You don't expect an eighth-round pick to become one of the best at his position in his first four seasons, but Larry Brown, the afterthought from Kansas State, did exactly that.  The new Washington Redskins Head Coach, Vince Lombardi pegged Brown, to become the starting Running Back, and he blossomed after Lombardi noticed that he was hearing impaired in one year, and he was permitted to get an audio device in his helmet to listen to his Quarterback's signals.  It proved to work as Brown would go to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and the next three seasons, which included two First Team All-Pros.  He had an excellent 1970, winning the Rushing Title, but in 1972, he was the league leader in Yards From Scrimmage and Approximate Value and would win the MVP, Bert Bell Award, and Offensive Player of the Year.  More importantly, that year for the Redskins, he would take them to the Super Bowl in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Bob Boozer was an unsung and almost forgotten forward who was a two time All-American at Kansas State and a key member of the Milwaukee Bucks championship team run in 1971. Fifteen points a game with eight boards are not incredible but they are solid numbers and his long career should help.  He also sat out the 1959 season playing AAU basketball over the NBA so he could still be eligible for the 60 Olympic Games.  Boozer of course was MVP of the National tournament and led the Peoria Caterpillars to a national championship; that is Hall of Fame worthy isn’t it?

Rolando Blackman is one of the great outside shooters in the history of the league.  A great career at Kansas State led to him being taken 9th overall by the Mavericks in 1981 and his 17,000 career points and an 18 point per game average showed that same ability in the pro ranks.  What is lost is how much of a great team player Rolando was.  He teamed with Mark Aguirre and Derek Harper to turn Dallas into a basketball contender in the 80s.  His two free throws after the buzzer in the 1986 All-Star game while all of the players from both teams watched and laughed was a signature moment for one of the most underrated players of the 80s.