Greatest NFL Players from Virginia High Schools

Growing up as the step-son to a legendary, Virginia high school football coach, I had the pleasure of watching some of the best athletes in the country during their early beginnings. Guys like Ronald Curry, Michael Vick, Damien Woody, Allen Iverson, Percy Harvin, and Russell Wilson; some of the best high school football players to ever play in the state of Virginia. This list takes a positional look at those that were able to make it to the top of the professional ranks, after getting their start in Virginia.

QB

Michael Vick

Few players have made such a dynamic impact at each level of the game as Michael Vick. Vick was a 3 year starter for Warwick High School out of Newport News. This lead him to Virginia Tech, where he became the starter as a redshirt freshman. Vick led the Hokies to its first undefeated season since 1954, a trip to the national championship game against Florida St, and finished 3^rd in the Heisman voting. Vick went on to be drafted first overall in the 2001 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He became the first quarterback to rush for over a 1000 yards in a season and amassed 22,464 passing yards for his career.

Other notables: Norm Snead, Russell Wilson

RB

Eddie George

Originally from Philadelphia, Eddie George played his first 2 years of high school ball at Abington Senior High. But George ultimately made the move that a number of successful NFL players have, he transferred to Fork Union Military Academy. George played his last 2 high school season and a fifth prep school year with FUMA. That prep year drew the attention of many major colleges. He ended up attending Ohio State University, where he would win the Heisman Trophy in his senior year. This led to George being drafted in the first round by the Houston Oilers. He would go on to a rush for 10,441 yards in his career.

Other Notables: Tiki Barber, Thomas Jones, Bill Dudley

WR

Gary Clark

Gary Clark was a three sport athlete at Pulaski County High, playing football, baseball, and track. Clark stayed local to attend James Madison University in their first year in Division I-AA. He went on to set JMU receiving records for receptions (155), yards (2,863), and touchdowns (16). Clark was drafted in the first round of the inaugural 1984 USFL draft by the Jacksonville Bulls. After 2 seasons with the Bulls, Clark singed with the Washington Redskins. Earning 4 trips to the pro bowl and 1 first-team All-Pro, Clark was a major part of the Redskins’ ’87 & ’91 Super Bowl teams. He finished his career with 10,856 receiving yards.

Other Notables: Herman Moore, Sonny Randle, Al Toon, Carroll Dale, Ronald Curry

TE

Heath Miller

Heath Miller was a two-time All-State Quarterback at Honaker High School. He led the team to its first state champion game appearance, and won the AP Player of the Year award, in his senior season. This caught the eye of Al Groh and the Virginia Cavaliers. Originally recruited as a quarterback, Miller made the transition to tight end during his redshirt season. Miller went on to be one of the greatest tight ends in ACC History, winning the Mackey Award and unanimous All-American honors. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2005 draft., where he spent his entire 11 year NFL career.

Other Notables: Ben Watson

T

Rosey Brown

Roosevelt “Rosey” Brown Jr. played his high school ball at Jefferson High in Charlottesville. He almost never played the game. Rosey’s older brother died as the result of an injury from playing football, leaving his father to forbid him from ever playing. The coach at Jefferson convinced Rosey, and his mother, to play without his father’s knowledge. He went on to play for Morgan State College, wher he earned Black All-American honors all four years. He earned little attention from the NFL, but was drafted by the Bew York Giants in the 27^th round. He went on to a stellar NFL career, earning 9 Pro Bowl and 6 first-team All-Pro honors. He sits in both the NFL and Virginia Sports Hall of Fames.

Other Notables: Duane Brown, Jermon Bushrod, Andy Heck

G

Herbert Scott

Herbert Scott played his high school ball in Virginia Beach at Kellam High. He leveraged his size and solid play to a spot on the Virginia Union University team where he became a 4-year starter, and twice named a Division II All-American. He was then drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 13^th round of the 1975 where he spent 10 years, earning 3 trips to the Pro Bowl and 2 first team All-Pro honors. He is currently in the CIAA, Virginia Union, and Virginia Sports Halls of Fames.

Other Notables: Robert Pratt, Kyle Long

C

Dwight Stephenson

Dwight Stephenson didn’t start playing football in high school until his junior year. Stephenson was just a scrawny kid playing junior varsity basketball at Hampton High School, but he did catch the attention of the varsity football coach, legend Mike Smith. Going into his junior year, his friends convinced him to come out for football.  He spent his junior season as the backup center and defensive tackle. But going into his senior season, Stephenson earned the starting spot at center and defensive tackle. After going undefeated, Stephenson made a big play in the state championship game, causing a fumble on the 2 yard line as Annandale was going in to score, that helped the Crabbers win their first, of many, state championships under Mike Smith. This led to him playing under another legend, Paul Bryant at the University of Alabama. Stephenson was a 3 year starter, winning back-to-back championships in his junior and senior seasons. He was ultimately drafter by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 1980 draft. He earned 5 trips to the pro bowl and 4 first team All-Pro honors on the way to the Hall of Fame.

Other Notables: Damien Woody

Defense

 

DE

Bruce Smith

The NFL’s all-time sack leader played his high school ball at Booker T Washington in Norfolk. He finished his high school career with All-State honors and earned himself a scholarship to Virginia Tech. He became known as the “Sack Man” as he totaled 46 sacks in his Hokie career and went on to win the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best lineman and was a consensus All-American. This led to Smith being the 1^st overall pick in the 1985 draft by the Buffalo Bills. Smith would continue being the “Sack Man” as he set the NFL record for most career sacks on the way to being a 1^st ballot Hall of Famer.

