Houston Houston has begun construction on a new pipeline. Houston leads all cities in NFL hometowns with 24 players on Kickoff Weekend rosters. There are more 2020 NFL players who graduated from high school in that community than in any other. The next highest total is 13 in Pittsburgh.
The most famous person from Houston is probably Tom Brady, who played here for 17 years with the New England Patriots. In fact, the city's connection to football is so strong that it's common for fans to call him "Tom Terrific" or "Tommy Tom."
Brady was not the only star quarterback from Houston; David Klingler and Rick Mirer also played in the NFL. Running back Earl Campbell led the University of Texas to multiple national championships and was selected the NFL's MVP three times. He went on to have a very successful career with 14 seasons scoring over 1,000 yards rushing. Defensively, Ed Reed was an All-Pro safety who won two rings with Baltimore; J.J. Watt is a three-time winner of the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his work with charities that benefit veterans and children with disabilities. He's considered one of the best defenders of all time.
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produced the greatest number of NFL players in Miami, Florida.
| Hometown | NFL Players |
|---|---|
| Miami | 27 |
| Houston | 21 |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | 14 |
| New Orleans | 14 |
Houston, Texas—Fifteen players Houston, Texas, is currently the birthplace of the largest concentrated group of American Major League Baseball players in the league. From 1950 to 1999, there were at least five Houston-area players on each major league roster, with some estimates putting the total number as high as 20. The most recent addition to this list is first baseman Chris Carter, who played for the Astros from 2015 to 2017.
This list includes both major league and minor league players from Houston. There have been several prominent major leaguers born in other cities who spent their early years there before moving up to one of the other cities where they eventually made their names: for example, Joe DiMaggio was born Joesph Dominic Maggio in San Francisco but never played a game for the San Francisco Giants; instead, he helped lead New York Yankees to four World Series titles (1925, 1927, 1928, and 1929).
Overall, Houston is home to about 250 major league players and their relatives. That's more than any other city.
The most famous member of this group is obviously George Bush, who served as president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. But there are also two current major league managers from Houston: Dusty Baker and Alex Cora.
There are existing NFL towns that are near to extremely successful college football teams, but breaking into the market would be a different problem. Birmingham is one of many cities on our list (the others being Oakland, Portland, and San Antonio) that had a USFL team in the 1980s. The league only lasted three years, but during its run, the Birmingham Blitz was rated the most popular sports team in Alabama. After the NFL's ban on professional football following the 1969 season, the World Football League started a string of new leagues that lasted through 1975. One of these leagues, the original XFL, played from February to April 2001. If you count both the NFL and the USFL, there have been at least 10 different major professional football leagues in the last 50 years.
The closest NFL city to an NCAA school is probably Washington, DC. College Park, Maryland, is only 30 miles away from the NFL's headquarters in New York City. But while Washington has proven itself capable of supporting two NFL teams, Baltimore and Philadelphia each have only one stadium that can accommodate a professional franchise. The same can be said for Cleveland, which has no college program worth mentioning. There are also no NFL teams within 300 miles of Lexington, Kentucky; Little Rock, Arkansas; or Mobile, Alabama. These are all University of Kentucky cities.
Three of Florida's top five cities for generating NFL players, including Tampa, are in the state (13)... Saint Thomas Aquinas High School generates the most NFL players in the city of Miami, Florida.
| State | Florida |
|---|---|
| Population * | 18,801,310 |
| NFL Players | 212 |
| NFL Players Per Capita | 1 NFL player per 88,685 people |
The Top 5 High Schools in the United States That Have Produced the Most NFL Players
In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. The school has produced at least one player from every season of NFL football since the league resumed play in 2012. West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes.
Aquinas' all-time greatest athlete may be quarterback Jacory Harris. He played three seasons for the Saints from 2004 to 2006 and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2005. Harris started all 16 games in his rookie year and led the team with 4,476 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. He also ran for four scores that season.
Aquinas' other NFL players include defensive linemen Marcus McNeil (Saints) and John McCargo (Cowboys), linebacker Shawn Lee (Vikings), cornerback Rufus Alexander (Redskins), safety Kenny Phillips (Patriots), and offensive lineman Orlando Brown (Lions).
McNeil and Harris were both second-round picks by their teams; they both went on to have very successful careers. Harris' number (#12) was retired by the Saints at a halftime ceremony before their game against the 49ers on January 14, 2008.
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