Outback Bowl Alumni Selected 1-2-3 in NFL Draft

Tampa, FL -- During the fourteen years of the Outback Bowl (known as the Hall of Fame Bowl the first nine years) college football fans have had the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the sport including plenty of future professionals. Never has that been more apparent than in last weekends NFL draft. The top three picks in the 2000 draft led a class of twenty-three players selected who played in the Outback Bowl during their college careers.

No. 1 pick Courtney Brown of Penn State was the Outback Bowl MVP for the 1999 game. LaVar Arrington (Penn State '99) and Chris Samuels (Alabama '97) were chosen No. 2 and 3 respectively. It was also the second consecutive year an Outback Bowl alumnus was the top overall pick. Kentucky's Tim Couch ('99) was the No. 1 selection in last springs draft.

In all this brings the total number to at least 359 alumni of this bowl who have been drafted or signed as free agents with NFL teams. In just the past five years 114 players have been drafted including sixteen first round picks over the past three years.

Round 1 (Overall pick in parentheses)
Courtney Brown, DL, Penn State, by Cleveland (1)
LaVar Arrington, LB, Penn State, by Washington (2)
Chris Samuels, OL, Alabama, by Washington (3)
Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin, by NY Giants (11)
Shaun Alexander, RB, Alabama, by Seattle (19)
Chris McIntosh, OL, Wisconsin, by Seattle (22)

Round 2
Ian Gold, LB, Michigan, by Denver (40)

Round 3
David Macklin, DB, Penn State, by Indianapolis (91)

Round 4
Brandon Short, LB, Penn State, by NY Giants (105)
Aaron Shea, RB, Michigan, by Cleveland (110)
Josh Williams, DL, Michigan, by Indianapolis (122)
Bobby Myers, DB, Wisconsin, by Tennessee (124)

Round 5
James Whalen, TE, Kentucky, by Tampa Bay (157)

Round 6
Dhani Jones, LB, Michigan, by NY Giants (177)
Michael Hawthorne, DB, Purdue, by New Orleans (195)
Tom Brady, QB, Michigan, by New England (199)
David Nugent, DL, Purdue, to New England (201)

Round 7
Orantes Grant, LB, Georgia, by Dallas (219)
Mark Tauscher, OL, Wisconsin, by Green Bay (224)
Jeff Harris, DB, Georgia, by Miami (232)
Rob Renes, DL, Michigan, by Indianapolis (235)
Patrick Pass, RB, Georgia, by New England (239)

Free Agent Signings (to date):
Chris Daniels, WR, Purdue, by Tampa Bay