SPARTANS IN THE PROS A look at Norfolk State football players who signed professional football contracts, listed by their final year of eligibility: 1963 1964 1965
1966 1967
1968 1969
1970
1971
1972 1973
1974 1975
1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1988 1990 1992
1995
1998
108
John Baker (DE) – Green Bay Packers, Montreal Alouettes, New York Giants Willie Holland (RB) – Harrisonburg (Pa.) Capitals Kenny Reaves (DB) – Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Chargers; Lewis Turner (DE) – Dallas Cowboys; Joe Langston (LB) – Montreal Alouettes, Norfolk Neptunes (CFL*); Charlie Williams (DT) – Norfolk Neptunes (CFL*); Raymond Edmonds (RB) – Harrisonburg (Pa.) Capitals Johnny Cannon (LB) – Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL); Raymond Smith (DT) – Houston Oilers Bob Windley (DE) – Miami Dolphins; Don Porter (OE) – Dallas Cowboys; Andy Hiedeberg (WR/PR) – Rhode Island Steelers; Milt Mason (RB) – Baltimore Colts, Norfolk Neptunes (CFL*), Harrisonburg (Pa.) Capitals, Long Island Red Birds; Emzie Abbott (DT) – Montreal Alouettes (CFL) LaVerne Dickerson (C) – Dallas Cowboys; Mike Johnson (OG) – Montreal Alouettes (CFL) Gene Ferguson (DT) – San Diego Chargers; Kenny Edmonds (TE/PK) – Dallas Cowboys; Bill Murphy (WR) – Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills; Earl Bryant (DB) Kansas City Chiefs, Norfolk Neptunes (CFL*) Pettus Farrar (DB) – San Diego Chargers, Norfolk Neptunes (CFL*); Charlie Carroll (RB) – Dallas Cowboys; Harvey Dorsey (OB) – Los Angeles Rams; Lafayette Robinson (LB) – Dallas Cowboys; Wyman Duke (DT) – New Orleans Saints, Richmond Saints; Jim Minor (RB) – Pittsburgh Steelers Ray Jarvis (WR) – Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots; Larry James (RB) – Denver Broncos; Ron Davis (OG) – Washington Redskins, Norfolk Neptunes (CFL*) Ron Bolton (DB) – New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns Condie Pugh (RB) – Edmonton Eskimos, New England Patriots, Zach Rogers (RB/PR) – Dallas Cowboys; James Jackson (DE) – Miami Dolphins, Edmonton Eskimos (CFL); John Hamilton (DB) – New England Patriots; William Betts (DB) – Kansas City Chiefs; Robert Beale (RB) – Dallas Cowboys, Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) Leroy Jones (DE) – Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Rams Bob Colbert (DB) – New York Giants; Eddie London (DB) – Dallas Cowboys; Rob Tillis (WR/P) – Philadelphia Bell (WFL); Moses Trotter (DT) – Philadelphia Bell (WFL); Larry Stepney (RB) – Philadelphia Bell (WFL) Tony Knight (DB) – New York Jets Jim Flowers (DB) – San Diego Chargers Joe Bell (DE) – Oakland Raiders; Ricky Ray (DB) – New Orleans Saints Dennis Anderson (DE) – Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL); George Butts (LB) – Kansas City Chiefs; LaRue Harrington (RB) – San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Express (USFL); Darrell Earl Jones (DB) – Atlanta Falcons; Dwight Sweatt (WR) – Oakland Raiders None Don Herring (OT) – Seattle Seahawks, Reggie Smallwood (DB) Seattle Seahawks George Parker (RB) – Buffalo Bills; Joe Scott (FS) – Seattle Seahawks Orlando Goodhope (RB) – Dallas Cowboys Glenn Jones (DB) – Buffalo Bills; Bruce Manley (DB) – Seattle Seahawks Willie Gillus (QB) – Green Bay Packers, British Columbia Lions (CFL), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Ottawa Roughriders (CFL), Kansas City Chiefs Art Jimerson (LB) – Los Angeles Raiders Mikel Waugh (RB) – Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Jesse Chavis III (DB) – Los Angles Rams; Gary Morris (WR) – San Francisco 49ers, Memphis Mad Dogs (CFL); Anthony Kearney (OT) – Los Angeles Raiders; Rodney Baylor (TE/DE) – Charlotte Rage (AFL) Kenneth McDaniel (OT) – Dallas Cowboys, Norfolk Nighthawks (AF2); James Roe (WR) – Baltimore Ravens, San Jose SaberCats (AFL); Aaron Sparrow (QB) – Calgary Stampeders (CFL), Nashville Kats (Arena), Carolina Cobras (AF2), Buffalo Destroyers (AF2), Augusta Stallions (AF2), Norfolk Nighthawks (AF2) Michael Early (OL) – Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore
2001
2002
2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010
Ravens Travoris Carnes (DL) – Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL), Norfolk Nighthawks (AF2); Kyle Grove (DB) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (AF2), Scottish Claymores (NFL Europe) LaShaun Mack (OL) – Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Norfolk Nighthawks (AF2); Leon Grove (DB) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (AF2); Jamal Naji (DL) – Atlantic City Cardsharks (NIFL), Lexington Horsemen (AF2) Goodluck Owi (TE/DE) – Toronto Argonauts (CFL) Kevin Talley (LB) – Quad City Steamwheelers (AF2) Emery Sammons (WR) – Manchester Wolves (AF2), Spokane Shock (AF2/AFL), Philadelphia Soul (AFL) Casey Hansen (QB) – Philadelphia Eagles, Spokane Shock (AF2) Don Carey (DB) – Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions Terrell Whitehead (DB) – Jacksonville Jaguars; Chris Bell (WR) – New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Blizzard (IFL); Dennis Brown (QB) – Calgary Stampeders (CFL), Richmond Revolution (IFL), Virginia Destroyers (UFL) Dante Barnes (DB) – Washington Redskins, Virginia Destroyers (UFL) William Falakiseni (C) – Tri-Cities Fever (IFL) Calton Ford (OL) – Cleveland Browns
Note: Teams are NFL members unless noted League abbreviations: AFL – Arena Football League AF2 – Arena Football League 2 CFL – Canadian Football League CFL* – Continental Football League (now defunct) IFL – Indoor Football League NIFL – National Indoor Football League WFL – World Football League (later became NFL Europe) NFL Europe – National Football League, Europe UFL – United Football League
Don Carey was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, then later signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carey started 10 games with the Jaguars as a rookie in 2010. He signed with the Detroit Lions during the 2011 season. (Photo credit: Detroit Lions).
2012 NSU FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE