Greatest college football player born in each state
Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; A general view of the library building prior to the game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Believe it or not, many of the greatest college football players in history hailed from Massachusetts; it’s only that the heyday for the state occurred long ago when the game itself was in its infancy. With college football’s roots dating back to New England in the second half of the 19th Century, and with the game’s early powers such as Princeton, Yale and Harvard populated primarily with students from prestigious prep schools in the region, most of the early stars of the game were Massachusetts-born.
Unfortunately, in part because of the stark differences between football’s earliest days and now but also because of the many decades that have passed, many of those great players have been lost to history. And, with the popularity of the sport spreading elsewhere, fewer and fewer Bay Staters have become college football stars in recent years. Still, there are several legends worth celebrating.
One of the greatest was Notre Dame quarterback/single-wing tailback Angelo Bertelli, who led the Fighting Irish to a record of 24-3-3 in three years from 1941-43. Bertelli was named a consensus All-American in 1943 and won the Heisman Trophy (despite playing in only six games) on the strength of 512 passing yards and ten touchdowns with only four interceptions.
He also finished as the runner-up in 1941 when he threw for 1,027 yards and was sixth in the voting in 1942. Bertelli was the first overall pick in the 1944 NFL Draft and played three seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Done (1946) and Chicago Rockets (1947-48)
Other Notable College Football Players Born in Massachusetts:
- Joe Bellino, HB, Navy
- Eddie Casey, HB, Harvard
- Pete Kendall, OL, Boston College
- Myles Layne, HB, Dartmouth
- Howie Long, DL, Villanova
- Don McCauley, RB, North Carolina
- Swede Oberlander, QB, Dartmouth
- Tom Nalen, OL, Boston College
- Frank Varrichione, OL, Notre Dame
Next: Michigan