Pro Football Hall of Fame &amp; NFL History Guide

Aaron Rodgers High School: Pleasant Valley HS in Chico, CA

Aaron Rodgers attended Pleasant Valley HS in Chico, California. Unrecruited by D-I, he went to Butte JC, then Cal-Berkeley.

College Roots (8)

Joe Montana College: Notre Dame and the Cotton Bowl

Joe Montana's college was Notre Dame (1975-78). He won a national title in 1977 and the famous Chicken Soup Cotton Bowl as a senior.

Josh Allen College: Wyoming (After Reedley JC)

Josh Allen played at Wyoming (2016-17) after one season at Reedley College in California — the rare power-conference QB to come from JUCO.

Lamar Jackson College: Louisville (2016 Heisman)

Lamar Jackson played at Louisville (2015-17), winning the 2016 Heisman as a sophomore — the youngest Heisman winner in history at 19.

Patrick Mahomes College: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Patrick Mahomes' college was Texas Tech (2014-16), where he also played baseball. The Chiefs traded up to draft him 10th overall in 2017.

Tom Brady College: Michigan, 7th on Depth Chart

Tom Brady's college career at Michigan: arrived 7th on the depth chart, sat behind Brian Griese, slid to 199th in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Where Joe Namath Went to College: Alabama Under Bear Bryant

Joe Namath's college was Alabama under Bear Bryant — three years at QB, the 1964 national championship, and the AFL's biggest contract.

Where Saquon Barkley Went to College: Penn State

Saquon Barkley went to Penn State (2015-17), winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year before going #2 overall in 2018.

Where Walter Payton Went to College: Jackson State (HBCU)

Walter Payton went to Jackson State, an HBCU in Mississippi where he was a four-year starter and Division I-AA's all-time scorer.

Draft Lookups (4)

1983 NFL Draft: Six Hall of Famers in One Class

Best NFL draft ever is widely considered 1983, with six Hall of Famers: Elway, Marino, Kelly, Dickerson, Matthews, Darrell Green.

2025 NFL Draft #1 Pick: Cam Ward to the Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward was the 2025 NFL Draft #1 overall pick — the Tennessee Titans took him out of Miami in April 2025.

Aaron Rodgers Draft: Slid to 24th, Green Bay 2005

Aaron Rodgers' draft: 24th overall by Green Bay in 2005 after a four-hour green-room slide. He sat for three seasons behind Brett Favre.

Peyton Manning Draft: 1st Overall, 1998 Colts

Peyton Manning's draft: 1st overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, chosen over Ryan Leaf in the era's most-debated QB decision.

Childhood & Hometowns (4)

Where Deion Sanders Grew Up: Fort Myers, Florida

Deion Sanders grew up in Fort Myers, FL, where he was a three-sport star at North Fort Myers High before signing with FSU.

Where Patrick Mahomes Grew Up: Whitehouse, Texas

Patrick Mahomes grew up in Whitehouse, Texas — a town of 8,000 outside Tyler — as the son of MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes Sr.

Where Saquon Barkley Grew Up: Bronx → Coplay, PA

Saquon Barkley was born in the Bronx and moved to Coplay, PA at age 4. He starred at Whitehall High before going to Penn State and the NFL.

Where Tom Brady Grew Up: San Mateo, California

Tom Brady grew up in San Mateo, CA, the youngest of four kids in a season-ticket-holding 49ers family — Joe Montana fandom and all.

Jersey Numbers (3)

Why Peyton Manning Wore #18 — A Family Tribute

Peyton Manning wore #18 in honor of his older brother Cooper, whose football career ended at age 18 from a spinal-cord condition.

Why Tom Brady Wore #12 — A Number Assigned, Then Iconic

Tom Brady wore #12 because Michigan assigned it to him as a freshman scout-team QB. He kept it through his entire 23-year NFL career.

Why Travis Kelce Wears #87 — A Cincinnati Tribute

Travis Kelce wears #87 because it was his college number at Cincinnati. He kept it through his entire Kansas City Chiefs career.

Records & Milestones (7)

Most NFL MVPs: Peyton Manning at 5, Aaron Rodgers Next at 4

Peyton Manning has the most NFL MVPs at 5. Aaron Rodgers is next with 4. Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and Jim Brown all have 3.

Most NFL Passing TDs Ever: Tom Brady, 649

Tom Brady threw 649 touchdown passes — the all-time NFL record by 78 ahead of Drew Brees. Aaron Rodgers (~500+) is the closest active QB.

Most NFL Passing Yards Ever: Tom Brady, 89,214

Tom Brady passed for 89,214 career yards — the all-time NFL record. Drew Brees (80,358) is second; Peyton Manning (71,940) is third.

Most NFL Receiving TDs Ever: Jerry Rice, 197

Jerry Rice caught 197 touchdown passes — the all-time NFL record by 41 ahead of Randy Moss in second place.

