June 22, 2004
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame has had 88 of its former football players appear on National Football League opening-day rosters over the last eight seasons (1996 through 2003), and 82 of those players have received their degrees from the University, for a 93.1 percent graduation rate.
The list includes every Notre Dame player who appeared on an NFL opening-day roster (that’s how the NFL annually tracks participation) in at least one of those eight seasons.
In four of those eight seasons – 1996 with 43, 1997 with 44, 1998 with 40, 1999 with 42 – Notre Dame had more of its former players participating in the league than any other college or university. The Irish ranked second in 2000 with 42 and in 2001 with 37, tied for third in 2002 with 38 and tied for first in 2003 with 40.
The 93.1 graduation rate for NFL participants ranks even higher than Notre Dame’s most recent NCAA graduation rates for all student-athletes (87 percent), male student-athletes (85), female student-athletes (92) football student-athletes (81) and African-American student-athletes (78). Those numbers, released in the fall of 2003, comprised all student-athletes entering Notre Dame from 1993 through 1996.
The NCAA and USA Today honored Notre Dame last fall for having the highest overall graduation rate for all student-athletes at 92 percent, based on 98 freshmen entering in 1996.
Notre Dame’s own institutional research shows that 99 percent of scholarship football players who have entered Notre Dame since 1962 have received their degrees (896 of 905, based only on individuals who remained at the University at least four years). Those figures do not include players who transferred or withdrew before completing four or more years.
Here is the complete listing of former Notre Dame players on those NFL opening-day rosters over the previous eight seasons:
| Battle, Arnaz | San Francisco – 03 |
| Bercich, Pete | Minnesota – 96-97-98 |
| Berry, Bert | Indianapolis – 97-98-99, Denver – 02-03 |
| Bettis, Jerome | Pittsburgh – 96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03 |
| Beuerlein, Steve | Carolina – 96-97-98-99-00, Denver – 01-02-03 |
| Black, Jordan | Kansas City – 03 |
| Boiman, Rocky | Tennessee – 02-03 |
| Brooks, Reggie | Tampa Bay – 96 |
| Brown, Derek | Jacksonville – 96-97, Oakland – 98, Arizona – 99 |
| Brown, Tim | Oakland – 96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03 |
| Bryant, Junior | San Francisco – 96-97-98-99-00-01 |
| Burris, Jeff | Buffalo – 96-97, Indianapolis – 98-99-00-01, Cincinnati – 02-03 |
| Carney, John | San Diego – 96-97-98-99-00, New Orleans – 01-02-03 |
| Carter, Tom | Washington – 96, Chicago – 97-98-99, Cincinnati – 00-01 |
| Chryplewicz, Pete | Detroit – 97-98-99 |
| Clark, Willie | San Diego – 96, Philadelphia – 97 |
| Cooper, Deke | Cleveland – 01 |
| Curtin, Brennan | Green Bay – 03 |
| Dahl, Bob | Washington – 96-97 |
| Davis, Travis | Jacksonville – 96-97-98, Pittsburgh – 99 |
| Dawson, Lake | Kansas City – 96-97, Indianapolis – 99 |
| Denman, Anthony | Cleveland – 01, Buffalo – 02 |
| Denson, Autry | Miami – 00, Chicago – 01 |
| Doughty, Mike | Cincinnati – 99 |
| Driver, Tony | Buffalo – 01-02 |
