When the Munich Game kicks off on November 13th, it is not far-fetched to say that the NFL is coming back to one of its roots. On October 3rd 1920, the Columbus Panhandles played against the Dayton Triangles in what is now acknowledged as the first entirely professional NFL game ever. It was also the first NFL game with a player born abroad with Phil Nesser, one of the legendary Nesser Brothers, who was born in Trier, Germany, next to the border to France and Luxembourg – which is also where I am living.
Recently, the Coffin
Corner issued my article “Direct from Deutschland” about NFL players
born in Germany which represents the largest group of players born outside North
America with 86 players. Instead of presenting that group, the goal of this
article is to rate the best of such players. This evaluation is, of course, up
to discussion and I would be happy to talk with other historians, experts and
the like about it.
Before we start,
certain unplaced players must be acknowledged:
The Forgotten Firsts
In Germany unbeknownst until today, there were four German-born players playing already in the 1920s and one in 1941. G-T-WB Phil Nesser was one of eight players born abroad playing in the league’s inaugural year. Six other games followed in 1921 – he was at the beginning of his 40s.
In 1921, 45-year-old G-T John Nesser appeared in just two NFL games. German-Italian T-G Bill Passuello appeared in three games for the Columbus Tigers, whereas B Dick Dobeleit played for the Dayton Triangles in six games each in 1925 and 1926.
In 1941, E Hank Piro – born on Germany’s North Sea coast – became the first German-born NFL player to score a touchdown, in probably one of the most meaningless games ever on the day of the Pearl Harbor attacks (coincidentally, German-born DT Markus Kuhn scored a touchdown for the New York Giants exactly 73 years after that day).
The First-round
Picks
Just a few players have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and Northwestern HB Frank Aschenbrenner (coincidentally born in the same year just 20 miles away from the birthplace of the number one of my list, left Germany at the same age as my number one and even one time was drafted by the same team) is not even meant to belong here as he was selected by the AAFC Buffalo Bills in 1947 prior to the first round. In 1983, highly reputed Clemson CB Terry Kinard was the tenth pick by the New York Giants and made it to number five on my list. 1984 saw two German-born players being drafted by the same team in the first round, yet, not in the same:
Number six on my list LT John Alt was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs at position 21, whereas G Mark Adickes was taken in the supplemental draft after the USFL ceased. In 1986, USC T-G James Fitzpatrick, a Heidelberg native, was drafted by the San Diego Chargers at number 13 and played for six years for them and the Los Angeles Raiders. Landstuhl-born Washington WR Reggie Williams was the ninth pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars but never lived up to the expectations, experiencing encounters with law enforcement consistently.
Number eleven on my
list, USF standout talent CB Mike Jenkins was drafted by the Dallas
Cowboys in 2008 at number 25. And finally, in the 2013 NFL Draft, Berlin-born
and Florida State product DE/OLB Björn Werner was the draft’s 24th
selection by the Indianapolis Colts, but his NFL career was cut short due to
injuries.
And
here is my personal view on the 20/22 best NFL players born in Germany.
The following two players almost made the list:
Frankfurt-born WR/RS Gerald “Ice Cube” McNeil from Baylor played two years for the USFL Houston Gamblers, then five years in the NFL from 1986-1990 in 84 games and was known for his incredible return abilities. He was part of the Browns team that lost against the Broncos three times in the playoffs (1986, 1987, 1989) in games including “The Fumble” and “The Drive”. McNeil was a Pro Bowler in 1987 and finished his career as an Oiler in 1990. Another Baylor alumnus, G Mark Adickes, was born in Stuttgart in 1961 and started playing for the USFL Los Angeles Express in 1984 and 1985, played then four years in the NFL for Kansas City with 49 starts in 54 games where he made one big man-TD reception of three yards. In his following two-year stint with the Washington Redskins, he won a Super Bowl in 1991.
