- Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State University's college football team, a position he has held since 1966.
- Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler Bowden (born November 8, 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama), better known as "Bobby Bowden", is the winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history with 366 career wins. Bowden is currently the head coach at the Florida State University, where he has been since 1976.
- Chris Zorich
Christopher Robert Zorich (born March 13, 1969 in Chicago) is a retired American football player. He was a defensive tackle. An only child of African American and Croatian descent, Zorich was raised by his mother on the South Side of Chicago, where he attended Chicago Vocational High School. He received a scholarship to play football for the University of Notre Dame in 1987, and he would win multiple accolades during his tenure with the Fighting Irish, …
- Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15 1969 in Pensacola, Florida) is a former American football player, who played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Smith is a three time Super Bowl champion and the NFL's all time rushing leader, a record formerly held by his childhood hero Walter Payton. Smith surpassed Payton on October 27, 2002 against the Seattle Seahawks at Texas Stadium. He is the only running back to ever have won a Super Bowl championship, …
- Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962 in Crawford, Mississippi) is a former football wide receiver in the NFL. Rice is widely regarded among the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, consistently showing exceptional performance and strong work ethic on and off of the field. Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986-1996, 1998, 2002) in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowl rings as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
- Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945 in Miami Beach, Florida) is a former American football player and currently the head coach of the University of South Carolina football team. He was a two-time All-American and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a player.
- Reggie Williams
Reginald Williams (born September 19, 1954 in Flint, Michigan) is a former professional American football player. Williams graduated from Dartmouth College, where he starred as a linebacker. In 1976, he was drafted in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals, for whom he played fourteen seasons. During that time, he played in two Super Bowls. In 2007 Reggie Williams was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, …
- Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 - March 14, 1925) was a sports writer and football coach known as the "Father of American Football". Along with John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Glenn Scobey Warner, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most significant people in the history of American football. Camp was born in the city of New Britain, Connecticut, the son of Leverett L. and Ellen Cornwell Camp. He attended Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, …
- Bruce Smith
Bruce Smith (born June 18, 1963 in Norfolk, Virginia) is a former NFL football player who currently holds the NFL record for most career quarterback sacks with 200. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He was named in honor of his fathers' idol, Bruce Brewington.
- Bruce Smith
Bruce P. Smith (February 8, 1920 - August 28, 1967), nicknamed "Boo", was an American football player best known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1941. Smith was born in Faribault, Minnesota where he excelled in prep football under legendary football coach Win Brockmeyer and then attended the University of Minnesota. He played halfback for the back to back national champions Gophers in 1940 and 1941. He received the Heisman two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
- Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team, and is the namesake of the Paul W. Bryant Museum.
- Anthony Thompson
Anthony Thompson (born April 8, 1967 in Terre Haute, Indiana) is a former professional American football running back.
- Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) is a Hall of Fame quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. The last quarterback of the legendary Quarterback Class of 1983 to be taken, Marino holds or held almost every serious NFL passing record and, despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, …
- Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker (born March 3, 1962, in Wrightsville, Georgia) is a former professional American football player in the United States Football League and the National Football League.
- Rex Kern
Rex William Kern (born May 28, 1949, in Lancaster, Ohio) was an American football player. He played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1968 to 1970, and played professional football in the National Football League at defensive back for the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills. On May 9, 2007, Kern was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame, with induction to take place in December 2007 and enshrinement in 2008.
- Dave Brown
David Steven Brown was an American cornerback in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1975), Seattle Seahawks (1976-86) and Green Bay Packers (1987-89).
- Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler (April 1 1929 - November 17 2006) was an American college football coach best known as the head coach at the University of Michigan, where he coached the Wolverines from 1969 until 1989. Schembechler won a total of 234 games; only Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne have recorded 200 victories in fewer games. A consummate "coach's coach", Schembechler combined superb technical command of the game with a fiery disposition.
- Archie Manning
Elisha Archie Manning (born May 19, 1949) is a former quarterback in professional American football. He is the father of current Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Peyton Manning, current New York Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning, and former Ole Miss receiver, Cooper Manning.
- Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes was a college football coach who is best remembered for his 28-year tenure at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, from 1951-1978.
- John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. (born June 28, 1960 in Port Angeles, Washington) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos from 1983 through 1998. He holds many college and some professional records, was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is the only quarterback to have started in five Super Bowls.
