Photo courtesy Dallas Cowboys Football Club
Former Owl Andrew Sendejo is in his second week as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Sendejo was inactive last week when the Cowboys traveled to Indianapolis to face the Colts, but should he be on the active roster and see action this week when Dallas hosts the Eagles, he will be the third member of the Owls' 2008 Texas Bowl Champions to play in the NFL....
Can you name the last Rice team to have more than three future NFL players who lettered in the same season? Names of the players?
The 1957 team had King Hill (Chicago Cardinals), Frank Ryan (Cleveland Browns), J. D. Smith (Philadelphia Eagles) and Buddy Dial (Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys). Gene Jones may have also been on an NFL roster.
King HIll, Frank Ryan, Don Gillis
Not sure of the year (and also not sure if these three played together), but I'd say Brandon Green, Terrance Melton, and Ryan Pontbriand. I'd throw out 2002 as the year.
After doing a little research I found that I got it right if you replace Melton with Dendy.
Surprisingly, in the four dismal years I played from '76-'79, we had three future pro players all four years, including Kramer, Cunningham, Cooper, Grant, Downs, Wilson, and Fortune.
2002 is the correct answer, and actually my research shows that there were four letterman that season that went on to play in the NFL:
Brandon Green
Patrick Dendy
Ryan Pontbriand
Jeremy Callahan
Now, if some NFL team will get Chase Clement into a camp next spring, maybe the 2008 Owls can match that.