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NFL-41
FLORIDA’S GLADES CENTRAL TOPS NFL HIGH SCHOOL LIST;
CALIFORNIA LEADS ALL STATES, MIAMI TOPS HOMETOWNS
Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida tops the list of high schools with the most NFL players, based on the 1,646-man 1999 NFL opening-day rosters.
A league-high six NFL players attended Glades Central, located near West Palm Beach: WR REIDEL ANTHONY, Tampa Bay; CB ROOSEVELT BLACKMON, Cincinnati; T WILLIE JONES, St. Louis; rookie LB JOHNNY RUTLEDGE, Arizona; CB JIMMY SPENCER, San Diego; RB FRED TAYLOR, Jacksonville.
Taylor, who rushed for 1,545 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior and was the all-state Class 3A Player of the Year at Glades Central, looks back fondly on his high school years.
"Growing up in Belle Glade, everyone plays sports," says Taylor. "Sports, especially football, is a very big part of your life there."
Taylor has spent his entire "football life" in Florida.
"I've been very fortunate not only because I've played in three great football programs (Glades Central, the University of Florida, and the Jacksonville Jaguars) but also because all three are in my home state, near my home. I'm living a dream, and I hope that will inspire some young athletes who have dreams of their own."
Three of the top six schools are in Florida. Miami’s Southridge High School and Maynard Evans High School in Orlando have five NFL players. Long Beach (CA) Polytechnic High School is among the five high schools with five players in the NFL. Long Beach was first last year with six NFL players and has sent more players to the NFL, 38 past and present, than any other high school in the nation.
NFL Players from 1999 Opening Day rosters hail from 1,364 high schools in 48 states, plus the District of Columbia and 14 high schools in eight foreign countries.
HIGH SCHOOLS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
| High School, Town, State | Number |
Players, NFL Team |
| Glades Central, Belle Glade, FL | 6 |
Reidel Anthony, TB; Roosevelt Blackmon, CIN; Willie Jones, St.L; Johnny Rutledge, AZ; Jimmy Spencer, SD, Fred Taylor, JAX |
| Ball, Galveston, TX | 5 |
Kimble Anders, KC; Rodney Artmore, GB; Tim Denton, WASH; Eric Hill, SD; George McCullough, TENN |
| Dorsey, Los Angeles, CA | 5 |
Karim Abdul-Jabbar, MIA; Keyshawn Johnson, NYJ; Chris Mims, SD; Charles Mincy, OAK; Lamont Warren, NE |
| Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, CA | 5 |
Mark Carrier, DET; Willie McGinest, NE; Marquez Pope, CLE; Omar Stoutmire, CLE; Brandon Whiting, PHIL |
| Maynard Evans, Orlando, FL | 5 |
Kerlin Blaise, DET; Horace Copeland, OAK; Kenard Lang, WASH; Tony McCoy, IND; Leon Searcy, JAX |
| Southridge, Miami, FL | 5 |
Robert Bailey, DET; Troy Davis NO; Steve Everitt, PHIL; Shevin Smith, TB; Mark Word, KC |
Eleven high schools have sent four players to the NFL. Thirty-three high schools boast three active NFLers, while 158 schools have two players in the league:
| Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul, MN | 4 |
Miami Beach, Miami Beach, FL | 4 |
| DeLaSalle, Concord, CA | 4 |
P.K. Yonge, Gainesville, FL | 4 |
| Dillard, Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 4 |
Raines, Jacksonville, FL | 4 |
| J.J. Pearce, Dallas, TX | 4 |
St. Augustine, New Orleans, LA | 4 |
| Lake Highlands, Dallas TX | 4 |
Willowridge, Sugarland, TX | 4 |
| Lawton, Lawton, OK | 4 |
||
| Number of High Schools with 3 current NFL Players: 33 | |||
| Number of High Schools with 2 current NFL Players: 158 | |||
| Number of High Schools with 1 current NFL Player: 1,156 | |||
HOME STATES: California topped the list of states with most NFL players in 1999 (199) followed by Texas (173) and Florida (149).
STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
| State | NFL Players |
State | NFL Players |
| California | 199 |
Louisiana | 69 |
| Texas | 173 |
Ohio | 64 |
| Florida | 149 |
North Carolina | 61 |
| Pennsylvania | 77 |
Virginia | 60 |
| Georgia | 70 |
Michigan | 52 |
EIGHT FOREIGN COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
| Country | Number |
NFL Players, Team |
| Canada | 7 |
Mitch Berger, MINN; Tshimanga Biakabutuka, CAR; Doug Brown, WASH; Steve Christie, BUFF; Tom Nutten, StL; O.J. Santiago, ATL; Mike Vanderjagt, IND |
| American Samoa | 2 |
Lonnie Palelei, PHIL; Spencer Reid, IND |
| South Africa | 2 |
Gary Anderson, MINN; Jerome Pathon, IND |
| Australia | 1 |
Darren Bennett, SD |
| Denmark | 1 |
Morten Andersen, ATL |
| Iran | 1 |
Shar Pourdanesh, PITT |
| Netherlands | 1 |
Harald Hasselbach, DEN |
| New Zealand | 1 |
David Dixon, MINN |
HOMETOWNS: Thirty players are from Miami, making it the leading hometown in the NFL. Miami finished in second place in 1998 with 23, to Houston with 25.
HOMETOWNS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
| Hometown | NFL Players |
Hometown | NFL Players |
| Miami, Florida | 30 |
Detroit, Michigan | 16 |
| San Diego, California | 23 |
Los Angeles, California | 16 |
| Houston, Texas | 22 |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 14 |
| Dallas, Texas | 21 |
Chicago, Illinois | 13 |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | 18 |
St. Louis, Missouri | 11 |
NOTE: To obtain a complete list of NFL players’ high schools, hometowns and states, 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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FIVE FINALISTS NAMED FOR 1999 NFL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH OF YEAR AWARD
Five finalists have been named for the 1999 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year Award, the NFL has announced. The 1999 finalists are:
| Coach | School | City | NFL Player Nominator |
| Alex Castaneda | Vanguard HS | Ocala, FL | QB Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota |
| Billy Henderson | Clarke Central HS | Athens, GA | DE Chuck Smith, Atlanta |
| Stan Jefferson | Mansfield Senior HS | Mansfield, OH | DE Hugh Douglas, Philadelphia |
| John Magistro | Bellaire HS | Bellaire, OH | WR Joey Galloway, Seattle |
| Paul Perenon | Bishop O’Dowd HS | Oakland, CA | TE Eric Bjornson, Dallas |
The NFL High School Football Coach of the Year Award was initiated in 1995 by NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE and the NFL clubs to honor coaches who profoundly affected the athletic and personal development of NFL players.
Each finalist will receive a $2,500 cash award, and a youth/high school football program selected by the coach/nominating player will be presented with $5,000.
The 1999 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year will be announced at the end of the NFL regular season.
That individual will be invited to attend Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta as the guest of the NFL and will receive a total of $5,000 in cash awards. In addition, his designated youth/high school football program will be given a $10,000 monetary grant.