What pro/notable athlete did you go to school with?

[Young Drachma]

I see this a lot on boards, which begs the question, "What pro athlete did you go to school with," or did one go to school with you or whatever.

I put notable in the subject line, because I figured that some of the best athletes are the ones we've never heard of, b/c they play obscure sports or whatever. Or maybe they were just big in college, but its more like did you know them or have some peripherial connection.

I'm sure this will devolve into "I went to college with a World curling champ" Hehe...but in the meantime, let's hear it.

[Kodos]

I was a year behind OSU QB/ESPN Analyst Kirk Herbstreit at Centerville High in Ohio. Never met him though.

[Travis]

Went to school and played hockey against Andrew Ference (now of the Calgary Flames), that's probably the most famous one for me.

[TargetPractice6]

Austin Kearns of the Cincinnati Reds went to my high school, but at a different time than I.

[Ksyrup]

No one.

My brother was good friends with Jeff Sheppard, GA High School Basketball Player of the Year around 1993, who played at Kentucky and stuck around the NBA as a 13th man for a couple of years.

Other than that - no one.

[Karim]

I went to school with Craig Adams of the Carolina Hurricanes and David Heasman, an offensive lineman with the Calgary Stampeders.

[Lucky Jim]

I have some odd connection to kickers. I grew up with the kicker at Notre Dame, Nick Setta, through junior high. And I graduated from high school with the punter at Oklahoma, Blake Ferguson, whose older brother punted for OU as well and who I know passingly. The rest of my buddies and I have flaked out into athletic obscurity, while our kickers have gone on to glory...

[Young Drachma]

Jason Williams, the injured PG from the Bulls is from my hometown. He didn't play at our high school, but a private school out of town. But yeah...still.

Anthony Davis, the RB for the U. of Wisconsin graduated from my HS a year after I did.

Two notables who are far older than I am, were Joe Black, the Dodgers pitcher who was the first black player to win a World Series game and Milt Campbell, the 1952 Silver Medalist in the Decathalon (as a HS student, no less) and the 1956 Gold Olympic Gold Medalist both graduated from my HS, too.

[Buccaneer]

Too many to list. The most notable ones include Tony Gwynn and Michael Jordan.

[korme]

A minor leaguer for the Pirates who I can't think of went to my high school before I did. I know, I know, I should try to be a little more vague.

[Tigercat]

Edward Reed, pro bowl safety for the Ravens. (Destrehan High School near New Orleans)

He was perhaps the best HS football player I've ever seen, above the likes of both Mannings, Cordell Stewart, Marshall Faulk(I was fairly young when I saw Marshall and Peyton play, however), and Anthony Thomas(I only saw Atrain play for 30 minutes, but he was a load even then).

Favorite Ed Reed story: we were beating an in district team, but were tied for the district lead, we needed to win by at least one more TD to have the points nessassary to win the tiebreaker and win our district. The other team was driving in our territority, when Ed Reed took an INT the distance for a TD on the last play of the game.(You might recall he helped do something similiar for Miami vs Boston College to preserve that season for the Hurricanes)

[korme]

Oh yeah, and Evan Smith signed on with Kent State but I think he also got drafted.

And Kyle Rapp another player from this year's back to back up State underachieving Runnerups got drafted by the Dodgers in like the 47th round.

[Easy Mac]

I played basketball against Maurice Morris during practice (JV v. varsity). He's now the backup RB for the Seahawks.

[korme]

Found the other guy. I don't know where he is now, but John Van Benschoten was drafted in the first round by the Pirates in 2001, interestingly enough.

[ageofquarrel]

Like I said in a previous thread. I went to high school with Ron Dayne.Also, my mom and dad went to the same high school as Mike Rozier he was in one of my moms classes.

[Abe Sargent]

My best friend in HS tackled Randy Moss in a football game.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Dola -

And I knew a girl who worked at the same Hooters as Randy's girlfriend - the gf that he beat because he only has one testicle.

The things you learn about local sports figures.

-Anxiety

[Shkspr]

I was two years behind NBA guard Hubert Davis, one year behind world champion hurdler Allen Johnson, and a year ahead of Mia Hamm in HS.

[Leonidas]

I played basketball against Deion Sanders. Also played Senior League Baseball in the same league with him.

In track I high jumped against Reggie Rembert (Bengals WR) and ran hurdles against Randy Dixon (who played OG with the Colts). Yes, he ran hurdles (and was state class in the shot). Amazing quicks for a guy weighing 250.

In college I ran with Eric Thomas who was a pretty fair CB with the Bengals before blowing a knee out. I also got to high jump against Hollis Conway(I say this loosely because I was long gone from the competition before he took his first jump), who went on to win Olympic Silver and Bronze medals.

