise in the scouting of the HBCUs coincided with the escalating AFL-NFL wars. There were more professional teams and it resulted in a hotly contested race for talent. The AFL had the edge at these long-neglected schools and it helped catch the NFL and force a merger in only seven years. Despite being loaded with talented players and greatly impacting the NFL the Historically Black Colleges and Universities have long been over there on the periphery of college and professional football. It's well past time to celebrate these schools and the players that played there. The Black College Football Hall of Fame has been inducting players since 2010. It's a grassroots effort that's slowly gaining traction and now they're getting some support from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They deserve more support and attention. Just look at the players. Silly with talent.
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