Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams has been the NFL's Defensive Player
of the Year three of the past four years, but the Penn Hills graduate
is not the greatest defensive lineman to come out of Pennsylvania, at
least not yet.
According to the measurement MaxPreps used to
determine the Greatest Defensive Lineman from Each State, Chris Doleman
of William Penn is Keystone State's top defensive lineman thanks to
eight Pro Bowl appearances compared to seven for Donald.
While
Donald will likely move past Doleman in the ensuing years, other
defensive linemen on the list will be tougher to surpass. Merlin Olsen
of Logan ranks number one in Utah (and all other states for that matter)
with 14 Pro Bowl appearances. Then there is Reggie White of Howard
Tech, Tennessee's all-time great with 13 Pro Bowl selections.
Others
with 11 Pro Bowls include Bob Lilly, who grew up in Throckmorton
(Texas), but graduated from Pendleton (Ore.); Gino Marchetti, who was
born in West Virginia, but graduated from Antioch (California); and
Bruce Smith from Booker T. Washington (Norfolk, Va.).
Players are
chosen based on the total number of Pro Bowl selections. If no
defensive lineman from the state played in a Pro Bowl, the player with
the most career starts was chosen. Only Vermont did not have an eligible
defensive lineman.
Every state's greatest defensive lineman
Alabama
Buck Buchanan,
Parker (Birmingham)Pro Bowls: 8
AlaskaShane Bonham,
Lathrop (Fairbanks)Games as starter: 3
ArizonaCurley Culp,
YumaPro Bowls: 6
ArkansasCortez Kennedy,
Rivercrest (Wilson)Pro Bowls: 8
CaliforniaGino Marchetti,
AntiochPro Bowls: 11
ColoradoCalais Campbell,
Denver South (Denver)Pro Bowls: 6
ConnecticutAndy Robustelli,
StamfordPro Bowls: 7
DelawareRandy White,
McKean (Wilmington)Pro Bowls: 9
District of ColumbiaLen Ford,
Friendship Collegiate AcademyPro Bowls: 4
FloridaDeacon Jones, Hungerford (Eatonville)
Pro Bowls: 8
GeorgiaBill Stanfill,
CairoPro Bowls: 5
HawaiiDeforest Buckner,
Punahou (Honolulu)Pro Bowls: 1
IdahoJohn Grant,
Capital (Boise)Seasons as starter: 3
IllinoisLeo Nomellini, Crane (Chicago)
Pro Bowls: 10
IndianaAlex Karras, Emerson (Gary)
Pro Bowls: 4
IowaKyle Vanden Bosch,
West Lyon (Inwood)Pro Bowls: 3
KansasJohn Zook,
LarnedPro Bowls: 1
KentuckyCorey Peters,
Central (Louisville)Seasons as starter: 9
LouisianaKyle Williams,
RustonPro Bowls: 6
MaineEd McAleney,
South PortlandSeasons as starter: 2
Maryland Darnell Dockett,
Paint Branch (Burtonsville)Pro Bowls: 3
MassachusettsHowie Long,
MilfordPro Bowls: 8
MichiganGeorge Andrie,
Catholic Central (Grand Rapids)Pro Bowls: 5
MinnesotaGary Larsen,
MoorheadPro Bowls: 2
MississippiL.C. Greenwood, Rogers (Canton)
Pro Bowls: 6
MissouriJustin Smith, Holts Summit
Pro Bowls: 5
MontanaMike Tilleman,
ChinookSeasons as starter: 10
NebraskaEd Hussman,
OgallalaPro Bowls: 3
NevadaLawrence Guy,
Western (Las Vegas)Seasons as starter: 5
New HampshireSherman White,
PortsmouthSeasons as starter: 12
New JerseyElvin Bethea,
Trenton Central (Trenton)Pro Bowls: 8
New MexicoLloyd Voss, Magnolia
Seasons as starter: 7
New YorkErnie Stautner, Vincentian Academy (Albany)
Pro Bowls: 9
North CarolinaJulius Peppers,
Southern Nash (Bailey)Pro Bowls: 9
North DakotaPhil Hansen,
OakesSeason as starter: 11
OhioAlan Page,
Central Catholic (Toledo)Pro Bowls: 9
OklahomaLee Roy Selmon,
EufaulaPro Bowls: 6
OregonBob Lilly,
PendletonPro Bowls: 11
PennsylvaniaChris Doleman,
William Penn (Philadelphia)Pro Bowls: 8
Rhode IslandGerry Philbin,
Tolman (Pawtucket)Pro Bowls: 3
South CarolinaRichard Seymour,
Lower Richland (Hopkins)Pro Bowls: 7
South DakotaJohn Dutton,
Rapid City Central (Rapid City)Pro Bowls: 3
TennesseeReggie White,
Howard Tech (Chattanooga)Pro Bowls: 13
TexasJoe Greene,
Dunbar (Fort Worth)Pro Bowls: 10
UtahMerlin Olsen,
LoganPro Bowls: 14
VirginiaBruce Smith,
Washington (Norfolk)Pro Bowls: 11
Washington Tyler Brayton,
PascoSeasons as starter: 7
West VirginiaNorm Willey,
Valley (Pine Grove)Pro Bowls: 2
WisconsinJJ Watt,
PewaukeePro Bowls: 5
WyomingBrett Kiesel,
GreybullPro Bowls: 1
