Who do you think is the next D III football player to be an NFL star?

[bashbrother]

Pete Metzelaars - Wabash

While not a star had a solid career.   He played in 4 Super Bowls.  Don't know how many Div. III players have actually played in more.

Metzelaars finished his 16 NFL seasons with 383 receptions for 3,686 yards and 29 touchdowns in 235 games. At the time of his retirement, his 235 games were the most ever played by a tight end in NFL history.

Once again not a star career like Anderson and Mills had.   Closer to a London Fletcher type career.

[57Johnnie]

Prior to DIII - NAIA players for Prairie View that played SJU for the championship in 1963:
Ken Houston - Hall of Fame & many time Pro Bowl DB
Otis Taylor - several time Pro Bowl WR
were certainly stars.
Jimmy Kearney who was QB on the same team played DB (I think) in the NFL for 12 years.
I think that team also had a couple of others that played in the NFL.

[retagent]

Lest we forget, that was St John's first National Championship.

[Pat Coleman]

Lest we forget, that was St John's first National Championship.

And after the 2003 Stagg Bowl, John told me that it was probably his favorite championship. He gave me such a good quote on it that I used it in my lead in the story I wrote for USA Today.

[Knightstalker]

Prior to DIII - NAIA players for Prairie View that played SJU for the championship in 1963:
Ken Houston - Hall of Fame & many time Pro Bowl DB
Otis Taylor - several time Pro Bowl WR
were certainly stars.
Jimmy Kearney who was QB on the same team played DB (I think) in the NFL for 12 years.
I think that team also had a couple of others that played in the NFL.

Ah but they do not count, just as Jack Sikma does not count.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

Prior to DIII - NAIA players for Prairie View that played SJU for the championship in 1963:
Ken Houston - Hall of Fame & many time Pro Bowl DB
Otis Taylor - several time Pro Bowl WR
were certainly stars.
Jimmy Kearney who was QB on the same team played DB (I think) in the NFL for 12 years.
I think that team also had a couple of others that played in the NFL.

Ah but they do not count, just as Jack Sikma does not count.   

Note that I very carefully prefaced the Kenny Anderson mention by saying he was pre-d3!   (Though, as far as I know, Augie was playing by at least essentially d3 rules.)

[Knightstalker]

Prior to DIII - NAIA players for Prairie View that played SJU for the championship in 1963:
Ken Houston - Hall of Fame & many time Pro Bowl DB
Otis Taylor - several time Pro Bowl WR
were certainly stars.
Jimmy Kearney who was QB on the same team played DB (I think) in the NFL for 12 years.
I think that team also had a couple of others that played in the NFL.

Ah but they do not count, just as Jack Sikma does not count.   

Note that I very carefully prefaced the Kenny Anderson mention by saying he was pre-d3!   (Though, as far as I know, Augie was playing by at least essentially d3 rules.)

I believe at that time the NCAA still barely had rules.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Prior to DIII - NAIA players for Prairie View that played SJU for the championship in 1963:
Ken Houston - Hall of Fame & many time Pro Bowl DB
Otis Taylor - several time Pro Bowl WR
were certainly stars.
Jimmy Kearney who was QB on the same team played DB (I think) in the NFL for 12 years.
I think that team also had a couple of others that played in the NFL.

Ah but they do not count, just as Jack Sikma does not count.   

Note that I very carefully prefaced the Kenny Anderson mention by saying he was pre-d3!   (Though, as far as I know, Augie was playing by at least essentially d3 rules.)

I believe at that time the NCAA still barely had rules.

But the CCIW did, and to the best of my knowledge they were very similar to d3 rules.

That's why, in my heart, Jack Sikma still counts as a quasi-d3 player (though, fear not, I've long-since thrown in the towel on that debate )!

[Knightstalker]

Prior to DIII - NAIA players for Prairie View that played SJU for the championship in 1963:
Ken Houston - Hall of Fame & many time Pro Bowl DB
Otis Taylor - several time Pro Bowl WR
were certainly stars.
Jimmy Kearney who was QB on the same team played DB (I think) in the NFL for 12 years.
I think that team also had a couple of others that played in the NFL.

Ah but they do not count, just as Jack Sikma does not count.   

Note that I very carefully prefaced the Kenny Anderson mention by saying he was pre-d3!   (Though, as far as I know, Augie was playing by at least essentially d3 rules.)

I believe at that time the NCAA still barely had rules.

But the CCIW did, and to the best of my knowledge they were very similar to d3 rules.

That's why, in my heart, Jack Sikma still counts as a quasi-d3 player (though, fear not, I've long-since thrown in the towel on that debate )!

I was talking early 60's NCAA.

[K-Mack]

I guess it depends how you define a "star".

Is London Fletcher a star?  Maybe. I'd consider him a good, reliable veteran, but not a star. He did make a Pro Bowl this year, but I don't know if that honor means as much as it used to mean.

Is Pierre Garcon a star?  Not yet, but it appears he may be capable of that in the future.

By what I think of as a "star" I don't think any D-III player has ever been an NFL star.

Sam Mills was a star.

My thought exactly.

[K-Mack]

This is becoming another "hey look who played in D3" thread. We have a few of those.

Back to the original topic, I do think D3 guys tend to have a better chance at certain positions. In addition to Brett Elliott, I thought Jason Boltus of Hartwick had a chance at QB, but the QBs seem to be longshots.

I guess we all are.

As for who I think, I'll say Andy Studebaker. At least the Wheaton grad is already in the league

[frank uible]

No player who played for a college team which was D3 when he played is in the Pro HOF.

[Joe Wally]

No player who played for a college team which was D3 when he played is in the Pro HOF.

I take it from the careful way that you stated it that Coe was not D III when Levy played there.

[K-Mack]

No player who played for a college team which was D3 when he played is in the Pro HOF.

That's not a very big sample size. There are 253 Hall of Famers, many of whom predate 37-year-old D3.

Nor would we expect the smallest schools to produce the best players. If the qualification is still "star," it's possible.

Anyway, there are quite a few D3 connections in the NFL. Belichick, Mangini, Spagnuolo, Jeff Jadogzinski, Phil Savage, etc. ... Even Holmgren has his D3 link.

We've nerded out about this in ATNs and other threads, have we not?

[Mr. Ypsi]

No player who played for a college team which was D3 when he played is in the Pro HOF.

On the other hand, vanishly few players "who played for a college team which was D3 when he played" have been eligible for the HoF.  D3 is not that old, and a number of D3 teams (now) were even later members.  With full rides available for all OBVIOUS potential HoF players, this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

IMO Kenny Anderson (Augustana, playing essentially D3 rules before D3 existed) was a borderline HoF player.

And IMO Pete Metzelaars (Wabash) at least deserved serious consideration.  16 years and the most ever games by a tight end (at least at the time of his retirement - not sure if he still has the record) ought to be worth something.