Many NFL players have attended Ivy League schools before beginning their careers as professional players.
In this list Former NFL players People who have received an Ivy League education include Super Bowl champions, Hall of Famers, and record holders.
Here are 13 NFL players who attended Ivy League schools before joining the professional league.
Chuck Bednarik and Matt Birk are two former NFL players who received Ivy League educations. (Robert Rieger/Getty Images; George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
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- Jack DeOssie
- Chuck Bednarik
- Sid Luckman
- Steve Jordan
- Kelvin Hill
- Matt Birk
- Nick Lowery
- Gary Fencik
- George Stark
- Marcellus Wiley
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- kevin booth
- Mike Pyle
1. Jack DeOssie
Jack DeOssie is a former NFL long snapper who played for the New York Giants.
Before joining the NFL, he went to Brown University. In 2022, he entered the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame.
He had a 13-year career in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls with the team. He was also a member of two Pro Bowl teams.
Jack DeOssie retired from football in 2020 after 13 years. (Al Pereira/Getty Images)
In 2020, he announced his retirement from professional football.
2. Chuck Bednarik
Chuck Bednarik, known as “Concrete Charlie,” was a two-way football player in the 1950s. According to the Maxwell Football Club, he was the last player in NFL history to play both ways.
Before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania. Served in World War II He is with the Army Air Corps, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.
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He was the first player selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1949 NFL Draft.
Bednarik retired from the league in 1962. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Beginning in 1995, the Chuck Bendarich Award has been presented annually to the best defensive player in college football.
Bednarik died on 21 March 2015 at the age of 89.
3. Sid Luckman
Sid Luckman went to columbia university Before joining the NFL.
Luckman was the quarterback for the Chicago Bears, playing 12 seasons in the league.
During that time, he won four Super Bowls with the team in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946. In 1940, the Bears defeated the Washington Redskins, now the Washington Commanders, 73-0.
Sid Luckman played for the Chicago Bears, leading his team to four Super Bowl victories. (Vic Stein/Getty Images)
In his NFL career, he threw 139 touchdown passes, according to the Football Foundation. He was a four-time All-Pro and was the league’s most valuable player in 1943, according to the source.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
Lukman died on 5 July 1998.
4. Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan was a tight end player in the NFL who played for the Minnesota Vikings 13 seasons.
Before being selected to the professional league, he played at Brown University.
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Even though Jordan no longer plays in the NFL, he is still connected to the league. His son, Cameron Jordan, is a defensive end for the New Orleans Saints.
5. Calvin Hill
Calvin Hill was a running back in the NFL who attended Yale University.
He played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns.
Calvin Hill attended Yale before joining the NFL. (Getty Images)
He was also part of the Hawaiians of the World Football League (WFL). He played for the team for one season.
6. Matt Birk
Matt Birk went to Harvard University, where he earned a degree in economics, after which he played in the NFL as a center player for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Super Bowl winner was a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro.
In 2011, he earned the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Birk completes his work Career with the Baltimore Ravens, Retiring in 2013.
7. Nick Lowery
Nick Lowery attended Dartmouth College before spending time in the NFL.
In the NFL, he spent his years playing for the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and joined the New York Jets as a kicker.
Lowery joined the NFL in 1978. He spent most of his time in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1980 to 1993.
According to the Chiefs’ website, when he retired from the league, he had the most field goals in NFL history.
Lowery founded the Nick Lowery Youth Foundation in 1996. The organization “has dedicated itself to helping disadvantaged youth, particularly Native Americans, by developing, promoting and sponsoring programs and relationships that foster self-esteem, leadership qualities and skills and encourage young people to become positive assets to their communities,” according to its website.
8. Gary Fencik
Gary Fencik is a former NFL player who played for the Chicago Bears. He received an Ivy League education from Yale University.
The safety won a Super Bowl with the Bears in 1986.
Gary Fencik was part of the song “The Super Bowl Shuffle” released by the Chicago Bears. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Fencik was also included in “Super Bowl Shuffle” A rap tune sung by the 1985 Chicago Bears.
9. George Stark
George Stark played for the Washington Redskins. According to the former player’s website, he attended Columbia University prior to his NFL career, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physics.
According to the source, although he played tight end for the Columbia Lions, he was selected by the Redskins as an offensive tackle.
After spending 13 years in the league, Stark retired after the 1984 season.
10. Marcellus Wiley
The football defensive end played ten seasons in the NFL. Before that, he attended Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology, according to Fox Sports.
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He played for a few different teams in the NFL, Beginnings with the Buffalo Bills, from 1997 to 2000. He later played for the San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars before his retirement. According to Fox Sports, he was nominated three times for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Marcellus Wiley played ten seasons in the NFL. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
According to his website, he was inducted into the Columbia University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, and subsequently into the Ivy League Hall of Fame in 2013.
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Fitzpatrick was a quarterback in the NFL who played for several different teams in his professional career.
He was first selected by Saint Louis in 2005 after playing football at Harvard.
Fitzpatrick also played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets. Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played with the Miami Dolphins, before joining the Washington Football Team in 2021.
Fitzpatrick announced his retirement from the NFL in 2022.
12. Kevin Booth
Kevin Booth was an NFL offensive lineman who was selected out of Cornell University by the Oakland Raiders in 2006.
After playing for the Raiders, he played for the New York Giants from 2007 to 2013. He returned to the Raiders in 2014 before his retirement.
During his years with the Giants, he won two Super Bowls in 2008 and 2012, both times against the team he defeated. new England Patriots.
13. Mike Pyle
Mike Pyle played his entire NFL career with the Chicago Bears.
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He was selected by the Bears in the 1961 draft after playing for Yale University. While at Yale, he was the captain of the 1960 team that went 9-0. According to The New York Times, this was the last time Yale had an unbeaten and untied football team.
Pyle died on July 29, 2015 at the age of 76.