No. 20. G/C Jamar Nesbit (South Carolina)
Born in Heidelberg in 1976, G Jamar Nesbit went
undrafted in 1999 before signing with the Carolina Panthers where he became a
starter from 2000-2002. He then went to the Jaguars for one season and joined the
New Orleans Saints. He became a starter in their comeback season in 2006 when
they almost reached the Super Bowl. After 155 games with 92 starts, he called
it a career as a Saint after the 2009 season and a Super Bowl win, however,
Nesbit did not play in the 2009 playoffs.
No. 19. FB Jakob Johnson (Tennessee)
Not being drafted out of Tennessee in 2018, current
Raiders FB Jakob Johnson went back to Germany and played in the German Football
League for his native town team Stuttgart Scorpions. The 1994-born was signed
by the New England Patriots in 2019 as a free agent, was a practice squad member and
finally appeared in four games. Johnson made the active roster in 2020 and
scored a touchdown in Week 2 against Seattle upon a one-yard Cam Newton pass. For
the 2022 season, he followed his former Patriots offense coordinator Josh
McDaniels to Las Vegas.
No. 18. K Horst Mühlmann (n/a)
K Horst Mühlmann appeared in 123 games (including two
playoff games) in his professional career between 1969 – 1977. Born in Dortmund
in 1940, Mühlmann first was a professional soccer goalkeeper in Germany, then with
the NASL team Kansas City Spurs. He tried out for the Kansas City Chiefs in
1969. With no real chance against then future-HOFer Jan Stenerud, Mühlmann
joined the Cincinnati Bengals and played there until 1974 before joining the
Eagles for three more years. Mühlmann scored 717 points in his career. In 2021,
Evan McPherson broke Mühlmann’s Bengals record of four 50-yard FGs in one
season (1970).
No. 17. P Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State)
Ukrainian descent, P Ralf Mojsiejenko was born in
Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, in 1963. His family left Germany when he was nine
months old. Drafted by the San Diego Chargers out of Michigan State,
Mojsiejenko played in 60 games for them making it to the Pro Bowl once (1987),
then joined the Washington Redskins in 1989. He was denied the chance to
participate in the playoffs with the Redskins in 1990 when Joe Gibbs cut him
before a Week 14 matchup with the Chicago Bears. In 1991, Mojsiejenko played in
five games for San Francisco. In his 93 NFL games, Mojsiejenko punted for an
average of 42.5 yards per punt.
No. 16. WR/RS Domenik Hixon (Akron)
WR/RS Domenik Hixon was born in Neunkirchen/Potzberg,
Rhineland-Palatinate, in 1984. He was drafted by Denver out of Akron in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft (number 130) before joining the New York Giants amid
the 2007 season and thus, winning against the unbeaten Patriots in maybe the
biggest Super Bowl upset of all time. In 2011, still a member of the Giants, he
won his second Super Bowl. Hixon played for the Carolina Panthers in 2013,
again participating in the playoffs. He scored seven career receiving TDs and in
2008 and 2013, he eclipsed 550 receiving yards, respectively. Hixon also had two
return TDs in his 82-game career.
No. 15. WR Brandon Gibson (Washington State)
Born in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, in 1984,
Washington State product WR Brandon Gibson was selected by the Philadelphia
Eagles in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft at number 194 overall. After
one game with Philadelphia, Gibson was traded to the St. Louis Rams in the same
season, where he caught 93 yards in his first game. After the 2012 season,
Gibson joined the Miami Dolphins and played for them for two years before
eventually calling it quits. Although playing in 76 NFL games with 46 starts and
2,711 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns, Gibson never played in an NFL
postseason game.
No. 14. DE John Engelberger (Virginia Tech)
Born in Heidelberg in 1976, Virginia Tech walk-on star
DE John Engelberger was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2000 NFL
Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. In the 2002 playoffs, he played for them in two
games, amongst others in the legendary 39-38 wild card win against the New York
Giants. From 2005 to 2008, Engelberger played for the Denver Broncos, one
season as a starter. During his career, Engelberger collected 21.5 sacks,
forced 14 fumbles, recovered four, and made 278 combined tackles in 141 games of
which he started 80 (mainly for the 49ers).
