Greg Lloyd played all but his last season in professional football with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was an incredible accomplishment for a player at Fort Valley State.

Donnie Shell was a superstar at South Carolina State, so much so that he was named to the College Football Hall of Fame. This did not translate into a drafted selection for the Safety, but the Steelers signed him that year, thus adding to the four players that year who they did draft who entered Canton.

Jerome Bettis began his NFL career with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, where he donned the horns on his helmet for the first three seasons of his career.  Bettis was a First Team All-Pro as a rookie with 1,429 Rushing Yards, but in his third season, he dropped to 637 Yards and was deemed expendable by the Rams.  "The Bus" was traded to the Steelers, and the Rams regretted that decision ever since.

Playing at St. Bonaventure, Jack Butler did not receive any attention from the NFL scouts, which reflected as he was not a Pick in the Draft.  Butler was able to find employment with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1951, and it worked out well for both parties.