Tom Brady threw for over 3,500 yards and over 30 touchdowns during his career at Serra (San Mateo, Calif.).
USATSI
California has been home to some of the greatest players in NFL history, and many of them played their high school football in the Bay Area before moving on to bigger and better things.
A total of seven Hall of Famers grace our list of the best football players to ever play high school football in the Bay Area, with another (Tom Brady) likely to be enshrined at the end of his career. The criteria to make the list isn't based just on one's high school or NFL career, but the player's entire body of work.
Here's a look at 10 of the best football players the Bay Area has ever produced.
Greatest Bay Area High School Football Players
Jim Plunkett, James Lick (San Jose)
The quintessential Bay Area athlete, Plunkett played his high school football at James Lick before heading to Stanford and winning the Heisman Trophy. At James Lick, Plunkett led his team to records of 9-0 and 8-1 while throwing for 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. At Stanford, he set numerous school and conference passing records and led the team to a Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State as a senior. The No. 1 pick in the 1971 NFL Draft, Plunkett played five season in New England before moving on to a disappointing three-year stint in San Francisco. As a member of the Oakland (and later Los Angeles) Raiders, however, Plunkett turned his career around by leading the Raiders to Super Bowl championships during the 1980 and 1983 seasons. He is a member of the Bay Area Hall of Fame.
Tom Brady, Serra (San Mateo)
A three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, Brady got his start at Serra High (the alma mater of Barry Bonds as well). A two-year starter, Brady threw for 3,514 yards and 33 touchdowns during the 1993-94 seasons. He rarely played at Michigan during his early seasons, but started his final two seasons and led the Wolverines to 20 wins.
Dan Fouts, St. Ignatius (San Francisco)
A Hall of Fame quarterback, Fouts was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and set a number of NFL records for passing yardage during a 15-year career with the San Diego Chargers. He began his football career at St. Ignatius, where his number was recently
retired. After a stellar career at Oregon, where he set 19 school records, Fouts was a third-round pick by the Chargers in the 1973 draft. He is a member of the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
O.J. Simpson, Galileo (San Francisco)
Although he didn't make the All-City Team as a senior, Simpson was a star at San Francisco City College, where he earned Junior College All-American honors. At USC, Simpson earned the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He went on to play for mostly losing teams in the NFL, but he was the first to surpass 2,000 yards rushing when he ran for 2,003 yards in 1973 for the Buffalo Bills. He was a five-time All-Pro Selection and was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1985.
Bob St. Clair, Poly (San Francisco)
Like Plunkett, St. Clair spent almost his entire football career in the Bay Area. A standout at Polytechnic, which was one of the great football powerhouses during the 1940s and 50s, St. Clair was later a member of the great University of San Francisco teams in the early 1950s. He spent his entire NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers and was a nine-time All-Pro selection at offensive tackle. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Gino Marchetti, Antioch
Considered one of the greatest defensive ends in NFL history, Marchetti was a nine-time All-Pro and an 11-time Pro Bowl selection during a 15-year career spent almost entirely with the Baltimore Colts. Marchetti got his start in the Bay Area, however, at Antioch High School. After spending time in the Army fighting in World War II, Marchetti returned to play with other Bay Area greats like Bob St. Clair and Ollie Matson at USF.
Lynn Swann, Serra (San Mateo)
The Northern California Player of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle as a senior at Serra, Swann played quarterback in high school. However, when he attended USC he was switched to wide receiver and thus embarked on a Hall of Fame career. He is a member of both the Professional and College Football Halls of Fame, earning All-American honors and playing on the Trojans' 1972 undefeated national championship team and also playing on four Super Bowl championship teams with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was named MVP of Super Bowl X and he was named to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2001.
Ollie Matson, Washington (San Francisco)
Matson was one of the city's greatest prep athletes when he graduated in the late 1940s. He attended USF and led the nation in rushing and scoring while leading the team to an undefeated season. He was the No. 1 pick of the Chicago Cardinals in the NFL Draft and went on to earn six Pro Bowl selections. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
Dick Bass, Vallejo
Bass had a phenomenal senior season at Vallejo, rushing for 37 touchdowns in 1954 while leading the team to a 9-0 record and an average of 54 points per game. He went on to play at University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he was an All-American and led the nation in rushing with 1,361 yards. A 10-year member of the Los Angeles Rams, Bass made the Pro Bowl three times and finished with 5,417 yards in his career.
Norm Van Brocklin, Acalanes (Lafayette)
In his final year in the NFL, Van Brocklin led the Philadelphia Eagles to an NFL championship (1960) over the Green Bay Packers. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and earned first team All-Pro honors only in his final season when he was also named league MVP. He still holds the record for passing yardage in a single game with 554 yards in 1951 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. He began his career playing football at Acalanes and was named to the All-Time All-Northern California Team in the late 1950s. After spending time in the military during World War II, he played college football with the Oregon Ducks and earned All-American honors. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.
Among others in the discussion: Larry Allen (
Vintage-Napa), Steve Bartkowski (Buchser-Santa Clara), Maurice Jones-Drew (
De La Salle-Concord), John Henry Johnson (
Pittsburg), Marshawn Lynch (
Oakland Tech), Dan Pastorini (
Bellarmine-San Jose), Aaron Taylor (De La Salle), Amani Toomer (De La Salle), D.J. Williams (De La Salle), Roy Williams (
Logan-Union City).
Who do you think should have made the list? Let us know on Twitter @MaxPreps or at Facebook.com/maxpreps