No. 13. DE/DT Markus Koch (Boise State)
DE/DT Markus Kuhn is a two-time Super Bowl winner for
the Washington Redskins (1987 and – on injury reserve – 1991). Born in
Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia in 1963, Koch’s family emigrated to Ontario in
1967. Koch went to Boise State and the two-time AP All-American selection was
drafted by the Redskins in the 2nd round of the 1986 NFL Draft at
number 30. Koch played exclusively for the Washington Redskins in 76 career
games between 1986 and 1991 receiving 11 sacks and three fumble recoveries.
No.
12. K Uwe Von Schamann (Oklahoma)
Berlin native and owner of Oklahoma’s „The Kick“
against Ohio State in 1977, 1956-born K Uwe Von Schamann, who lived five years
in Luxembourg as a child, was with Miami for six years. Von Schamann was
drafted in the 7th round of the 1979 NFL Draft and played in 99
games for the Dolphins, including 10 playoff games with “The Epic”, amongst
them, and the lost Super Bowl against Washington (1982). Known as Ray Finkle's
passport picture in Ace Ventura, Von Schamann scored 599 points in his NFL
career with a 67.1% field goal kicking rate but never made it to the Pro Bowl.
No. 11. CB Mike Jenkins (South Florida)
The number 25 draft pick in 2008 by Dallas, talented
South Florida CB Mike Jenkins, was born in Neuenburg am Rhein,
Baden-Wuerttemberg in 1985, and made the Pro Bowl in 2009 after a stellar
season with 19 pass deflections and five interceptions. The season before,
Jenkins even had scored a pick-six. In 2013, Jenkins went to the Oakland
Raiders before playing his last two seasons with Tampa Bay. In his eight NFL
seasons with 103 games, Jenkins had 11 interceptions with the pick six, 247
combined tackles as well as three fumbles, and played only twice in the
playoffs (2009).
No. 10. FB Jerome Felton (Furman)
One-time Pro Bowler FB Jerome Felton was born in
Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia, in 1986 and was the 146th pick in 2008 by
Detroit where he played for three seasons. After stints with the Colts and
Panthers in 2011, he joined Minnesota in 2012 and was voted into the Pro Bowl.
After 3 years, Fulton joined the Bills for his final two years. In his nine-year
career, the blocking FB Fulton played in 133 games (starting 51), rushed for a
mere 178 yards, made 50 receptions of 421 yards and scored only once when
recovering a fumble in 2014.
No. 9. DT John Jurkovic (Eastern Illinois)
DT Ivan “John” Jurkovic was born in 1967 on the shores
of Lake Constance. Undrafted out of Eastern Illinois in 1990, Jurkovic was a
Miami Dolphins practice squad member before joining Green Bay in 1991 where he started
59 games over a five-year span, ending his time there with a loss to Dallas in
the NFC Championship Game. Becoming the premium DT for Jacksonville after that,
he came just one game short to meet his former team in the Super Bowl in 1996. He
finished his career playing for the “new” Cleveland Browns in nine games in
1999. In 126 NFL games, Jurkovic had 10 sacks and a total of 278 combined
tackles.
No. 8. FB Mike Sellers (Walla Walla Community College)
Originally a linebacker, Frankfurt-born FB Mike
Sellers started his professional career on offense for the CFL Edmonton Eskimos
in 1995. The 1975-born joined the Washington Redskins in 1998, then appeared in
nine games for Cleveland in 2001, before having his most successful time again
in Canada with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers alongside Canadian Football Hall of
Fame RB Charles Rogers. After joining the Redskins again in 2004, he stayed
there for good until 2011. In his 16 years of professional football, Sellers,
played 179 NFL games, made it to the Pro Bowl once in 2008, had 124 receptions
for 1099 yards and added 162 rush yards on 53 attempts with 21 touchdowns
altogether.
No. 7. C Tony Mayberry (Wake Forest)
Born in Würzburg, Bavaria, in 1967, Wake Forest C Tony
Mayberry was drafted by Tampa Bay in the fourth round in 1991. After
starting one game in his rookie season, he became the number one in the middle
of the Buccaneers’ front five in the 1990s, starting 148 of 149 games including
four playoff games in 1997 and 1999. As a Pro Bowler in all his last three
seasons with the team, Mayberry can be regarded as one cornerstone responsible
for the culture change in Tampa Bay when the Buccaneers went from a laughingstock
to a serious contender within a decade.
