51 Pro Football Hall of Famers from small schools

There have been a number of players from small schools that have gone on to careers as Pro Football Hall of Famers.

Jim Thorpe

Getty Images

Kust before the season-ending series between the Canton Bulldogs and the arch-rival Massillon Tigers in 1915, Bulldogs general manager Jack Cusack signed the most famous athlete of the age, Carlisle’s Jim Thorpe, for the princely sum of $250 a game. Thorpe was everything Cusack expected him to be – an exceptional talent and an unparalleled gate attraction. With Thorpe as star and coach, the Bulldogs claimed unofficial world championships in 1916, 1917, and 1919. His mere presence moved pro football a giant step forward in the public’s estimation.