Which Schools Have Produced The Most Pro Football Hall of Famers?
Published
Aug. 3, 2025 3:56 p.m. ET
share
x
link
Another Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony is in the books, with four former NFL stars — Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe and Eric Allen — taking their place in Canton on Saturday.
Allen's induction caused a shakeup in the top 10 list of schools that have produced the most Hall of Fame players, expanding that list to 12 thanks to a four-way tie at No. 9.
That said, which 12 schools have produced the most Pro Football Hall of Famers in NFL history?
FOX Sports Research compiled the new list. Here's a look.
Schools With The Most Pro Football Hall of Famers
T-9. UCLA, Six
Troy Aikman was a star at UCLA before becoming the Cowboys' quarterback. (Photo by Andy Hayt/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The Bruins haven't had the greatest success on the gridiron in recent years, but they've done a great job producing elite NFL talent throughout their program's history. Longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman headlines the group of Hall of Famers to come out of UCLA, while offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden might have had the most decorated career (11 Pro Bowls). Strong safety Kenny Easley, quarterback Bob Waterfield, defensive end Tom Fears and cornerback Jimmy Johnson make up the rest of the group of Hall of Famers that went to UCLA.
ADVERTISEMENT
T-9. Penn State, Six
Franco Harris was one of the first great players in Joe Paterno's time as head coach. (Photo by Lane Stewart/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Most of Penn State's success in developing NFL talent came after Joe Paterno became its head coach, but only three of his former players (linebacker Jack Ham, running back Franco Harris, guard Mike Munchak) make up this list of six, although he was an assistant when running back Lenny Moore and linebacker Dave Robinson were in Happy Valley before turning into Hall of Famers. Guard Mike Michalske is the sixth player.
T-9. LSU, Six
Alan Faneca was a force at LSU. (Credit: Andy Lyons/Allsport)
If all goes well in Justin Jefferson's and Ja'Marr Chase's careers, then LSU might have a couple of wide receivers joining this list soon. The Tigers have six players representing them in the Hall of Fame for now, though, with center Kevin Mawae and guard Alan Faneca being the two most recent. Quarterback Y.A. Tittle, running back Steve Van Buren, fullback Jim Taylor and free safety Johnny Robinson are also a part of the impressive group.
T-9. Arizona State, Six
Former Sun Devil Eric Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Similar to UCLA, Arizona State hasn't produced much high-end talent in recent years. However, it did have a few future Hall of Famers in the league late in the 21st century. Cornerbacks Mike Haynes and Eric Allen are two of the more notable names of the group, with defensive tackle Curley Culp, fullback John Henry Johnson, wide receiver Charley Taylor and guard Randall McDaniel joining them in Canton.
T-7. Syracuse, Eight
Jim Brown began one of the greatest careers in football history at Syracuse.
Newer college football fans might not know it, but Syracuse has produced some of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Of course, Jim Brown — arguably the best player in NFL history — played at Syracuse, while highly decorated wide receiver Marvin Harrison and edge rusher Dwight Freeney also played college ball there before starring for the Indianapolis Colts. Running back Larry Csonka, wide receiver Art Monk, running back Floyd Little, tight end John Mackey and center Jim Ringo are also a part of the group of Syracuse stars who became Hall of Famers.
T-7. Alabama, Eight
Ken Stables, one of three former Alabama quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images/Sporting News via Getty Images)
Nick Saban's time at Alabama will likely lead to several more players joining this list in the coming years. For now, there are eight Crimson Tide players who've been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including three quarterbacks: Bart Starr, Joe Namath and Ken Stabler. John Hannah, widely regarded as one of the best offensive linemen ever, also played at Alabama before his Hall of Fame career. Alabama's other Hall of Famers include edge rusher Derrick Thomas, defensive end Don Hutson, center Dwight Stephenson and tight end Ozzie Newsome.