No. 6. OT John Alt (Iowa)
The member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, OT
John Alt, was born in Stuttgart in 1962. The 1984 first-round pick out
of Iowa started 149 of 179 regular season games he played. He also appeared in
at least nine playoff games with the Chiefs coming one game short of the Super
Bowl in 1993 when Alt protected Joe Montana. Alt was a Pro Bowler twice (1992
and 1993) and an All-Pro from 1989 to 1991 and called it a career
after the 1996 season.
No. 5. CB Terry Kinard (Clemson)
Born in the Eifel beer town of Bitburg in 1959,
Clemson’s DB Terry Kinard was the New York Giants first-round pick at number
10 in 1983. He played seven years in the Big Apple making it to the PFWA
All-Rookie Team, being selected to the 1988 Pro Bowl and winning one Super Bowl
(1986). Of 127 games, he started the majority (121) and collected 32
interceptions, recovered seven fumbles with three touchdowns from such
turnovers. His last season was in 1990 with the Houston Oilers.
No. 4. OT Sebastian Vollmer (Houston)
A surprising second-round draft choice at
number 58 by the Patriots in 2009, Sebastian Vollmer became their staring RT in
Week 6. Born in Kaarst, near Düsseldorf, in 1984, Vollmer got a scholarship to
Houston after showing TE skills at the 2004 Global Junior Championships. Two
legendary OL Coaches, Joe Gilbert and Dante Scarnecchia, helped Vollmer become
a very good OT. Of 98 NFL games (including 10 playoff games), he started 90. He
started and won in one Super Bowl (in 2014), was a Second-team All-pro in
2010 and started another SB in 2011. A member of the Patriots All-2010s Team,
Vollmer won another SB in 2016 but was injured all season long.
No. 3. K Nick Lowery (Dartmouth)
Born in Munich in 1956 K Nick Lowery produced the
first pro football touch in Germany kicking off the American Bowl in Berlin in
1990. After going undrafted, the Dartmouth alumnus played two games in 1978 for
New England, before joining Kansas City from 1980 to 1993. After playing for
the Jets from 1994 to 1996, Lowery called it a career after 268 games, 1748
career points and an FG percentage rate of almost 80%. The 3-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-team All-pro and NFL leading scorer in 1990 is a member
of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame.
No. 2. FB Tony Richardson (Auburn)
Also in the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame is FB Tony
Richardson, born in Frankfurt in 1971, who went undrafted out of Auburn to Dallas
in 1994. He started playing in the NFL in 1995 with the Chiefs until 2005, then
two years for the Vikings and three years for the Jets, overall appearing in 243
games (including 9 playoff games). In his career, he rushed for 1729 yards and
15 TDs while making 214 receptions for 1567 yards and 10 TDs. A three-time Pro
Bowler and a two-time Second-team All-Pro, Richardson made it to the HOF
All-Decade 2000s team.
No. 1. DT Ernie Stautner (Boston College)
You need to be a Hall of Famer to be first on this
list? Right, you do… Ernie Stautner accomplished that feat. Born in a little
village near Cham, Bavaria, in 1925, Ernie’s parents emigrated when he was 3
years old. After his career at Boston College, Ernie was the 22nd
player picked in the 1950 NFL Draft and remained with the Pittsburgh Steelers
for 173 games until 1963 with 23 fumble recoveries, two interceptions, three safeties
and (at least from 1960 to 1963) 15.5 sacks. He was a 9-time Pro Bowler, won
the NFL Best Lineman Award in 1957 and made it to the HOF All-Decade 1950s team by being at least five times a Second-team All-pro. As a member of
the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor and their All-Time Team, his jersey
number 70 is retired. As the Dallas Cowboys defense coordinator, he won the Super
Bowl both in 1971 and 1977. It came full circle when he won the WLAF World Bowl
with the German team the Frankfurt Galaxy in 1995.
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