Allen, a Compton native, was lucky enough to play football and make it through a difficult upbringing. After attending Centennial High School in Compton for a year, Allen attended three different schools over the next three years, all of which were located in the Central Valley or higher up in Northern California. Allen found a positive
outlet in football, and he showed enough potential to be invited to the East-West Shrine Game and play at Division II Sonoma State. The Dallas Cowboys selected Allen in the second round, and he went on to have a 14-year, Hall of Fame NFL career (1994–2007) with 11 Pro Bowl selections and seven first-team All-Pro choices.
Asomugha was raised in Los Angeles but was born in Louisiana. Football was a constant in his high school education, even though he attended several in the Los Angeles area. Asomugha was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft after having a stellar collegiate career at Cal, where he recorded over 180 tackles and eight interceptions. Over his 11 NFL seasons, he wore the silver and black in all but three of them. Throughout his professional career, Asomugha recorded nearly 400 tackles, 15 interceptions, two first-team All-Pro selections (2008, 2010), and three trips to the Pro Bowl.Davis, a native of Southern California, received his education at Bonita High School in La Verne, which is located in Los Angeles County about 30 miles east of Los Angeles. After leading the Bearcats to an 11-0 record in 1942, he left his hometown of USC to play at Army, which was across the nation. Davis, who finished his career with an average of 8.3 yards and 59 touchdowns, won the Heisman Trophy in 1946, and teamed with fellow backfield legend Doc Blanchard to help lead Army to three national titles (1944–1946), proved that was the right decision. After serving in the armed forces, Davis joined the Los Angeles Rams for his NFL debut in 1950 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in that same season. However, Davis’ professional career was ultimately cut short by a knee injury after the 1951
John Elway, the well-known football coach’s son, rose to fame at San Fernando Valley’s Granada Hills High. Elway, a Parade All-American in high school, won the Pac-10 Player of the Year award twice, at Stanford (1980, 1982). After a protracted season, Elway and the Denver Broncos won the 1997 season’s final Super Bowl, and he repeated the feat the following year as the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway is one of the NFL’s all-time leaders in passing yards (51,475), completions (4,123), and touchdowns (300). He is a nine-time Pro Bowler, the 1987 NFL MVP, and the 1987 and 1993 AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