T-5. Ohio State, Nine
Ohio State has emerged as "Wide Receiver University" in recent years, but offensive tackle has historically been the school's strongest position. Orlando Pace, Jim Parker and Lou Groza (also one of the best kickers of all time) are Pro Football Hall of Famers, with guard Bill Willis joining them in Canton. Wideout Cris Carter, free safety Dick LeBeau, defensive end Dante Lavelli, defensive end Paul Warfield and linebacker Randy Gradishar are also a part of that group.
T-5. Michigan, Nine
Charles Woodson won the Heisman during his time at Michigan. (Photo by Albert Dickson/Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
As Ohio State has historically been strong at offensive tackle, the same could be said with Michigan at guard. Three former Wolverines guards — Dan Dierdorf, Tom Mack and Steve Hutchinson — are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Two of the game's top cornerbacks also spent time in Ann Arbor before becoming Hall of Famers, with Ty Law and Charles Woodson being enshrined in Canton in recent years. Defensive ends Bill Hewitt and Len Ford, along with running backs Benny Friedman and Eloy Hirsch join them. Michigan will add a 10th former player to the Hall of Fame soon, with Tom Brady eligible for induction in 2028.
4. Pittsburgh, 10
Dan Marino was one of the top passers in the nation before becoming an all-time NFL great. (Photo by Tony Tomsic /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Two of the game's best running backs spent time at Pitt before becoming Pro Football Hall of Famers, with Tony Dorsett continuing his all-time college success into the pros, while Curtis Martin was one of the top running backs in the game for a decade. Rickey Jackson and Chris Doleman were also among the best outside linebackers in the 1980s and into the 1990s. The same could be said for offensive linemen Jimbo Covert and Russ Grimm in that span. Linebacker Joe Schmidt and tight end Mike Ditka were two of the best pre-merger players, with Ditka continuing his success following the merger. Darrelle Revis was also one of the game's best corners for much of his 11-year career. That's all before mentioning Dan Marino, who was ahead of his time as a passer and shattered passing records, and retired as the NFL's all-time passing leader.
T-2. Notre Dame, 11
Joe Montana starred at Notre Dame in the late 1970s.
Notre Dame's 11 Hall of Famers are pretty spread out throughout the field. Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Paul Hornung and Dave Casper represent the Fighting Irish at the skill positions. Notre Dame has two Hall of Famers along the offensive line (George Connor, George Trafton) and three along the defensive line (Wayne Millner, Alan Page, Bryant Young). Linebacker Nick Buoniconti is Notre Dame's only other defensive Hall of Fame representative, but it also had Joe Montana, so it probably evens out.
Michael Irvin was a key player in Miami's surge as a football power. (Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images)
Miami is a relatively young powerhouse at producing NFL talent, with quarterback Jim Kelly, linebacker Ted Hendricks and center Jim Otto being the only Hall of Famers that the school produced prior to Jimmy Johnson's tenure as head coach, but Miami has sent plenty of Hall of Fame talent to the league within the last three-plus decades. Michael Irvin and Andre Johnson were consistently among the best receivers in the league. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis were the linchpins for an iconic Baltimore Ravens defense. Defensive tackles Cortz Kennedy and Warren Sapp became Hall of Famers following their time, while Devin Hester turned into arguably the best returner in NFL history after he left.
1. USC, 14
Junior Seau was one of the NFL's best linebackers after a standout career at USC. (Photo by Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
No other school has been better at producing Hall of Fame talent than USC, with some of the greatest players at a handful of positions playing their college ball there before turning professional. Junior Seau is among the best linebackers of all time. The same can be said for Troy Polamalu at safety, Anthony Munoz at offensive tackle, Ronnie Lott at cornerback, Bruce Matthews at guard and O.J. Simpson at running back. Joining that group of players is edge Red Badgro, two-way star Frank Gifford, defensive back Willie Wood, offensive tackle Ron Yary, wide receiver Lynn Swann, running back Marcus Allen and offensive tackle Tony Boselli.
