Got to thinking about how OM could miss (not be a paying customer) on such a big-time prospect and thought about all the great NFL players that have come from MS but didn't come here (or the other SEC school in state for that matter) that played around that time. You can name lots of impact players from other states that went the big school or schools in state but we seemed to miss on those guys from the 80s to late 90s
This is just a quick list of great players I thought of off the top of my head that went to neither MS schools in that time frame:
Jerry Rice - MS Valley St
Walter Payton - Jackson St
Bret Favre - Southern Miss
Steve McNair - Alcorn St
Having not been around in the 70s and I don't remember the 80s and early 90s (I'm 29), what was the deal? Were they not highly recruited/rated? Or were both coaching staffs during those times not efficient?
Seems like there is a once in a generation talent that comes through the state every decade or so but they never have come to OM (Payton to NFL in 75, Rice to NFL in 85, Farve to NFL in 91, McNair to NFL in 95). Do we have a player like that now? Tony Conner?
This is just a quick list of great players I thought of off the top of my head that went to neither MS schools in that time frame:
Jerry Rice - MS Valley St
Walter Payton - Jackson St
Bret Favre - Southern Miss
Steve McNair - Alcorn St
Having not been around in the 70s and I don't remember the 80s and early 90s (I'm 29), what was the deal? Were they not highly recruited/rated? Or were both coaching staffs during those times not efficient?
Seems like there is a once in a generation talent that comes through the state every decade or so but they never have come to OM (Payton to NFL in 75, Rice to NFL in 85, Farve to NFL in 91, McNair to NFL in 95). Do we have a player like that now? Tony Conner?
