Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Forgive me if this has been covered, before, but I just found out that former Cowboys standout CB Cornell Green was a basketball player in college. Along with modern TEs Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who else can you name that had standout N.F.L. careers but who didn't even play football in college?

I can't name too many who did not play college football but DID play other sports. The best I can do is below:

Otto Graham played basketball and football in college. He was on a championship pro basketball team as well.

Weeb Ewbank played college baseball and football.

Sammy Baugh played college baseball and football.

I'm not sure whether you'd count Jim Thorpe or not. He played everything, just about.

Don Hutson played college football and baseball. I believe his initial scholarship to Alabama was a baseball scholarship. He also ran track.

Jim Brown played football, basketball and lacrosse in college. He was so good at lacrosse that he might have been better at that sport than he was at football.

Tony Gonzalez played both football and basketball in college. So did Donovan McNabb. John Elway also played baseball during his college years.

Lee Elder wrote: Jim Brown played football, basketball and lacrosse in college. He was so good at lacrosse that he might have been better at that sport than he was at football.

Just to add to what Lee said:

Perhaps more impressive was his success as a multisport athlete. In addition to his football accomplishments, he excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse. As a sophomore, he was the second-leading scorer for the basketball team (15 ppg), and earned a letter on the track team. In 1955, he finished in fifth place in the Nation Championship decathlon. His junior year, he averaged 11.3 points in basketball, and was named a second-team All-American in lacrosse. His senior year, he was named a first-team All-American in lacrosse (43 goals in 10 games to rank second in scoring nationally). Brown was so dominant in the game, that lacrosse rules were changed requiring a lacrosse player to keep their stick in constant motion when carrying the ball (instead of holding it close to his body). He is in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The Carrier Dome has an 800 square-foot tapestry depicting Brown in football and lacrosse uniforms with the words "Greatest Player Ever".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Brown ... rts_career

7DnBrnc53 wrote:Tony Gonzalez played both football and basketball in college. So did Donovan McNabb. John Elway also played baseball during his college years.

Antonio Gates is in the Gonzales category

racepug wrote:Forgive me if this has been covered, before, but I just found out that former Cowboys standout CB Cornell Green was a basketball player in college. Along with modern TEs Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who else can you name that had standout N.F.L. careers but who didn't even play football in college?

Depending on your definition of what is a "standout NFL career": How about Preston Pearson and Marcus Pollard? Both played basketball but no football in college.

JohnTurney wrote:

7DnBrnc53 wrote:Tony Gonzalez played both football and basketball in college. So did Donovan McNabb. John Elway also played baseball during his college years.

Antonio Gates is in the Gonzales category

As is Jimmy Graham...
Many of the modern TEs played college basketball.
The skill set is similar.

Pete Gent did not play football at Michigan State University, only basketball. Sam Clancy, Senior had a long NFL career on the defensive line after playing only basketball at the University of Pittsburgh.

Add in Cornell Green, a very good college hoop player who would have likely been
good NBA player

George Fant, now with the Jets was a top basketball player at Western IKentucky who didn't
play much football in college.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Fa ... _football)