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NEWS RELEASE
FOR USE AS DESIRED / Contact: Steve Alic, USA Football, 703/992-8325
9/23/08 /

TWO HIGH SCHOOLS SHARE LEAD

FORMOST NFL PLAYERS; CALIFORNIALEADS ALL STATES;

MIAMITOPS HOMETOWNS

Two high schoolson opposite coasts -- Dillard in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Tustin in Tustin, California -- top the list of high schools with the most 2008 NFL players with sixeach, USA Football announced today.

The totals are based on the 1,693-man 2008 NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters (September 4, 7-8).

NFL players from Kickoff rosters hail from 1,393high schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia, four foreign countries and oneU.S. territory (American Samoa).

Players from the most productive schools have fond memories of their high school days, and appreciation for the way their school’s football programs are run:

  • ATLANTA FALCONS T SAM BAKER (Tustin): “Tustin means a lot to me. It’s where I got started and it’s where I first played football. Coach (Myron) Miller, who is still there, told me to get in the weight room because that’s where everything I was going to accomplish was going to start. It was all about work and I was fortunate that there were a lot of guys around my same age that were top-caliber athletes. A lot of those guys are in the NFL today. DeShaun Foster started the trend and a lot of us followed in his footsteps.”
  • TAMPABAY BUCCANEERS DT JOVAN HAYE (Dillard): “It got me prepared for life. Growing up, you go through trials and tribulations. Dillard just prepared me for life. It also gave me a good football education. You played against some of the best the state has to offer and there is no better football then football in Florida, especially in the South Florida region.”
  • SAN DIEGO CHARGERS RB JACOB HESTER (Evangel Christian): “I had a really good high school football experience. I won three state championships and one national championship while I was there, and not a lot of people can say that. They were a very good program and still are. It was definitely a great experience and got me ready for everything I did at LSU and now with the Chargers.”
HIGH SCHOOLS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
High School, City, State / Number / NFL Players

Dillard, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

/ 6 / Isaac Bruce, SF; Chris Gamble, CAR; Jovan Haye, TB; Stanley McClover, HOU; Josh Shaw, DEN; Pat Sims, CIN.

Tustin, Tustin, California

/ 6 / Sam Baker, ATL; Beau Bell, CLV; Chris Chester, BLT; DeShaun Foster, SF; Matt McCoy, TB; Frostee Rucker, CIN.

Four high schools have five players each:

High School, City, State / Number / NFL Players

Catholic, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

/ 5 / Warrick Dunn, TB; Brandon Harrison, HOU; Donnie Jones, STL; Travis Minor, STL; Chris Williams, CHI.

De La Salle, Concord, California

/ 5 / Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX; Derek Landri, JAX; Amani Toomer, NYG; Demetrius Williams, BLT; D.J. Williams, DEN.

Evangel Christian, Shreveport, Louisiana

/ 5 / Brock Berlin, STL; John David Booty, MIN; Keyunta Dawson, IND; Jacob Hester, SD;Jonathan Wade, STL.

Glenville, Cleveland, Ohio

/ 5 / Ted Ginn, MIA; Antwaun Molden, HOU; Troy Smith, BLT; Donte Whitner, BUF; Pierre Woods, NE.

Thirteen high schools have four players each in the NFL this year. Thirty-two schools boast three NFLers, while 167 have two playersapiece:

High School, City, State / NFL Players / High School, City, State / NFL Players
Aplington-Parkersburg, Parkersburg, IA / 4 / Long Beach Polytechnic, Long Beach, CA / 4
Booker T. Washington, Tulsa, OK / 4 / Los Alamitos, Los Alamitos, CA / 4
Carol City, Miami, FL / 4 / Lower Richland, Hopkins, SC / 4
Deep Creek, Chesapeake, VA / 4 / Miami, Miami, FL / 4
DeMatha Catholic, Hyattsville, MD / 4 / Norland, Miami, FL / 4
Glades Central, Belle Glade, FL / 4 / Provine, Jackson, MI / 4
LakeHighlands, Dallas, TX / 4
Number of high schools with 3 NFL players: 32
Number of high schools with 2 NFL players: 167
Number of high schools with 1 NFL player: 1,175

HOME STATES: California topped the list of states with most NFL players (214), followed by Florida (185) and Texas (170):

STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
State / NFL Players / State / NFL Players
California / 214 / Michigan / 57
Florida / 185 / South Carolina / 51
Texas / 170 / Alabama / 48
Ohio / 90 / Pennsylvania / 47
Georgia / 83 / North Carolina / 41
Louisiana / 73 / Mississippi / 39
Virginia / 61 / Illinois / 38

HOMETOWNS: Miamiheads the list of hometowns with the most players (34), followed by Houston (27)and Detroit (16):

HOMETOWNS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
Hometown / NFL Players / Hometown / NFL Players
Miami / 34 / Los Angeles / 11
Houston / 27 / Baton Rouge / 10
Detroit / 16 / Chicago / 10
Atlanta / 12 / Cincinnati / 10
Ft.Lauderdale / 12 / Jacksonville / 10
San Diego / 12 / New Orleans / 9
Cleveland / 11 / Dallas / 8

AMERICAN SAMOA: The United Statesterritoryof American Samoa has five NFL players, including two with the Cincinnati Bengals -- DE Jonathan Fanene and DT Domata Peko. Chicago has DT Matt Toeaina, Miami DT Paul Soliai and San Francisco DT Isaac Sopoaga.

FOREIGN COUNTRIES: Canada(10) led the Kickoff Weekend list of foreign countries with NFL players who attended high schools in the country, followed by Australia (3), Great Britain (1) and Panama (1):

NFL PLAYERS IN FOREIGN HIGH SCHOOLS
Country / Total / NFL Players
Canada / 10 / Oshiomogho Atogwe, STL; Mitch Berger, PIT; J.P. Darche, KC; Daniel Federkeil, IND; Israel Idonije, CHI; Nick Kaczur, NE; L.P. Ladouceur, DAL; Rob Meier, JAX; Brett Romberg, STL; Shaun Suisham, WAS.
Australia / 3 / Ben Graham, NYJ; Mat McBriar, DAL; Saverio Rocca, PHI.
Great Britain / 1 / Rhys Lloyd, CAR.
Panama / 1 / Frank Davis, CIN.

NOTE: To obtain a complete list of NFL players’ high schools, states and hometowns, plus rankings both alphabetically and numerically, contact the NFL Communications Department (212/450-2000) or log on to

About USA Football:

USA Football, the national governing body of America’s favorite sport on youth and amateur levels, hosts nearly 100 football training events per year offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league administrators. The independent non-profit also manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former U.S. Congressman and professional quarterback JACK KEMP.

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