My obscure athete story was a guy named Donald Ellis. Donald was a WR/CB at our school who during his senior year (Deion's junior year) was named athlete of the year in SOuth Florida over Neon Deion. Donald was a fantastic basketball player and was high jumping 6 feet the very first day he ever tried the event. He even learned to run hurdles in one day (took me weeks). DOnald went to play for Miami, and was even named an honorable mention All-American CB his freshman year. But Donald blew out either a knee or ankle at the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State, and was never the same. They moved him to safety, and I think he made All Big East his senior year, but was cut after a free agent tryout with the Steelers. This guy was better than Deion in high school, but never made it after getting hurt. There are lots of guys out there just like that.

But the best athlete I ever saw was a guy on my college track team named Jay Pennington. He was an All-American long jumper (jumped 25-10) and probably could have been an All-American hurdler (13.88 in the 110) too if he only did that full time and didn't hurt himself jumping.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Anxiety

My best friend in HS tackled Randy Moss in a football game.

-Anxiety

your best friend is a sideline?

[Poli]

Aaron Moser, a track and field nut who played football and ran track at Miami.

Dan Smith, who played a little football at Miami but left the team and pitched for the Hurricanes instead. He was drafted 2 years ago by the Tigers.

I played football with both of them.

Ryan Rupe was Mr. All Everything at NorthBrook High School in Houston, but I didn't know him personally. I ran into him a couple of times, though, at school. I didn't play football then.

Travis Cozart, a running back that the Vols recruited 10 years ago out of Lenoir City, TN, was my next door neighbor in middle school. He stole some baseball cards from me. He would later be kicked off the team and ended up in the CFL and got a shot at the Rams before getting in trouble with the law.

Something about cocaine in his baby girl's blood or something.

[Blade6119]

Talk to me in 10 years, since im still in highschool....but we have some real talents

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

your best friend is a sideline?

No, during the tackle his best friend found out Moss had just one testicle.

[Radii]

Played against UNC player Donald Williams in middle school(he was final four MVP the year they won in '93, faded bad after that).

I took freshman English with 5th year Senior Michael Maddox(PF on the basketball team).

I was a freshman when Stephon Marbury was a freshman at Tech, saw him around campus a bunch but that doesn't really count

[Racer]

Former NBA player and current Bulls' coach Scott Skiles went to my high school before I was born.

[Celeval]

In a ton of classes with athletes at Tech, but like Radii said - that doesn't count.

Was in grammar school at the same time as (although a number of years behind) Chris Smith (UConn, Timberwolves); but that's about as close as I get. My great-grandfather caught Christy Mathewson, though, so I've got that going for me.

[Axxon]

I was one year behind Dave Magadan who played pro baseball. I definitely wouldn't say notable but a pro.

I didn't go to highschool with the guy but in junior high school I trained at the same gym that Hulk Hogan did. A bit more notable but a pro athlete??

You can see the dilemma.

[Vince]

I was a few years behind Pat Burrell, of the Philadelphia Phillies, in High School at Bellarmine.

Also, a buddy of mine I played ball with for years is now a (terrible) ball player for a Low-A ball team. I used to think I was better than him...makes me wonder if I had taken baseball a little more serious in high school if I woulda had a shot.

[JeeberD]

I went to high school with Ray Brust, who went to Oregon on a football schollie and played tight end for the Ducks. Also, the homecoming queen my senior year was a girl named Erin Baxter, who went to Florida and wound up becoming an All-American soccer player there. She also was in that womens soccer league when it started up, but I'm not sure if she's still in the league or not.

Oh, Jeff Allen, a center for the Wyoming basketball team, was a couple of years ahead of me in high school. He was tall, but he sucked ass. It was fun watching him play UTEP and lose...

[VPI97]

The only notable athlete to come from my small high school was "Bullet" Bill Dudley - 1946 NFL MVP & member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Obviously, this was way before my time, but his grandnephew (and namesake) was my quarterback in high school. He sucked.

[Noop]

Byrant McFadden cornerback for the Florida State Seminoles
Sincore Moss
Glenn Sharpe
There is to much to mention but I know alot of Hurricanes players as well as the local players here in Miami from camps and what not.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Jeff Boschee of Jayhawk basketball fame went to school not so far away from me.

[timmae]

the one and only Billy Schroeder, the rpide of Sheboygan South. Too bad he sucked for the hometeam packers...

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Karim

I went to school with Craig Adams of the Carolina Hurricanes

Me too. College, anyway.

Also went to college with Matt Birk, who lived upstairs from me freshman year, and Tim Fleischer, who was the top overall draft pick in the CFL in 1998 and still plays in that league (albeit, on special teams).

I knew Patrick Pass, who plays for the Patriots, in high school--he went to Tucker. I knew Jeff Saturday, center for the Colts, as well.

[Anthony]

i went to St. John's University...i went to school with both Felipe Lopez (the highly touted high school basketball star who got on the cover of SI but never amounted to much in the NBA) who i passed in the cafeteria a handful of times and nodded hello to and i also went to school with Ron Artest who i passed by once or twice.

[mckerney]

...

