Ranking Top FSU Football Alumni in NFL History: No. 8
By Jason Parker
FSU football has sent hundreds of players to the NFL over the years – here’s another look at one of the ten best to play in the pro game.
This weekend, another class of talented former FSU Seminoles made their way to the National Football League when their respective teams drafted them. It was just another time when it was great to be associated with Florida State – a program that has sent hundreds of the best players to the next level since the first player was picked in 1951.
The list of former Noles who have excelled in the pro game is a who’s who of not just the best to come from FSU football, but some of the best to EVER play in the NFL. However, the question then becomes this: who were the best 10 players in NFL history who spent their college time in Tallahassee?
It may have been one of the hardest list we have ever had to come up with – dozens of former All-Pros, Pro Bowlers and even Super Bowl Champions didn’t make the cut. That’s how talented FSU’s crop of former players is. We also looked at the length of a career and what they did over that time – so while players like Jameis Winston, Devonta Freeman and Jalen Ramsey could make this list in another decade, they have to wait their turn.
Without further delay, here’s the latest installment of the top players in NFL history from Florida State.
Florida State Seminoles Football
No. 8 – Peter Boulware, Linebacker (Baltimore Ravens 1997-2005)
After a three season college career that included 34 sacks (including 19 in one season) and being named an All-American along with being the ACC and National Defensive Player of The Year during his final campaign, Boulware become the highest overall pick from FSU at the time when the Ravens took him fourth in 1997.
What came after that was a career that could be considered one of the most underrated for anyone from Florida State or any school. Boulware was one of the most consistent players on the team in his first seven seasons with Baltimore, being named Defensive Rookie of the Year, a Pro Bowler four times and an All-Pro in 1999 while helping the team win their first Super Bowl in the 2000 season. His 67.5 sacks over that span went along with 482 tackles and 13 forced fumbles.
Boulware sat out the 2004 season before playing one final year and setting the Ravens’ team record for sacks (70) and sacks in a season (15 in 2001 – a season in which he somehow did not make it to the Pro Bowl even despite that number). He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor less than a year after playing his final down, showing the respect Baltimore had for what he did on the field. Boulware went into private business back in Tallahassee before running for political office in 2008.