Ranking Top FSU Football Alumni in NFL History: No. 5

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. 5 – Warrick Dunn, Running Back (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons 1997-2008)

We all knew the talent that this star studded prep star from Louisiana was going to have when he stepped foot on campus and helped contribute to the 1993 national championship for FSU football ahead of being the school’s leading rusher until this year. What we didn’t know at the time was just how great of a pro player he was going to be – and how he might be the greatest person to ever put on a NFL uniform.

Dunn stayed in the Sunshine State to start his career, being one of the major reasons for the team’s turnaround on offense under head coach Tony Dungy. While he had two 1,000-yard seasons during his five-year stint with the Bucs, he would split time with fullback Mike Alstott and both sides realized it was time for Dunn to move to a place he would be the featured back. That would take place in Atlanta, where he played six seasons (three of them over 1,000) yards before finishing his career with the Bucs in 2008.

While the on-field numbers are great – three Pro-Bowls and Rookie of the Year – his work off the field is just as important. Homes for the Holidays, one of the major programs from Dunn’s charitable organization, has built homes and helped hundreds of families get their lives in order. Dunn has been honored as the NFL’s Man of The Year and is genuinely considered one of the best people to ever play the game.