Greatest college football player born in each state
Alabama has a rich history of producing high school football players that go on to star in college and eventually the NFL. Three have even won the Heisman Trophy – college football’s greatest honor. Alaska has no such history.
The 49th state joined the union January 3, 1959, and the cold climate (including literally frozen tundra) isn’t ideal for football. Though Alaska is the largest state by total area (663,268 sqare miles), and has a longer coastline than the entire continental United States, it is the least densely populated state by far.
Fewer than 750,000 people live within its borders – which is fewer than all but two other states (ahead of only Vermont and Wyoming) – and close to half of those residents live in Anchorage and the surrounding metropolitan area.
One player that was born in Anchorage, and grew up to become a star player in college and the NFL, is Mark Schlereth. An offensive lineman at the University of Idaho, Schlereth helped the Vandals win 37 games in four seasons, including three Big Sky titles. In 1988, Idaho advanced to the NCAA Division 1-AA national semifinals, and Schlereth was named a second team All-American.
Schlereth was drafted in the tenth round of the 1989 NFL Draft by Washington, and played five seasons in the nation’s capital, which included a victory in Super Bowl XXVI and a Pro Bowl season in 1991. In 1995, he joined the Denver Broncos and helped the squad win back-to-back Super Bowl titles and earned his second Pro Bowl nod. Since retiring in 2001, Schlereth has worked in television and radio, most notably for ESPN.
Other Notable College Football Players From Alaska:
- Reggie Tongue (Born in Maryland, attended high school in Alaska), DB, Oregon State
- Travis Hall, DL, BYU
- Daryn Colledge, OL, Boise State
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