Notable Pro Athletes From Louisana

Louisiana is a very eccentric, yet exciting state. It is known for its food, festivals, and music, and many people know Louisianans for their unique southern accents. When it comes to discussions about what states produce the best talent, Louisiana is often left out of the conversation. Louisiana has produced some of the top musicians, actors and artists, but it also is home to a lot of the greatest athletes and that is often overlooked. There are just way too many athletes to name, but here are the most notable professional athletes from the state of Louisiana:

Notable Louisiana Athletes

NFL	NBA	MLB
Peyton Manning - New Orleans, LA	Bill Russell - West Monroe, LA	Scott Baker - Shreveport, LA
Terry Bradshaw - Shreveport, LA	Elfrid Payton - Gretna, LA	Jeremy Bleich - New Orleans, LA
Eli Manning - New Orleans, LA	Kelly Oubre Jr. - New Orleans, LA	Ben Braymer - Baton Rouge, LA
Marshall Faulk - New Orleans, LA	Karl Malone - Summerfield, LA	Reid Brignac - St. Amant, LA
Kevin Faulk - Lafayette, LA	Willis Reed - Lincoln Parish, LA	Garin Cecchini - Sulphur, LA
Reggie Wayne - New Orleans, LA	Joe Dumars - Shreveport, LA	Gavin Cecchini - Lake Charles, LA
Ed Reed - Saint Rose, LA	Robert Parish - Shreveport, LA	JT Chargois - Sulphur, LA
Tyrann Mathieu - New Orleans, LA	Paul Millsap - Monroe, LA	Ryan Eades - Slidell, LA
Matt Forte - Lake Charles, LA	Danny Granger - New Orleans, LA	Chad Gaudin - New Orleans, LA
Odell Beckham Jr. - New Orleans, LA	Elvin Hayes - Rayville, LA	Johnny Giavotella - Metairie, LA
Landon Collins - New Orleans, LA	Bob Pettit - Baton Rouge, LA	Mikie Mahtook - Lafayette, LA
Jarvis Landry - Metairie, LA	Thaddeus Young - New Orleans, LA	Aaron Nola - Baton Rouge, LA
Dak Prescott - Sulphur, LA	DJ Augustin - New Orleans, LA	Albert Belle - Shreveport, LA
Leonard Fournette - New Orleans, LA	Clyde Drexler - New Orleans, LA	Ron Guidry - Lafayette, LA
Devin White - Springhill, LA	Bob Love - Bastrop, LA	Wade Miley - Hammond, LA
Ryan Clark - Marrero, LA	Glen Davis - Baton Rouge, LA	Wade LeBlanc - Lake Charles, LA
Ike Taylor - Gretna, LA	Antawn Jamison - Shreveport, LA	Chuck Finley - Monroe, LA

There are many possibilities on why Louisiana produces a lot of professional athletes. One reason could be because the thick and humid air out there makes it harder to breathe, which makes athletes have to work harder than others would. Another reason could be that because Louisiana is one of the most impoverished states, it makes athletes more inclined to work hard enough to make it out.

We may never know the true reason why it produces so many great athletes, but Louisiana should get the recognition it deserves. A lot of people see large states like California, Florida, and Texas as the predominant producers of talent in the sport’s world, but Louisiana is just as great and debatably better than those states given that it is smaller in population. 

The sports world is a 500 billion dollar industry and some of that money could be invested into the Louisiana sports market if it was given more respect and recognition. Louisiana athletes can stay home and grow at redeveloped sports programs instead of moving to different states for financially stable programs.

There has long been a rumor that the New Orleans Saints never had an interest in pursuing or signing Louisiana athletes because that they would not act right being home since Louisiana has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. Louisiana being seen as a predominant sports state could change that notion, but it will be a process. Whether the world decides to recognize the greatness in Louisiana or not, many pro athletes have no problem with repping that state.

A lot of Louisianan athletes will be a household name as time goes on, especially since powerhouses like the University of Alabama keep recruiting them.