Here are the Eagle Scouts playing in the NFL in 2016
Eagle Scouts become CEOs, scientists and soldiers.
They also become Broncos, Ravens, Dolphins, Redskins, Chiefs, Texans and Chargers.
A search of the NFL’s 2016 active rosters — nearly 1,700 players in all — turns up a number of Eagle Scouts. These guys are living proof that great things start in Scouting.
Compiling this list, like winning a Super Bowl, was a team effort. BSA researcher Scott Olson created a spreadsheet of every player on NFL teams’ 53-man rosters. Then the National Eagle Scout Association’s Ryan Larson cross-referenced that list with his own spreadsheet of the 2 million-plus Eagle Scouts in history.
That spawned a list of Eagle Scout potentials for me to investigate. First, I eliminated the false positives. For example, there are several NFL players named Brandon Williams and lots of Eagle Scouts with that name, but there are no Eagle Scouts named Brandon Williams playing in the NFL.
After all that, we have confirmation that each of the NFL players below is an Eagle Scout.
Or put another way: Scott threw a deep pass, and Ryan caught it for the game-winning touchdown. I was simply there on the sidelines to give them both a high five.
Two things to know:
- Unlike my annually updated list of Eagle Scouts with Super Bowl ties, this list includes only Eagle Scouts currently on NFL rosters as of the time of this writing.
- There’s a chance this list is incomplete, so let’s crowdsource it. If you know of an Eagle Scout on a current NFL team, leave a comment below.
OK, it’s game time. Here’s the list!
Matt Paradis, Denver Broncos
Position: Center
Date of birth: Oct. 12, 1989
Eagle earned: 2008
Council: Ore-Ida Council
College: Boise State
More: For his Eagle Scout service project, Paradis renovated and enlarged a long-jump pit and shotput area.
Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens
Position: Tight End
Date of birth: June 29, 1985
Eagle earned: 2000
Council: Utah National Parks Council
College: Brigham Young University
More: Pitta is so proud of being an Eagle Scout that his official Ravens bio even lists the honor. After helping his team win the Super Bowl in 2013, he chatted with Boys’ Life for the magazine’s Heads Up blog: “From an early age, it teaches you a lot,” he said of Scouting.
John Denney, Miami Dolphins
Position: Long snapper
Date of birth: Dec. 13, 1978
Eagle earned: 1996
Council: Denver Area Council
College: Brigham Young University
More: Denney, signed by the Dolphins in 2005, is the team’s longest-tenured player. He entered the 2016 season with a string of 176 consecutive starts.
Brandon Scherff, Washington Redskins
Position: Offensive guard
Date of birth: Dec. 26, 1991
Eagle earned: 2009
Council: Mid-America Council
College: Iowa
More: Scherff, drafted fifth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, is the highest-drafted Eagle Scout on this list. He could’ve skipped his senior year for the NFL but decided to return to finish his degree.
Daniel Sorensen, Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Defensive back
Date of birth: March 5, 1990
Eagle earned: 2008
Council: California Inland Empire Council
College: Brigham Young University
More: For his Eagle Scout service project, Sorensen planted 300 trees in his hometown of Grand Terrace, Calif. The trees are still there today — forever a reminder of the young man’s service.
Xavier Su’A-Filo, Houston Texans
Position: Offensive guard
Date of birth: Jan. 1, 1991
Eagle earned: 2009
Council: Utah National Parks Council
College: UCLA
More: Of his Scouting past, Su’A-Filo said: “I think it says a lot about me and my dedication, my leadership and my worth ethic. That’s something that I’ll bring and that I get to bring in the locker room in that environment.”
Manti Te’o, San Diego Chargers
Position: Linebacker
Date of birth: Jan. 26, 1991
Eagle earned: 2008
Council: Aloha Council
College: Notre Dame
More: In 2012, Te’o told a crowd about a good deed he had performed for a woman in need. “I had a big smile on my face expecting my dad to tell me how proud he was,” Manti told the group. “But instead, he just simply said, ‘That’s what being a Scout is all about.’”
Any I missed?
I’m looking for more Eagle Scouts on current NFL rosters. If you have any you’d like me to check out, please leave a comment below.