Most NFL Rushing TDs Ever: Emmitt Smith, 164

Emmitt Smith scored 164 rushing touchdowns — the all-time NFL record. Tomlinson (145) and Allen (123) round out the top three.

Most NFL Rushing Yards Ever: Emmitt Smith, 18,355

Emmitt Smith rushed for 18,355 career yards — the all-time NFL record. He passed Walter Payton's 16,726 in October 2002.

Most Super Bowl Rings Ever: Tom Brady With 7

Tom Brady has the most Super Bowl rings ever — 7 — six with New England and one with Tampa Bay. Three more than anyone else in NFL history.

Height, Weight & Reach (4)

Heaviest NFL Player Ever: Aaron Gibson, 410 lbs

The heaviest NFL player ever was Aaron Gibson at 410 lbs — a Lions/Cowboys/Bears/Bills offensive tackle from 1999 to 2004.

Oldest NFL Player Ever: George Blanda at 48 Years Old

George Blanda played in the NFL until age 48 — the oldest ever. He was a QB AND placekicker for 26 seasons (1949-1975).

Shortest NFL Player Ever: Jack Shapiro at 5'1"

The shortest NFL player ever is Jack Shapiro at 5'1", who played one game for the 1929 Stapletons. Modern record: Trindon Holliday at 5'5".

Tallest NFL Player Ever: Richard Sligh at 7'0"

The tallest NFL player ever is Richard Sligh, a 7'0" defensive tackle for the 1967 Oakland Raiders. No one since has been listed at 7 feet.

NFL player profiles

Career totals, honors, teams, draft context, and Hall of Fame or eligibility status.

Browse every player →

NFL · Defensive Tackle

Aaron Donald

3× NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2020). 10× Pro Bowl. 8× First-Team All-Pro. Super Bowl LVI champion. Retired March 2024.

View player profile → NFL · Head Coach

Aaron Rodgers

Super Bowl XLV champion, 4× NFL MVP, the most-infamous green-room slide in NFL Draft history.

Bill Belichick

6× Super Bowl champion as head coach (with Brady). 3× NFL Coach of the Year. The longest-tenured single-team head coach of the 21st century.

View player profile → NFL · Running Back / Outfielder

Bo Jackson

1985 Heisman Trophy. The only athlete ever named an All-Star in two major US pro leagues. Bo knows.

Brett Favre

Super Bowl XXXI champion. 3× consecutive NFL MVP (1995-97). 297 consecutive starts (record). The Gunslinger. The Mississippi kid who never came off the field.

View player profile → NFL · Cornerback

Caleb Williams

2024 NFL Draft #1 overall pick. 2022 Heisman Trophy winner at USC. The Chicago Bears' franchise QB rebuild.

Deion Sanders

2× Super Bowl champion. The only athlete ever to play in both a Super Bowl AND a World Series. 8× Pro Bowl. Prime Time. Coach Prime.

View player profile → NFL · Running Back

Drew Brees

Super Bowl XLIV champion + MVP. 13× Pro Bowl. 80,358 career passing yards (2nd all-time behind Brady). The Saints' franchise QB.

Emmitt Smith

3× Super Bowl champion. 1993 NFL MVP. The all-time NFL rushing leader at 18,355 yards. The Triplets' workhorse.

View player profile → NFL · Wide Receiver

Jerry Rice

3× Super Bowl champion. The all-time NFL leader in catches, receiving yards, and receiving TDs — by enormous margins. The undisputed greatest WR ever.

Joe Montana

4× Super Bowl champion, 3× Super Bowl MVP, 2× regular-season MVP. The architect of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense.

Joe Namath

Super Bowl III MVP. The guarantee. The first $400,000 contract in pro football. Broadway Joe.

John Elway

2× Super Bowl champion. 1987 NFL MVP. 9× Pro Bowl. 47 career 4th-quarter comebacks (record at retirement). The Drive. The Helicopter.

Josh Allen

2024 NFL MVP. 5× Pro Bowl. Buffalo Bills' franchise QB and the first NFL MVP in Bills history. The unrecruited Wyoming JUCO product.

Lamar Jackson

2× NFL MVP (2019 unanimous, 2023 unanimous). 5× Pro Bowl. All-time NFL career rushing leader at QB. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner.

Patrick Mahomes

3× Super Bowl champion (LIV, LVII, LVIII), 3× Super Bowl MVP, 2× NFL MVP. The defining QB of the late-2010s and 2020s NFL.

View player profile → NFL · Running Back

Peyton Manning

5× NFL MVP (record). 2× Super Bowl champion. 539 career TD passes.

Saquon Barkley

Super Bowl LIX champion. 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2,005 rushing yards). 4× Pro Bowl. The 2nd-overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Steve Young

Super Bowl XXIX champion + MVP. 2× NFL MVP. Highest career passer rating at retirement (96.8). Sat behind Joe Montana for four seasons.