Mississippi tabbed as top football state
By USA Football Staff Reports
Special to NFL.com
(Aug. 25, 2006) -- Football may still be king in California, Florida and Texas, but a new powerhouse was introduced -- the state of Mississippi -- as Governor Haley Barbour accepted the 2006 Governor's Cup from USA Football, a non-profit organization founded by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
USA Football Chairman and former U.S. Congressman Jack Kemp presented Governor Barbour with the inaugural award at a press conference at the state capitol.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is presented the Governor's Cup by USA Football.
A star-studded group of former Mississippi greats, including Archie Manning, L.C. Greenwood and Hugh Green, among others, were on hand to usher in the inaugural award. Alyne Payton and her son, Eddie, were also present representing the great Walter Payton, a Columbia, Miss., native, along with New Orleans Saints owners Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc.
"My hats off to USA Football for what they are doing and to all those youth and high school football coaches out there who have helped to shape a number of young men," Manning said.
The award salutes Mississippi as the nation's top football state following a study conducted by The Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. The project covered a variety of per capita criteria, including the percentages of collegiate and professional football fans, number of NFL players who hail from the state, percentage of high school football players in the state, and percentage of high school players who have letters-of-intent to play for NCAA Division I-A colleges and universities.
"Receiving this honor is about celebrating a long history of Mississippi football legends -- a tradition that continues today with many NFL stars who are Mississippi natives," Barbour said. "We're proud of them all. The 2006 Governor's Cup will serve as a symbol of the strength shown by Mississippians as they remain committed to rebuilding our communities following the tragedy that struck the Gulf Coast one year ago."
The presentation of the 2006 Governor's Cup will also kick off USA Football's "Play Football Month" celebration in conjunction with the NFL and NFL Players Association. Billed as the "World's Largest Youth Football Celebration," it is designed to promote the sport of football at all levels. From mid-August through mid-September, NFL teams will host special events in their communities, including clinics, skills competitions, scrimmages, picnics and parades. Additionally, USA Football will award $500,000 in equipment grants to youth football leagues throughout the country. Applications are available at
www.usafootball.com.
"We present the Governor's Cup to recognize everything that's great about the sport of football -- the passion of the fans, the focus of the players, and the commitment of the coaches and administrators who help young men harness the skills necessary to ultimately play on Sundays," said Kemp. "The lessons learned playing football extend beyond the fundamentals of the game. Football teaches important life lessons from dealing with adversity and developing a strong work ethic, to learning the value of teamwork and building character."
Research for the Governor's Cup was performed by Dr. Jason Wingard of The Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania and included data from the ESPN Sports Poll, the National Federation of State High Schools Association participation survey, College Sports Television's 2006 NCAA Division-I recruiting base, the National Football League and the 2000 U.S. Population Census.
The study ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on five different criteria: percentage of professional football fans (Mississippi ranked 21st), percentage of college football fans (15th), percentage of varsity high school football players divided by the state's male population 15-17 (3rd), percentage of signed NCAA Division I recruits for 2006 divided by the number of 11-man varsity high school football players in that state (7th), and the percentage of NFL players in 2005 divided by the number of 11-man varsity high school players in the state (8th). The states ranking in the top 10 included (in order of finish) Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Alabama, Texas, Virginia, South Carolina, Kansas and Florida.
A number of former and current NFL super stars hail for the Magnolia State:
Walter Payton (Columbia) -- Named to Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jerry Rice (Crawford) -- NFL's all-time leading receiver
Lance Alworth (Brookhaven) -- Member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Archie Manning (Drew) -- One of the greatest QBs in New Orleans Saints history
*Brett Favre (Kiln) -- NFL's only three-time MVP (1995-97)
L.C. Greenwood (Canton) -- Owns four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers
*Steve McNair (Mount Olive) -- NFL co-MVP in 2003
Jackie Slater (Jackson) -- Set NFL record for linemen by playing in 259 consecutive games
Hugh Green (Natchez) -- Two-time Pro Bowler with Bucs and Dolphins
*Eric Moulds (Lucedale) -- Three-time Pro Bowler currently with Texans
*Deuce McAllister (Lena) -- New Orleans Saints all-time leading rusher
* -- denotes current player
