Florida-raised Ted Hendricks and Jack Youngblood are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders sure to follow. Derrick Brooks is earning a chance, so too Ray Lewis, maybe also Warren Sapp.
Our neighborhood generates voluminous talent for in-state schools and notable achievers for programs across the Big Ten, ACC, Big East, SEC, Big 12 and other top conferences, plus Notre Dame.
As a football cradle that rocks with speed and beef, we're in the loftiest league alongside California and Texas, ahead of Pennsylvania, Illinois or Michigan. Scouts from dozens of universities stalk our peninsula.
So why, as Florida football prospects constantly and lavishly flow, are we so mediocre at turning out NFL-level sensations at the most vital position of all?
We are QB-poor.
FSU, UF and UM became football powers primarily due to home-grown chaps. USF is getting there. But among six Heisman Trophy quarterbacks at state schools, only Danny Wuerffel of the Gators (Fort Walton Beach) prepped in Florida. In the pros, he has been submediocre.
Others honored with the ultimate in college football hardware were Vinny Testaverde (UM) from New York, Charlie Ward (FSU) from Georgia, Steve Spurrier (UF) from Tennessee, Chris Weinke (FSU) from Minnesota and Gino Torretta (UM) from California.
Sizzling quarterbacks at our universities have included Jim Kelly (UM), a pro football Hall of Famer from Pennsylvania, along with Ken Dorsey (UM) from California, Bernie Kosar (UM) from Ohio and Rex Grossman (UF) from Indiana. Brad Johnson (FSU) is a North Carolinian.
Current starters for Florida's big three schools are Chris Leak of the Gators (North Carolina), Chris Rix at FSU (California) and Brock Berlin of the Hurricanes (Louisiana).
John Reaves, a Tampa fellow, set the NCAA total offense record in the '70s with the Gators, then made a living with the Eagles and Bengals. George Mira (UM) had a 49ers career. But their NFL results were lukewarm.
So who's the best?
Daunte Culpepper is the top NFL quarterback - ever - from a Florida high school, although his work to date, including this year's highest NFC quarterback rating with the Vikings, leaves the 260-pound UCF behemoth well shy of serious consideration for Canton.
It is puzzling. We have big population numbers, approaching 14-million, ranking fourth among 50 states. Florida is noted for young football prospects. But why not quarterbacks?
We're miles behind western Pennsylvania, producer of a historic wealth of NFL quarterbacks, among them Super Bowl sensations Joe Montana and Joe Namath, plus the king of career stats, Dan Marino.
Joe and Joe are in the Hall of Fame with Dan a lock to be there soon.
Florida is vastly outdone even by population small-fries. Louisiana ranks 22nd with 4.5-million but the honor roll of memorable professional QBs is far more than bayou-deep.
Four-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw leads the Louisiana parade, followed by Archie and Peyton Manning (with Eli on the way), Doug Williams, Bert Jones, Joe Ferguson, David Woodley, Bobby Hebert, Bubby Brister, Kordell Stewart, James Harris, Stan Humphries and current NFL starters Tommy Maddox, Jake Delhomme and Patrick Ramsey.
I won't mention California.
Texas is also superior.
Strange ... Florida so badly lags.
- Whatever happened to Spud Webb?
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FLEA FLICKERS: Family fortunes have plunged from last season's highs for an oft-beaten Ronde Barber of the Bucs and fumble-prone brother Tiki of the Giants as the two prepare to collide on Monday Night Football. ... Rix could be the next Jeff George, so gifted yet so physically and mentally erratic. ... Wonder how Rick Neuheisel is doing, sitting by the pool? ... Colorado State quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt, son of an old Giants linebacker from Michigan State, spoke rare but valid words in saying, "I am an athlete-student, not a student-athlete, and my priorities are playing ball." Van Pelt, it should be noted, has a most acceptable 2.6 grade-point average.
GEMS WE MISSED: Had the Bucs beaten Green Bay, here are some lines we absolutely would've heard from Tampa Bay players: "Nobody believed in us but the guys in this room" and "This team has too much pride to let the losing continue" and "Not in our house do we lose four games in five."
THE LAST WORD: How can we trust the new NFL Network to be anything but "house television," designed to promote the league rather than critically examine it, with too many babbling former players and too few serious reporters?