Other Notables: Charles Haley, William Fuller, Earl Faison

DT

Henry Jordan

Henry Jordan was a key member of the famous 60’s Lombardi Packers, but started his football success at Warwick High in Newport News. He lettered in 3 sports at Warwick, football, track, and wrestling. Jordan was co-captain of the football team (earning honorable mention All-State honors) and won the Heavyweight State Wrestling Championship in his junior year. This earned him a spot with the University of Virginia, where he continued with both football and wrestling. By his senior year, Jordan was captain of the football team and earning All-Conference honors in football and winning the ACC Championship and finishing runner-up at nationals in wrestling. Jordan went on to be drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 5^th round of the 1957 draft. He played 2 season with the Browns before being traded to the Packers for a 4^th round pick. Jordan excelled with the Packers, becoming a 5 time NFL Champion, 4 time Pro Bowler, and 7 time All-Pro on the way to the Hall of Fame.

Other Notables: Larry Brooks, Tim Goad, Kendall Langford

ILB

Willie Lanier

Willie Lanier played his high school ball in Richmond at Maggie L Walker High. He went on the play at Morgan State, a HBCU in Baltimore, Maryland. Lanier was a 2-time, small college All-American and was named MVP of the 1966 Tangerine Bowl. This impressive college career led to Lanier being drafted in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he would spend his entire, 11-year NFL career. He will go down as one of the greatest ILB to play the game.

Other Notables: James Farrior, Jerod Mayo, Jamie Sharper

OLB

Lawrence Taylor

Arguably the greatest pass rusher in NFL history, Lawrence Taylor was a late starter to the game of football. Having focused mainly on baseball when he was younger, Taylor did not get started with football until his junior year of high school at Lafayette High in Williamsburg. He went on to be recruited by the University of North Carolina to play defensive line. By his junior year, Taylor had made the switch to linebacker and became a dominant pass rusher. He finished his senior season with 16 sacks and was named a consensus All-American and ACC Player of the Year. He went on to be the second overall pick in the 1981 draft by the New York Giants. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Giants, earning numerous accolades, including being 1 of only 2 NFL players to be named League MVP.

Other Notables: Dexter Coakley, Chris Slade, Eric Barton

CB

Ronde Barber

Ronde Barber, and his twin brother Tiki, played their high school ball Cave Spring High in Roanoke. Ronde was a 3 sport athlete, playing football, wrestling, and track. Besides being a standout on the football field, Barber won the national title in the 55-meter hurdles in his senior season. Both Ronde and Tiki would wind up at the University of Virginia. Ronde would play corner and kick returner for the Cavaliers, earning ACC Freshman of the Year in 1994 and first-team All-ACC in all 3 seasons. Ronde decided to leave after his redshirt-junior season and enter in the NFL Draft, where he was picked in the 3^rd round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent his entire 16-year career with the Bucs, playing both corner and safety, and was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team.

Other Notables: DeAngelo Hall, Shawn Springs, Dre’ Bly, Carlos Rogers

S

Kenny Easley

Recent Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Easley was a stand-out star at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake. He was an All-State and All-American quarterback, becoming the first Virginia high school player to pass and rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. After being heavily recruited by multiple colleges, Easley decided to go cross-county and take a scholarship from the UCLA Bruins. He was a stand-out start for the Bruins at Safety. He earned All-Conference honors in all four season, and was a 3-time consensus All-American. Easley went on to be drafted 4^th overall by the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent his entire 7-year career. A career that was cut short when he was diagnosed with severe kidney disease, a product of overuse of ibuprofen. Easley’s impressive career, which included 5 trips to the Pro Bowl and 4 first-team All-Pro honors, was enough to finally earn himself a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Other Notables: Darren Sharper, Jake Scott, Kam Chancellor

K

Shayne Graham

As with Gary Clark, Shayne Graham played his high school ball at Pulaski County High. He still holds many of the school’s kicking records, including most field goals in a season (15) and longest field goal (54 yards). He went on to play for the Virginia Tech Hokies, where he earned first-team All-Big East honors in all four seasons, but would go undrafted. He got his professional start with the Arena Team the Richmond Speed, but was for only one game. He made his first, regular season appearance in 2001 with the Buffalo Bills. He went on to a journeyman career, playing for 14 different NFL teams over his 16-year career. His best season being in 2005 with the Cincinnati Bengals, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro Honors.

P

Mark Royals

Another journeyman special teamer, Mark Royals got his start at Matthews High. He went on to punt for Appalachian State. He made his professional debut in 1987 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He went on to play for 8 more NFL teams during his 15 -year NFL career.

Returner

Eddie Royal

The only current player highlighted on this list (albeit a free-agent), Eddie Royal was a stand-out star for Westfield High in Chantilly. He was named All-State, and the top player in the state by SuperPrep, during his senior season. He turned that into a scholarship to Virginia Tech. He earned first0team All-ACC honors playing wide receiver and returning kicks for the Hokies. He went on to be drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Denver Broncos. Royal would go on to return punts and kicks for the Broncos, while also playing wide receiver, during his 4 years with the team. He went on to play for the Chargers and the Bears, before being cut by the Bears in May of 2017.

Head Coach

Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin played his high school ball at Denbigh High in Newport News. He went on to play wide receiver for the William and Mary Tribe, earning second-team All-Conference in 1994. After graduation, Tomlin became the wide receivers coach at VMI. He spent time coaching wide receivers and defensive backs with multiple colleges before making his NFL debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001 as the defensive backs coach. He leveraged that to the defensive coordinator position with the Vikings in 2006, then ultimately taking over for Bill Cowher as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.