Originally Published: December 27, 2006

Pennsylvania: No. 4 football state

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PENNSYLVANIA'S NATIONAL RANK
No. 1 pro | No. 7 college | No. 6 high school
Steel Curtain

NFL
No. 1 Pennsylvania

No. 2 California>>> · No. 3 Florida>>>

Late owner Art Rooney's Pittsburgh franchise forged NFL history with the Steel Curtain defense, the Immaculate Reception and so much more. The Bus and the Steelers rolling to a Super Bowl XL victory is also fresh in our minds. Not to be outshouted are the Eagles, on the opposite side of the state with their two Super Bowl appearances and rabid fans. The two franchises, represented in the Hall of Fame by 38 people, joined the league in 1933 when Pennsylvania lifted its blue laws, allowing games on Sundays.
• Join the Pennsylvania debate | Submit your opinion on pro football

Chris Cotter
Steelers fan Chris Cotter: Maybe I'm a little biased, well OK, really biased, but in my expert (and I use the term "expert" loosely) opinion, Pennsylvania is No. 1 when it comes to pro football. Sure, that's pretty boastful, but I say this for a number of reasons, none of which being that I happen to have grown up there, although that helped. Read more from Chris

COLLEGE

No. 7 Pennsylvania

<<< No. 6 Michigan · No. 8 Oklahoma>>>

You don't need 20/20 vision to see the historical strength of college football in Pennsylvania; just look through JoPa's black-framed glasses. The coach who has led the Nittany Lions to 362 victories in their plain uniforms also has high graduation rates and outstanding linebackers such as Shane Conlan and LaVar Arrington. No to mention the 1982 and 1986 national championships. Heisman winning running back Tony Dorsett helped Pitt run to its most recent national title in 1976. Coach Pop Warner finished his career at Temple.
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HIGH SCHOOL
No. 6 Pennsylvania

<<< No. 5 Ohio · No. 7 Louisiana>>>

Western Pennsylvania is the land of legendary quarterbacks Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana. Programs such as Neshaminy, Bishop McDevitt and Gateway are stellar. Pennsylvania has had 14 players in the ESPN 150 over the past two years, proving this is not a state resting on its laurels. Spring 2006 DI signees: 71. Fall 2006 high school football teams: 574.
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POLL QUESTION

1) Who had the most dominating tenure?

Chuck Noll with the Steelers, 209-165-1 from 1969-1991
Joe Paterno at Penn State, 362-121-3 since 1966
Andy Reid with the Eagles, 86-53 since 1999 (as of 12/25)
Pop Warner at Pitt, 60-12-4 from 1915-1923

Hashing out the best football state

football, baby
ESPN.com has teed up the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Now the football is in your hands. Pull on your gameday jersey, tape up those writing fingers and hit back with your opinion. We'll print the best fan signal callers on our pages. Submit your opinion

States' overall football rank
1. Texas | Conversation
2. California | Conversation
3. Florida | Conversation
4. Pennsylvania | Conversation
5. Ohio | Conversation
6. Georgia | Conversation
7. Michigan | Conversation
8. Louisiana | Conversation
9. New Jersey | Conversation
10. Wisconsin | Conversation
11. Illinois | Conversation
12. Alabama | Conversation
13. Virginia | Conversation
14. North Carolina | Conversation
15. Missouri | Conversation
16. New York | Conversation
17. Maryland | Conversation
18. Tennessee | Conversation
19. Oklahoma | Conversation
20. Indiana | Conversation
21. Nebraska | Conversation
22. Colorado | Conversation
23. Washington | Conversation
24. Minnesota | Conversation
25. Mississippi | Conversation
26. Iowa | Conversation
27. Massachusetts | Conversation
28. Arizona | Conversation
29. Arkansas | Conversation
30. District of Columbia | Conversation
31. West Virginia | Conversation
32. South Carolina | Conversation
33. Oregon | Conversation
34. Nevada | Conversation
35.Hawaii | Conversation
36. Kentucky | Conversation
37. Utah | Conversation
38. Kansas | Conversation
39. Connecticut | Conversation
40. Idaho | Conversation
41. New Mexico | Conversation
42. New Hampshire | Conversation
43. Rhode Island | Conversation
44. Wyoming | Conversation
45. Delaware | Conversation
46. North Dakota | Conversation
47. South Dakota | Conversation
48. Maine | Conversation
49. Montana | Conversation
50. Vermont | Conversation
51. Alaska | Conversation

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