East-West Temple announced in honor of its 100th anniversary Team of the CenturyFour HBCU Pro Football Hall of Famers are in attendance.
Jackson State has two players represented on the All-Century team: running back Walter Payton and linebacker Robert Brazile.
After his college career, Payton played in the 1974 East-West Shrine Bowl, which saw him rush for 3,563 yards and lead the Tigers to three SWAC championships.
Entering the 1975 NFL draft, the Chicago Bears selected Payton fourth overall. He went on to play in the league for 12 years and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 as a first-ballot selection.
Brazile also participated in the 1974 East-West Temple Bowl and was selected sixth overall in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.
The Tigers quarterback played 10 years in the NFL and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
It was the second consecutive year that an HBCU had two players selected in the first round of the same NFL Draft class (Tennessee State’s Ed Too Tall Jones and Waymond Bryant were selected first and fifth in the 1974 NFL Draft).
Grambling State quarterback Doug Williams and Savannah State power forward Shannon Sharp are also on the roster.
Williams starred in the 1977 East-West Shrine Bowl and was the game’s Offensive MVP. He became only the second player to win the East-West Shrine Bowl MVP award since fellow Grambling State alumnus Gary Johnson won the Defensive MVP in 1974.
Williams made history as a member of the Washington Chiefs (later the Washington Redskins), becoming the first black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl.
Sharpe, the only Division II HBCU player named to the Shrine Bowl All-Century team, played in the 1990 Shrine Bowl.
The Savannah State graduate was selected in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL draft and finished his career with the most receiving yards for a tight end.