| DuBose, Demetrius | Tampa Bay – 96 |
| Edwards, Marc | San Fran. – 97-98, Cleve. – 99-00, N. Eng. – 01-02, Jacksonville – 03 |
| Faine, Jeff | Cleveland – 03 |
| Figaro, Cedric | St. Louis – 96 |
| Fisher, Tony | Green Bay – 02-03 |
| Flanigan, Jim | Chicago – 96-97-98-99-00, Green Bay – 01, San Francisco – 02 |
| Gandy, Mike | Chicago – 01-02-03 |
| Gibson, Oliver | Pittsburgh – 96-97-98, Cincinnati – 99-00-01-02-03 |
| Givens, David | New England – 02-03 |
| Goodspeed, Joey | San Diego – 02 |
| Grasmanis, Paul | Chicago – 96-97-98, St. Louis – 99, Philadelphia – 00-01-02-03 |
| Grunhard, Tim | Kansas City – 96-97-98-99-00 |
| Harper, Deveron | Carolina – 00-01, New Orleans – 03 |
| Harrison, Tyreo | Philadelphia – 02-03 |
| Heck, Andy | Chicago – 96-97-98, Washington – 99-00 |
| Hentrich, Craig | Green Bay – 96-97, Tennessee – 98-99-00-01-02-03 |
| Holloway, Jabari | Houston – 03 |
| Howard, Bobbie | Chicago – 01-02-03 |
| Hunter, Javin | Baltimore – 02 |
| Irons, Grant | Buffalo – 02 |
| Ismail, Raghib | Carolina – 96-97-98, Dallas – 99-00-01 |
| Jackson, Jarious | Denver – 00-01-02 |
| Johnson, Anthony | Carolina – 96-97-98-99 |
| Johnson, Malcolm | Pittsburgh – 99-00 |
| Knapp, Lindsay | Green Bay – 96 |
| Kowalkowski, Scott | Detroit – 96-97-98-99-00-01 |
| Leahy, Ryan | Arizona – 97 |
| Legree, Lance | New York Giants – 01-02-03 |
| Lyght, Todd | St. Louis – 96-97-98-99-00, Detroit – 01-02 |
| Mahan, Sean | Tampa Bay – 03 |
| Mayes, Derrick | Green Bay – 96-97-98, Seattle – 99-00 |
| McBride, Oscar | Arizona – 96 |
| McDonald, Devon | Arizona – 96 |
| Minor, Kory | Carolina – 00-01 |
| Mirer, Rick | Seattle – 96, Chicago – 97, Green Bay – 98, New York Jets – 99, San Francisco – 00, Oakland – 02-03 |
| O’Leary, Dan | Buffalo – 01 |
| Owens, John | Detroit – 02-03 |
| Peterson, Anthony | San Francisco – 96, 98-99, Chicago – 97 |
| Petetgout, Luke | New York Giants – 99-00-01-02-03 |
| Powlus, Ron | Philadelphia – 00 |
| Rosenthal, Mike | New York Giants – 99-00-01-02, Minnesota – 03 |
| Rossum, Allen | Philadelphia – 98-99, Green Bay – 00-01, Atlanta – 02-03 |
| Ruddy, Tim | Miami – 96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03 |
| Sapp, Gerome | Baltimore – 03 |
| Smith, Hunter | Indianapolis – 99-00-01-02-03 |
| Smith, Irv | New Orleans – 96-97, San Francisco – 98, Cleveland – 99 |
| Smith, Rod | Minnesota – 96, Carolina – 97-98 |
| Tatum, Kinnon | Carolina – 97-98 |
| Taylor, Aaron | Green Bay – 96-97, San Diego – 98-99 |
| Taylor, Bobby | Philadelphia – 96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03 |
| Terrell, Pat | Carolina – 96-97, Green Bay – 98 |
| Vollers, Kurt | Dallas – 03 |
| Walton, Shane | St. Louis – 03 |
| Watters, Ricky | Philadelphia – 96-97, Seattle – 98-99-00-01 |
| Weaver, Anthony | Baltimore – 02-03 |
| Williams, Brock | Chicago – 03 |
| Wisne, Jerry | Chicago – 99-00 |
| Wooden, Shawn | Miami – 96-97-98-99, 01-02-03, Chicago – 00 |
| Wynn, Renaldo | Jacksonville – 97-98-99-00-01, Washington – 02-03 |
| Young, Bryant | San Francisco – 96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03 |
| Zeigler, Dusty | Buffalo – 96-97-98-99, New York Giants – 00-01-02 |
| Zellars, Ray | New Orleans – 96-97-98 |
| Zorich, Chris | Chicago – 97 |