SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Throughout the history of the National Football League, players that are Louisiana natives have made significant contributions to the game, but which city has produced the most players in the league.
The 2022 NFL regular season will kick off Thursday evening with a rematch of last year’s Superbowl between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams. The season opener will feature Tre’Davious White, Marquez Stephenson, and Robert Rochell, all Shreveport natives.
BeenVerified analyzed nearly 30,000 current and former NFL players since 1920, their hometowns, and the high schools they attended. Louisiana ranked sixth in states with the most hometowns producing the most current NFL players with a total of 110 players.
Louisiana ranks third in hometown states per capita since 1920, while New Orleans leads the state as the top hometown with a total of 235 players born in the Crescent City. Baton Rouge comes in at a distant second with 104 players calling the state capitol home. Shreveport is just behind Baton Rouge, having produced 90 NFL players.
St. Augustine, a private all-boys school in New Orleans, has 33 alumni in the NFL, including Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. Ruston High School follows St. Aug, producing 18 future players. John Curtis Christian School in Metairie has sent 13 players to the National Football League.
Key Stats for Louisiana:
- Ranked 3rd in top hometown states per capita since 1920
- New Orleans is the top hometown in Louisiana, with a total of 235 players born
Top Cities by Birth in Louisiana for NFL Players
- New Orleans – 235 players
- Baton Rouge – 104 players
- Shreveport – 90 players
Top High Schools in Louisiana for NFL Players
- St. Augustine – 33 players
- Ruston – 18 players
- John Curtis Christian – 13 players
Neighboring Texas is at the top of the list with 2,614 players over time. Arkansas has had 318 professional football players get their start in Razorback country.