Check out all of our Daily Rankers .
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
FOLLOW
Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience
National Football League
College Football
share
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bills sign OL Dan Feeney
The Bills moved to add a veteran offensive lineman on Monday. The team announced the signing of Dan Feeney to their 90-man roster. Offensive lineman Rush Reimer was waived in a corresponding move. Feeney spent the 2024 season with the Vikings and appeared exclusively on special teams in eight games. Feeney was a third-round pick by the Chargers in 2017 and he started 57 games while playing guard and center over four seasons with the team. Feeney has also played for the Jets and Bears. Reimer signed with the Bills after going undrafted earlier this year. He played at Cal and Montana State during his time in college.
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
6.9 million watched Chargers-Lions Hall of Fame game
Football is back. And while the numbers are yet to hit regular-season form, a large throng tuned in for a glorified scrimmage involving second- and third-stringers. Via Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily, the Chargers-Lions Hall of Fame game on NBC generated 6.9 million viewers on average for the broadcast. It's the biggest audience for the Hall of Fame game since the 2021 matchup between the Steelers and Cowboys, which averaged 7.31 million. Last year, Bears-Texans on ABC averaged 4.93 million. Of the total number, 691,000 watched on Peacock and NBC Digital. It's the biggest NBC preseason streaming audience ever. Several more preseason games will be nationally televised over the next three weeks. In four weeks and three days, the season gets started with Cowboys-Eagles in Philadelphia. On NBC and Peacock. The number will be much higher than 6.9 million for that one.
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dan Campbell loves flexibility of having Gibbs, Montgomery together in the Lions backfield
The Lions have one of, if not the best running back tandem in the NFL in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The challenge, sometimes, is finding a way to get both on the field at the same time, given all the top players on Detroit's offense. But sometimes, that's not a challenge at all. Head coach Dan Campbell was asked Sunday about the ability to use both together and how flexible it makes the Lions offense. "I think you're getting another athlete. Speed and space, things of that nature," Campbell said. "That's one of the areas that you really can – you feel like maybe you can find an advantage there. I don't think you can live in those packages, but I do think they're a good changeup to have at times." Campbell continued, "And then to answer that question, really, it's about how far can – for example, Gibbs, if you're going to do that, and you want to do a lot more of it, how much can he really expand the route tree, concepts, scheme, all of that. Physically, he can do a lot of things, it's just about being about able to invest enough time to get all that stuff done with him. Because he's still got to get in the backfield, still got to get protections. The route side of the backfield now, we go outside, which we're working on. So, it's just kind of a balancing act with that. But there is a way to use it certainly when you've got the two horses we've got." Campbell also discusses the different packages the Lions can use involving the two running backs. "Those things, there is a place for it. And really, there's nothing new about Pony 21, I mean that's what we call it. It's been around for a while. Green Bay uses the heck out of it, they always have. (Packers Head Coach Matt) LaFleur's big into that stuff, and it is good. There is a good place for it. I think it's, 'What are you going to get? What kind of matchup are you going to get? Are they giving you base defense or are they giving you nickel defense? If so, what are you going to do out of that? What do you hang your hat on?' So, there's a place for it, it's just about finding the right balance of how much you use it, what are you going to do with it? How much are you going to put on Gibbs, but also what about David? Out of that package, what's good for him, too? That's why he's out there, too. We're working through all of that, it'll be good. It's pretty exciting, though." Gibbs (250 carries) and Montgomery (185) combined for 435 rushing attempts last season for 2,187 yards with 28 rushing touchdowns. The Lions clearly figured out a way to utilize both backs in some capacity and that should only continue to grow in 2025. The Lions have quite the luxury with having two backs that complement each other so well, one of them being such a dynamic weapon in Gibbs. Defensive coordinators will be up all night trying to be Dr. Eggman and trying figure out how to stop Sonic and Knuckles.
