FOR USE AS DESIRED
            NFL- 60             9/22/03

ELY HIGH SCHOOL IN POMPANO BEACH, FLORIDA
HAS MOST NFL PLAYERS; CALIFORNIA LEADS ALL STATES;
MIAMI TOPS HOMETOWNS

Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida, with six players, tops the list of high schools with the most 2003 NFL players, the NFL announced today. 

Five high schools have five players each:  Lake Highlands in Dallas, Texas; Melrose in Memphis, Tennessee; Mt. Carmel in Chicago, Illinois; Thornton Township in Harvey, Illinois; and William W. Raines in Jacksonville, Florida.

The totals are based on the 1,695-man 2003 NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters (September 4, 7-8).

NFL players from Kickoff rosters hail from 1,379 high schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia.  There are 13 players from six foreign countries.

The NFL players from the six most productive schools have fond memories of their high school days:

• NEW YORK JETS S TYRONE CARTER (Ely):  “I think the main thing is that playing at Ely gave us the chance to go to college, to get a scholarship.  Guys just work harder to get a scholarship.  We’d go to summer leagues, we’d go to camps.  That’s why a lot of athletes come out of Pompano and Florida.  I had a lot of fun.  It was a great experience for me.  All of my teammates there, the closeness we have there, it’s for a lifetime.  It’s a small place, so you know everybody in that area.  It was great for me.”
   
• HOUSTON TEXANS CB MARCUS COLEMAN (Lake Highlands):  "In high school, we had a good tradition.  A lot of good players came out of Lake Highlands.  Our main thing was that we always played hard and we always had a lot of fun.  A lot of those guys are still my friends all the way up until now because our high school meant a lot to us."
   
• PITTSBURGH STEELERS TE MATT CUSHING (Mt. Carmel):  “High School football was a tremendous time because it is just playing a football game.  There is no stress, it is just going out there and having fun with your friends.  I still use a lot of the things I learned at Mt. Carmel.  They taught me the basics, the fundamentals of football, and that is something that I carried all the way through to the NFL.”
   
• HOUSTON TEXANS WR JABAR GAFFNEY (William M. Raines):  “One of the reasons Raines has been so successful in producing athletes year after year is that the guys who make it in the pros always come back and work out with the younger guys.  The guys show the kids how to be successful, and it is a continuing process each year."
   
• PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QB DONOVAN MC NABB (Mt. Carmel):  “My experience at Mt. Carmel is one I will never forget. To this day, Coach (FRANK) LENTI remains one of the most influential people in my life.  We were fortunate to have a lot of talented players come through there and Coach Lenti was able to get us to play at a very high level.  It’s evident by the fact that a number of guys made it to the NFL.  The things we learned at Mt. Carmel prepared us for the future.  That’s all you can ask of your early education.”
   
• TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS DE SIMEON RICE (Mt. Carmel):  “The atmosphere at Mt. Carmel is like no other. The tradition is flawless. I can’t begin to measure how much knowledge I took from being there, as well as the important life lessons I learned and will use throughout my life.  I am very proud of the program because they make men.  You become a man coming out of this program. And most importantly, you become somebody who is productive in society.”
   
• NEW YORK JETS DT DEWAYNE ROBERTSON (Melrose):  “Playing at Melrose was a great opportunity because I got to play with a lot of guys who were really good.  A couple of us are now in the NFL, so it was really a blessing to play with a team with so much talent.  Our coaches really helped us get better as players and to grow up.”
   
• SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WR TAI STREETS (Thornton Township):  “Our coach (BILL MOSEL) does a great job with the kids in the area.  His teams have talent, but he knows how to make it work.  He makes sure everyone is in school and he genuinely cares about the players.  Growing up to play professionally is everyone's dream, but I never knew we would have as many players succeed on this level."
  
   

HIGH SCHOOLS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
 

Fifteen high schools have four players each in the NFL this year.  Thirty-eight high schools boast three NFLers, while 170 schools have two players:

HOME STATES:  California topped the list of states with most NFL players in 2003 (195), followed by Florida (187) and Texas (181):

STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS

HOMETOWNS:  Miami, Florida heads the list of hometowns with the most NFL players (27), followed by Houston (23) and Dallas (20):

HOMETOWNS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS

FOREIGN COUNTRIES:  Canada leads the list of foreign countries with NFL players (8), followed by five countries with one player each:

FOREIGN COUNTRIES WITH NFL PLAYERS

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 www.nflmedia.com.

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