Former Sacramento-area great Tedy Bruschi selected for College Football Hall of Fame

Tedy Bruschi can now clear room for one more honor after a decorated NFL career.

The Roseville graduate was notified by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday that he will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December. Bruschi tied an NCAA career mark with 52 sacks during his All-American career as a defensive end at Arizona. He went on to win three Super Bowls as a linebacker leader with the New England Patriots and now does NFL analysis for ESPN.

"It's beyond words what this means," Bruschi told Joe Davidson of The Sacramento Bee. "All I ever wanted to do was get to the quarterback."

Bruschi serves as a great example of how size is relative in football. He was a 6-foot-1, 225-pound defensive lineman in 1989 and 1990 for Roseville, but his relentless motor made him virtually unblockable. Still, he was lightly recruited, and it wasn't until Roseville coaches sent Arizona coaches recruiting film that they, too, were convinced.

Bruschi was named by Davidson in 2000 as the No. 1 prep football player in Sacramento-area history, based strictly on high school achievements.

Bruschi played at 235 pounds in college and 245 in the NFL.

Read more in Joe Davidson's story from the Sacramento Bee

Davidson offered MaxPreps a Top 15 list of all-time Sacramento-area high school football players, based on high school achievements only. No players from the last two football seasons are listed, to avoid lingering sticker-shock "wow" residue:

1. Tedy Bruschi, Roseville, DL, 1990
Turned games unlike any other, without even touching the ball. Dominated the lines and blocked kicks, punts and field goals for an 11-2 team.

2. Kevin Willhite, Cordova (Rancho Cordova), RB, 1981
National Player of the Year by four publications, the big back with blazing speed remains the most heavily recruited player in regional history.

3. Onterrio Smith, Grant (Sacramento), RB, 1998
Set NorCal career rushing records with more than 6,500 with 99 career scores with relentless drive, power and burst; teams went 23-2-1.

4. Lance Briggs, Elk Grove, LB, 1998
Didn't really dominate until his senior year, then REALLY dominated. Keyed 14-0 team with 130 tackles and ran for 320 yards, 6 TDs in section title game.

5. Dano Graves, Folsom, QB, 2010
MaxPreps National Player of the Year accounted for a state-record 85 TDs for state champs. Could run, pass, lead and buckled state No. 1 Grant in section finals.

6. Marc Hicks, Davis, RB, 1984
Was used as a Wildcat well before it became the trend, out of necessity. Superb punter, defender whom Penn State's Joe Paterno called, "the best high school back in 5 years."

7. Chad Elliott, Grant, QB, 1996
Won a Sac-Joaquin Section title with Nevada Union as a wing-T guru as a sophomore, then tossed 48 touchdowns with three interceptions to lead Grant to '96 title. Guts, skills.

8. Alan Henderson, Folsom, RB, 1962
Dewey Guerra, who later coached the famed Cordova teams of the early 1970s, called Henderson "my greatest player." Power back was State Player of the Year.

9. Randy Fasani, Del Oro (Loomis), QB, 1995
The nation's No. 1 recruit had incredible arm strength, throwing against the grain 60 yards, running ability and instincts. He won two section titles with the Golden Eagles.

10. Jeremiah Pharms, Valley (Sacramento), LB, 1995
Ferocious, fierce and fast for a 12-1 team that goes down as the program's all-time best. He could play tight end, fullback and special teams and didn't need shoulder pads.

11. Aaron Garcia, Grant, QB, 1987
Set area, NorCal and state passing marks, shattering records held by John Elway, in willing the Pacers to the City Championship game; marks were broken by Dano Graves.

12. Reggie Young, Cordova, RB, 1977
Some say this is the greatest Cordova Lancer of them all. A big back with speed and power keyed wishbone nationally ranked power teams that went 35-1.

13. Brian Brown, Yuba City, WR, 1988
Impossible to cover short or long and also had tremendous hands to go with great feet. Had 156 career catches for 3,382 yards and won city title in '87.

14. Bryce Oglesby, Ponderosa (Shingle Springs), RB, 1979
Power back with Earl Campbell-like thighs, thundered through teams for the D-II state-ranked No. 1 Bruins, who went 12-0. Some view him as area's greatest power runner.

15. Troy Taylor, Cordova, QB, 1985
Keyed the Sac-Joaquin Section's first 14-0 team as a passer and runner, rare elements in that run-heavy era. Still has a bevy of Cal passing records and is now Folsom co-coach.