African American History Month: The 9 Greatest HBCU Grads In The NFL Ever

HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) have been defining football as we know it since 1892, when Biddle College and Livingstone College faced off in the snow (my article on that game is here). Many mark that day in sports as the day that black college football was born.

Due to systemic racism, HBCUs are often underfunded and overlooked. Some of the NFL’s greatest talents have originated from HBCUs, and the league would be able to find many more if they actually looked at how talented players are at these institutions. Having attended an HBCU myself, I have seen every department do more with less, including athletics.

In the biology department, we were looking at blood samples so old that they were still distinguished by race (in not very nice terms) because people thought that the blood between races was fundamentally different when those samples were taken. The telescopes were old enough to be in a museum. But we made it work.

The athletic department had outdated work-out equipment, the facilities were old, and the players and staff had to use passion and ingenuity where the money ran out to play at the caliber that they did.

While I attended the school, it was horrifically underfunded, with a miserly Alabama governor in power who liked it that way. I can identify the environment that likely also forged players like those at Biddle College and Livingstone College in 1892. Having to do more with less, beating the odds, and still showing up each and every day despite all the people who don’t believe in you creates a unique individual.

I can’t explain the kind of power that person carries, but it can move mountains. You want that player on your team. You need that player on your team.

Some NFL teams were smart enough to draft a player who was HBCU strong instead of individuals coming from the status quo PWIs (predominantly white institutions). HBCU strength can mean different things; no two people are the same, and no two experiences or institutions are the same, but they are all good.

NFL franchises aren’t getting any pats on the back for doing the bare minimum; we ran out of those about 100 years ago, but they do get a golf clap for seeing the talent that exists before their faces (eye exams are free with most insurance plans). Some of these players expected to be in the 2024 NFL draft can be found here.

In this article, we are going to highlight the top nine (y’all know why I picked that number) greatest HBCU graduates to play in the league ever. We’ll keep the details light because my introduction is 1000 words long, but I can’t help but talk about HBCUs.

Thank you to all the HBCU grads (a complete list can be found here) who have contributed to the NFL. Make sure to catch the other African American History Month articles of 2024 here and here.

The Top Nine Greatest HBCU Graduates In The NFL:

I consulted many sources for this and spent a lot of time picking individuals. If you don’t like my logic, I’ll make sure to provide sources so you can tell other people. Although my picks are perfect, you can let me know if you would have selected other people or changed the order of the gentlemen on the list.

Honorable mentions go to Terron Armstead, who is an active player, attended Arkansas Pine Bluff, and is a household name today.

#9 – Shannon Sharpe, Savannah State, Played In NFL From 1990-2003

Former tight end Shannon Sharpe comes in at number nine on our list. Sharpe listed his own top NFL players who are HBCU alumni, which was super helpful. He also wasn’t boastful enough to add himself to his own list; we love to see it.

The Hall of Famer is an eight-time pro bowler (three more than his older brother, Sterling Sharpe), and a three-time super bowl champ. Stats-wise, he had 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 TDs.

Some consider that Sharpe is the mold of the modern-day tight end position. He’s also a media mogul, so there’s that.

#8 – Richard Dent, Tennessee State, Played In NFL From 1983-1997

Richard Dent was a member of an HBCU alumni trio of greatness. He was one of the three starters in 1985, along with Sweetness and Frazier.

Dent was enshrined in the hall of fame as a Super Bowl champ, a Super Bowl MVP as a defensive end, and a four-time pro bowler. He was also the first-team all-pro in 1985 and the second-team all-pro three times.

When Richard retired, he had the third highest number of sacks with 137.5, with 17.5 of those in his second season.

Catch Richard Dent’s section of the Super Bowl Shuffle here, along with my other hot takes on the best song and music video of all time.

#7 – Steve McNair, Alcorn State, Played In NFL From 1995-2007

Air McNair is our lone quarterback on the list. This is hardly surprising since African American QBs are still underrepresented in the NFL today, and McNair entered the league nearly 30 years ago.

McNair is a Walter Payton Award winner, was in a Super Bowl, was a three-time pro bowler, and was the NFL’s MVP in 2003. The HBCU alum threw for 174 TDs and 31,304 yards in his 13-season career.

I covered Steve McNair‘s tragic death at the hands of his girlfriend (allegedly) before she took her own life here.

#6 – Art Shell, Maryland State, Played In NFL From 1968-1982

Art Shell is on this list for his multiple roles in the NFL. Shell was a tackle who was an eight-time pro bowler, Hall of Famer, and two-time Super Bowl champ.