[corbes]

Dan Klecko, who is a defensive tackle for the Patriots now.

He only went to our school for one year. After him, you have to go to Grant Berges, who played basketball sparsely for BYU for a few years, and Cheryl Apblanap, who made the Olympics in Team Handball.

Obviously, it's a big stretch to name a "notable" athlete from our school.

[Huckleberry]

Lance Berkman

[j25352857]

In the football playoffs my senior year, I sacked Joe Mauer (#1 MLB draft pick and starting catcher for the Twins this year). Good thing he stuck with baseball.

Never played against Larry Fitzgerald and holy angels.. I was too old. Just wondering mckerney, which high school did/do you go to?

[mckerney]

...

[Troll]

I didnt go to school with any notable athletes that I know of yet, but my dad has a game film of him gaurding steve alford, and i use gaurding in the lightest sense. Alford was playing for New Castle high school at the time and if I counted correct he racked up 45 points on my dad.

[Ben E Lou]

I think I've mentioned this, but I drove long-time Seattle fullback Mack Strong to school pretty much every day for two years. He's two years behind me, and we lived in the same neighborhood.

Also, during the summers my brother and I went to the East Columbus Boys' Club pretty much every weekday. Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas was also there almost every day as well.

[rjolley]

Played basketball with Shawn Kemp when we were around 13. (Should've seen the team we fielded...6'9, 6'11, 6'10 across the front line. Yeah, I was the short one.)

Played in against Glenn Robinson in high school. He was a freshman when I was a senior. The 13 he wears is a center tradition at our high school. I passed it on to him.

Played against Mark Macon, Big Country, and a few others in the A-10 back in the late 80's. (Man, I'm old)

[RPI-Fan]

Was friends with a girl in high school who is cousins with Craig Forth. My Dad had was a quasi-advisor to Joey Juneau when he was at RPI. Nothing really direct, though. My high school was about one of the worst sports high schools you'll ever find (hell, it's one of the bottom 700 high schools overall in the country). Plus, upstate NY isn't really a breeding ground for football or basketball players.

[Z²+]

Last year, I was Larry Fitzgerald's RA for one semester. He wasn't around very often, but as great as his personality appears on TV, he was even nicer in person. A few of his teammates, unfortunately, were quite a different story...

[Solecismic]

I was a reserve guard on a 6th-grade basketball team. Jim Harbaugh was the starting center. He took us to the city championship, and scored 16 points in our 18-17 loss. Also faced him in baseball that year (he went to a different elementary school) and struck out (eyes just about closed in terror) on three pitches. He was just a phenomenal athlete no matter what sport he tried. We all knew he'd be a professional, we just didn't know it would be football (I think his dad helped with the Junior Wolverines, which should have been a clue).

[Eaglesfan27]

I went to school with Keyshawn Johnson and actually took one class with him. He didn't show up very much for it. It was an introductory volleyball class with a very attractive teacher.

[PunkyQB]

I lived with much of the late 1990's Northwestern Wildcats football team in a smallish frat-house type place. Barry Gardner and Napolean Harris are in the NFL from that bunch (D'Wayne Bates too, but he didn't live in the same place.)

I saw all those guys constantly and got to stare in awe at their lifestyle, but I can't say I was close friends with many of them. We shared a tv though.

Damian Anderson, a former Heisman hype guy and the guy who recovered the onside kick that helped the Arizona Cardinals knock off the Vikings at the end of the season was someone I knew a little better, but he just scared the hell out of me mostly. I can't believe any creature has ever had more violent energy than D.A. He was like a combat video game character come to life. We had a boxing tournament once and D.A. drew upon some deep, dark, ultra-vicious energy that I still can't believe I witnessed outside of a pit-fighter movie. He almost killed everone ... hell, it looked like he barely restrained himself from consuming everyone. Just the noises he'd make can still give me nightmares Anyway, he was in a pretty serious car-wreck recently so I'll have more fun with those memories on a later day.

My best friend from that team is not in the NFL, but Quentin Brown did block a punt in a Big 10 game (against Purdue I think). I'm still friends with him to the day.

Anyway, just another note ... Gary Barnett was the coach of that team until he departed right in the middle of my time there. I'll save these stories for another day, but everything I saw of Barnett in his tenure there showed me that this was an unethical and completely self-serving man who would put anyone through anything just to cover his own rear end.

Edit - The slap at Barnett came to mind just because he's in such hot water lately and trying so hard to project his integrity ... I know -nothing- about the current controversy, but that man could not have less credibility in my eyes.

[mgadfly]

We lost the state basketball championship game to Jason Terry by a point. In the All-State football game I played against a few guys that are in the pros (Huard/Sirmon off the top of my head). In college my team lost to Kitna's the year they won the national championship (he looks a little slow in the NFL, but he is a better athlete than you'd think). I also have a friend (from college) whose dad was a pretty good player at North Carolina before playing for the Spurs and coaching the Sonics and Bucks.