Notable Southeast Missouri State players in the NFL

John Wittenborn All-MIAA (1958-1968) played 11 years in the offense line and as a kicker for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Houston Oilers. He won an NFL championship with the Eagles and spent the last four years of his career as a kicker for the Oilers.

Ken Iman (1956-1959) played 14 seasons as a center for the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. He won two NFL championships with the Packers during a time before the implementation of the Super Bowl.

Eddie Moss

Eddie Moss All-MIAA, All-American (1973-1977) played four seasons at runningback for St. Louis Cardinals and one with the Washington Redskins. He was selected in the 13th round by the Buffalo Bills in the 1972 NFL Draft.

Dan Peiffer (1975-1980) played center for three seasons with the Chicago Bears and one with the Washington Redskins. He was selected in the 14th round by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1973 NFL Draft.

Mike Wood (1978-1982) spent seven seasons as a kicker and punter with four teams. He started his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings but was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He then went from the Cardinals to the San Diego Chargers in 1979. He spent his last two seasons with the Baltimore Colts.

Ted Banker All-MIAA (1984-1989) played five seasons as an offensive lineman for the New York Jets before finishing his career with the Cleveland Browns. He started every game at left guard for a Browns team that advanced to the 1989 AFC Championship Game but fell famously to John Elway and the Denver Broncos.

Tony Walker All-American (1990-1992) became SEMO’s highest draft pick when he was selected in the sixth round (148th overall pick) by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1990 NFL Draft. Walker went on to play in 43 games across three seasons with the Colts.

Marquis Walker (1996-2000) played six seasons with four teams including the St. Louis Rams. Much of his playing time came with the Oakland Raiders in 1998-99, where he snagged three interceptions and his only career sack.

Willie Ponder

Willie Ponder All-OVC, All-American (2003-2006) spent three seasons as a wide receiver and kick returner for the New York Giants. He scored twice on kick returns over the course of his career. He split 2007 with the St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

Edgar Jones All-OVC, All-American (2007-2013) spent five of his seven-year career with the Baltimore Ravens. He recovered two fumbles for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 and finished his career in 2013 with the Dallas Cowboys.

Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly All-OVC (2005-2014) started his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars but spent the rest of his eight-year career with the New England Patriots. He finished his career by winning the Super Bowl for the Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in 2015.

Dimitri Patterson All-OVC, All-American (2005-2013) played defensive back for five teams in nine seasons. His best season came in 2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he snagged four interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He finished his carer with the Miami Dolphins in 2013, where he also got four interceptions.

Eugene Amano All-OVC, All-American, Rimington Award winner (2004-2011) was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round and played center and guard for eight seasons, protecting prolific quarterbacks from Steve McNair to Vince Young.

Mike Ford All-OVC (2018-Present) spent his first three years with the Detroit Lions as a defensive back before playing with the Denver Broncos in 2021 and Atlanta Falcons in 2022. He is currently with the Cleveland Browns.

Drew Forbes

Drew Forbes All-OVC (2019-Present) was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. After three seasons in the Browns’ offensive line, he started last season with the Detroit Lions before being brought back to Cleveland, where he currently plays.

Mark Robinson (2022-Present) was selected in the seventh round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Mark Robinson