Notably, the former NFL player was also a member of the 1970s all-decade team, as well as being a first-team all-pro twice.

We have mostly kept this a player-career thing, but the HBC alum is also legendary for another reason. The former offensive tackle was the first black head coach in the modern NFL (1989) and second overall, a position he held for six seasons. Who was the first black head coach? Read my article on Fritz Pollard here. I also discuss the crying shame of the lack of black head coaches in the NFL in detail here.

#5 – Willie Lanier, Morgan State, Played In NFL From 1967-1977

Willie Lanier is the first HBCU grad on the list so far that I have not written an article about. Expect that soon. Check back, because I will.

Have you ever said anything that ages you to walking with the dinosaurs in one sentence? Me too. Willie Lanier also did that when he was acknowledged for being drafted after KC lost in the first Super Bowl.

The linebacker is also well-known for being an All-Pro eight times. He was also a Super Bowl champ and Hall of Famer. Lanier had 27 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries in the breakneck (literally) days of the 1960s and 1970s.

#4 – Deacon Jones, Mississippi Valley State, Played In NFL From 1961-1974

Deacon Jones is not on the board at your local church, but he is number four on this board for being fantastic. He’s such a baddie that his go-to move, the head slap, had to be banned because he was too good. Read more about his head-slapping here.

The “Secretary of Defense” perfected the head slap, and he invented the name “sack.” The HBCU grad didn’t stop there with titles; he’s also known as one of the best defensive players in the NFL ever. His two defensive player of the year awards speak to that.

Deacon was definitely a top defensive end; he led the league in sacks for five years of his career. He is in the hall of fame, of course, and is an eight-time pro bowler, a five-time first-team all-pro, and a three-time second-team all-pro.

#3 – Mel Blount, Southern University, Played In NFL From 1970-1983

Mel Blount was one of the toughest players in the NFL, and he is still alive to tell about it in his cowboy hat. Many of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s have passed away, but Blount is HBCU strong to this day at 75-years-old.

The cornerback struck fear into his opponents, helping his team win four Super Bowls in a period of six years. The 1975 defensive player of the year was a five-time pro bowler, a Hall of Famer, a six-time member of the all-pro team, and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time team.

Blount racked up 13 fumbles and 57 interceptions, leading the league in interceptions in 1975.

Much like Deacon Jones, Mel Blount had a rule created in his name. This is a good gauge for whether a defensive player was worth their salt back in the day. Read more about the Mel Blount rule here.

#2 – Walter Payton, Jackson State, Played In NFL From 1975-1987

Walter “sweetness” Payton has been one of my favorite HBCU graduates to write about. I covered his verse in the Super Bowl shuffle in the same article as Richard Dent. Curious about his nickname? I got all the details on the running back of “sweetness” here. That also goes into the trophy named after him, which is almost as good as getting a play banned or a rule created in your honor.

It’s hard to describe Walter Payton‘s career in a few sentences, but I’ll try. Payton had the all-time leading rushing record before it was nabbed by Emmitt Smith two decades later with 16,726 rushing yards. He had 21,264 rushing and passing yards. Could I have mathed out what his specific passing yards were? Yes.

Sweetness is also a Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champ, MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, a nine-time pro bowler, and a five-time first-team all-pro selection.

Payton is also likely the bane of modern-day running backs, as he was the first to show an RB can be a wide receiver too. Thanks, Walter.

#1 – Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State, Played In NFL From 1985-2005

Last but not least is Jerry Rice, who is the epitome of HBCU strength. People are in debate over whether Jerry Rice is the best player in the NFL ever, but we can all agree that he is the best wide receiver of all time.

Talk about putting HBCUs on the map… Mississippi Valley State helped mold Jerry Rice into one of the greatest. Along with Deacon Jones.

Ok… it’s stat time. Bear with me; he’s just that good. Rice led the league in receiving yards and TDs six times a piece. Jerry retired with three all-time records in his career: receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895 yards), and receiving touchdowns (197). This wide receiver also got over 1,000 yards multiple years ago, back when it was legal to practically murder people on the field. In 1995, he had 1,848 yards.

Besides killing it in stats, he was also racking up awards right and left. He was an all-pro ten times, a three-time Super Bowl champ, an MVP, and a Super Bowl MVP.

Save some records and awards for the rest of us out here, Jerry Rice!