The best San Diego State football players in NFL history
The San Diego State Aztecs have a rich history of sending players to the NFL, a trend that will continue this week when cornerback Chris Johnson is expected to be drafted in the first or second round.
One of the greatest eras of SDSU football was presided over by Don Coryell, who later was the architect of the Air Coryell offense that took off with the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Coryell finally got his due by being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, 13 years after he died.
Some of Coryell's stars who went from SDSU to the NFL were quarterback Brian Sipe and wide receivers Haven Moses and Isaac Curtis.
While the Coryell years were among the greatest in SDSU history, easily the greatest player to come through Montezuma Mesa was running back Marshall Faulk. After his stellar three-year career at SDSU, he went on to a brilliant NFL career that saw him become the only former Aztecs player to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It's a subjective task to list the best San Diego State players in the NFL, and someone will inevitably get left off. But here's an attempt as another NFL Draft approaches.
Marshall Faulk, running back
Faulk went from an unknown freshman to a star in one night in 1991. He enrolled at SDSU because it was the only school that would let him play running back. Against Pacific in the second game of the season, he rushed for a then-NCAA single-game record of 386 yards, as well as seven touchdowns, on 37 carries, against Pacific.
Faulk never looked back. He was the first Aztec to be named first-team All-America by the Associated Press, which he accomplished all three seasons, and twice unanimously. Some SDSU fans are still angry that he finished second to Miami's Gino Torretta in the 1992 Heisman Trophy balloting. Faulk left SDSU holding 19 school records, including career rushing yards (4,589).
Not surprisingly, he continued to shine after being drafted No. 2 overall by the Colts in 1994, when he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. He spent his first five seasons with the Colts, earning two Pro Bowl selections, before playing seven seasons with the St. Louis Rams and starring in the "Greatest Show on Turf."
It was with St. Louis that he was named the 2000 NFL MVP, won Super Bowl XXXIV and won a record three AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards, from 1999-2001, as well as three straight All-Pro selections.
The seven-time Pro Bowler finished with 12,279 yards rushing and 100 touchdowns, as well as 6,875 yards receiving and 36 scores.
Brian Sipe, quarterback
Sipe grew up in the San Diego area and graduated from SDSU in 1971. At the time, he was second all-time in total offense, passing yards and completions. He was an honorable mention All-America as a senior and set an Aztec record with a 92-yard completion against Fresno State in 1971
He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 13th round in 1972 and went on to be voted NFL MVP in 1980 after throwing for 4,132 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 14 interceptions. The Browns lost in the divisional playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders.
Sipe also holds the distinction of playing for the El Cajon team that won the 1961 Little League World Series.
Isaac Curtis, wide receiver
Curtis attended California for three years, where he starred on the football and track teams. He finished his college career in 1972 at SDSU, where coach Don Coryell moved him from running back to receiver. He was the team MVP and is in the school's Hall of Fame.
The Cleveland Browns were attracted by his speed and made him a first-round pick in 1973. He spent 12 seasons with the Browns, reaching the Super Bowl after the 1981 season and playing in the Pro Bowl after each of his first four seasons. He was also the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1973.
Teams often double- and triple-teamed him because of his speed. He finished his career with 416 catches for 7,101 yards - a whopping average of 17.1 yards per catch - and 53 TDs. He is in the Bengals' Ring of Honor.
Haven Moses, wide receiver
After starring for SDSU, Moses played for 14 seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos. He still holds the Broncs' franchise career record with 18 yards per reception.
In his four full seasons with the Bills, from 1968 to 1971, Moses started 51 games with 146 receptions for 2,641 yards (18.1 yards per reception) and 12 touchdowns.
He was traded to the Denver Broncos during the 1972 season and played in a total of 10 seasons with them, starting 127 games with 302 receptions for 5,450 yards (18 yards per reception) and 44 touchdowns.
For his career, Moses had 448 receptions for 8,091 yards (18.1 yards per reception) and 56 touchdowns.
Fred Dyrer, defensive end
OK, they did play some defense at SDSU. End Fred Dryer was a 1969 first-round draft pick of the New York Giants to begin a 13-year NFL career, which he finished with the Los Angeles Rams.
He played in 176 games and recorded 103 sacks, and is notable for being the only NFL player to have two safeties in one game. He was a second-team All-Pro in 1974, when he led the NFL with 15 sacks, and was a Pro Bowler in 1975.
After he retired, he began a career as an actor. His best-known role was that of Detective Sgt. Rick Hunter in the NBC drama "Hunter." He appeared in several other TV shows and movies.
La'Roi Glover, defensive tackle
Glover, who played at Point Loma High, is another example of an outstanding defensive player coming out of SDSU. He was an All-WAC pick in 1994 and a fifth-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in 1996.
He played 13 years in total, with the Raiders, Saints, Cowboys and St. Louis Rams. He piled up 83 ½ sacks, 320 tackles, eight forced fumbles and two interceptions. He was named to six straight Pro Bowls and was one of two players in Dallas Cowboys history to be named to the Pro Bowl in each season with the club.
He was All-Pro in 2000, when he led the league with 17 sacks, and made the NFL 2000s All-Decade team.
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, defensive end
After a standout career at SDSU, the player fondly known as KGB was taken in the fifth round of the 2000 draft by Green Bay and spent his entire nine-season NFL career with the Packers.
He had 286 tackles and 74 ½ sacks, including 10 or more four consecutive years from 2001-04, with a high of 13 ½ in 2001 to rank third in the league that year. He finished his career as the Packers' all-time career sacks leader, moving past Hall of Famer Reggie White. He had the most three-sack games in team history with five and led the Packers in sacks for five straight years. He forced 18 fumbles and returned his only interception for a touchdown in 2002.
Gary Garrison, wide receiver
Gary Garrison was drafted by both the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL and the San Diego Chargers of the AFL, and chose to play in San Diego.
Garrison was with the Chargers from 1966 to 1976 before finishing his career with the Houston Oilers in 1977. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and was named to the Chargers Hall of Fame and the Chargers' 50th Anniversary Team.
He caught 405 passes in his career for 7,538 yards and 58 touchdowns.
Robert Griffith, safety
Robert Griffith had a unique journey to a long NFL career. After graduating from Mount Miguel High School in eastern San Diego County, he walked on at SDSU and ended up as a three-year starter.
He signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in 1994, beginning a 13-year NFL career that resulted in one Pro Bowl appearance, 164 starts and 27 interceptions.
Carl Weathers, linebacker
OK, so Carl Weathers only played in eight games in two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, but this list has to include the guy who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky films.
Weathers played at SDSU from 1968 to 1970 and was on the team that went 11-0 in 1969. He majored in theater arts, which helped him pivot from football to a long acting career that saw him play Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, Chubbs Peterson in the Adam Sandler cult classic "Happy Gilmore" and Greef Karga in "The Mandalorian," which earned Weathers his first and only Primetime Emmy nomination in 2021.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/san-diego-state as The best San Diego State football players in NFL history.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 10:15 AM.