Fansided

5 best NBA, NFL and MLB players to ever come from an HBCU

By Dante Pryor

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Jerry Rice #80 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990 at the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. The 49ers won the Super Bowl 55-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Jerry Rice #80 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990 at the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. The 49ers won the Super Bowl 55-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO – NOVEMBER 10: Walter Payton, #34 of the Chicago Bears, heads upfield against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on November 10, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Lions 24-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO – NOVEMBER 10: Walter Payton, #34 of the Chicago Bears, heads upfield against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on November 10, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Lions 24-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

3. Walter Payton, Running Back — NFL, Chicago Bears — Jackson State

There is an argument that HBCUs produced the two greatest football players ever to put on a helmet. One of those players is Walter Payton. Affectionately known as “Sweetness,” Payton’s running style was anything but “sweet” at times.

Payton was a rare combination of burst, speed and power. While no one would confuse him with a running back like Derek Henry, Henry would admit that Payton had the best stiff-arm in NFL history.

“Sweetness” could juke and run past you or drop his shoulder and run you over despite being 5-foot-10 and just 200 pounds. The Columbia, Mississippi native ended his NFL career having won a Super Bowl and as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

Payton was a multi-sport athlete at Columbia High School. The Bears legend was so dominant in high school that he scored at least once in every high school game during his junior and senior seasons.

Payton was the best running back in Mississippi as a senior in high school, yet he received no offers from schools in the SEC. He decided to play for Jackson State with his older brother Eddie. Payton would rewrite the Jackson State record book during his time there.

A two-time HBCU player of the year, Payton would leave Jackson State as its all-time leading scorer, the leader in career, single-game, and single-season touchdowns and with the record for rushing yards in a single game.

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