10 college football legends who never played a down in NFL

Published: Jun 23, 2014 at 08:35 AM

Baylor center Isaiah Austin's NBA career is over before it has begun, as he has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that will keep him from playing pro ball.

While Austin wasn't considered a potential lottery pick in Thursday night's NBA draft, he was considered a potential first-rounder because of his size (he's a 7-footer) and athleticism.

There have been a handful of college football stars who didn't play in the NFL for health reasons; there also have been numerous stars who didn't play in the NFL for other reasons.

Here are 10 great college football players who, for one reason or another, never played a down in the NFL.

10. RB Jay Berwanger, Chicago

9. QB Joe Roth, California

8. NT Jim Stillwagon, Ohio State

7. RB Dick Kazmaier, Princeton

6. RB Nile Kinnick, Iowa

5. RB Johnny Bright, Drake

4. QB Charlie Ward, Florida State

3. RB Felix "Doc" Blanchard, Army

2. QB Tommie Frazier, Nebraska

1. RB Ernie Davis, Syracuse

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.

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