- Jeff Davis
Jeff Davis, nicknamed Batman, (born January 26, 1960 in Greensboro, NC) is a retired National Football League linebacker.
- Kellen Winslow
Kellen Boswell Winslow (born 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois) is a former professional American football tight end with the University of Missouri and the San Diego Chargers.
- Johnnie Johnson
Johnnie Johnson was a member of the Los Angeles Rams from 1980 to 1988. He played cornerback and safety. Johnson played football for the University of Texas from 1976 to 1979. He was a unanimous All-America selection at defensive back in 1978 and 1979. Johnson was elected to College Football Hall of Fame in May 2007.
- Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus (born December 9, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American football player and actor. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. He was best known for his punishing tackles. Terry Bradshaw once claimed Butkus to be "a killer on the field, but an angel sent by God from heaven above off the field".
- Herb Deromedi
Herb Deromedi was a college football coach at Central Michigan University from 1978 to 1993. He also served as the athletic director for Central Michigan from 1994 to 2006. In 2007, he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Tom Brahaney
Thomas Brahaney (born October 23, 1951 in Midland, Texas) is a former American football center who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American. In 2007 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former football coach, in the college and professional ranks, between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl.
- Richard Wood
Richard Wood, nicknamed Batman, (born May 31, 1953 in Elizabeth, NJ) is a retired National Football League linebacker.
- Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe (May 28 1888–March 28 1953) was an American athlete. Considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, played American football collegiately and professionally, and also played professional baseball and basketball.
- Marcus Allen
Marcus LeMarr Allen (born March 26, 1960 in San Diego, California) is a former American football player, and until recently affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,411 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997. He scored 145 touchdowns including a then league record 123 rushing touchdowns and was elected to six Pro Bowls when he retired.
- Chad Hennings
Chad William Hennings (born October 20, 1965) played defensive lineman for the Air Force Academy Falcons. Hennings went on to play in the National Football League with the Dallas Cowboys, winning three Super Bowls. He was born in Elberon, Iowa. While in high school, Hennings became the state heavyweight wrestling champion his senior year. After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1988, Hennings entered the Euro-NATO program, …
- Eddie Robinson
Eddie Gay Robinson (February 13 1919 - April 3 2007) was an African American college football coach.
- Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955) is a former professional American Football running back and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His nickname is The Tyler Rose, a reference to his hometown of Tyler, Texas which is known as the "Rose Capital of America" for its prominent place in the rose-growing industry. He went to John Tyler High School.
- Wilson Whitley
Wilson Whitley (born May 28, 1955, died October 27, 1992) was a consensus All-American defensive tackle at the University of Houston, having played there from 1972-1976 under then defensive coordinator, Don Todd. He led the Cougars to the Southwest Conference championship in football during Houston's first season as a conference member and was named the Lombardi Award winner for 1976, as the nation's top lineman.
- Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back for the Chicago Bears. Payton, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, distinguished himself as one of the National Football League’s most productive and memorable players. He also set many rushing records during his professional and collegiate career. After a standout career at Jackson State University, The Bears drafted Payton with the fourth overall selection in the 1975 NFL Draft.
- Knute Rockne
Knute (pronounced "kah-noot") ("noot" is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888 - March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded by many as the greatest coach in college football history. His biography at the College Football Hall of Fame calls him, "American football's most-renowned coach.
- O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson (born July 9, 1947) (also known by his nickname, The Juice) is a retired American football player who achieved stardom at the collegiate and professional levels, and was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He later worked as an actor, spokesperson and broadcaster. Simpson is infamous for having been tried for the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994.
- Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward (born October 12, 1970 in Thomasville, Georgia) is an American football, basketball, and baseball player. Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for Florida State University, and subsequently led the Seminoles to their first-ever National Championship when FSU defeated Nebraska 18-16 in the 1994 Orange Bowl. The Seminoles had suffered their only defeat of the season to a second-ranked Notre Dame team, …
- Archie Griffin
Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is a former American football running back and college football's only two-time Heisman trophy winner. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Ohio State Buckeyes and is the only player ever to start in four Rose Bowls.
- Davey O'Brien
Robert David O'Brien was an American football player who played quarterback at Texas Christian University and for the Philadelphia Eagles, and was also an agent for the FBI. O'Brien played college football at Texas Christian University, and in 1938 led TCU to an undefeated season. O'Brien was named to thirteen All-American teams that season and became the first college football player to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award in the same year.