Cam Newton, Richard Dent among Atlanta鈥檚 top 10 NFL stars
6. Jessie Tuggle, LB, Griffin
While he may be a slight exception as he grew up just outside of Atlanta, Tuggle鈥檚 career is too good of a feel-good story to keep off the list. The linebacker first starred at Griffin High School, but had just two Division II offers to play in college. That led Tuggle to Valdosta State University where he racked up a program-best 340 tackles. He was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his tremendous career with the Blazers. Despite the strong numbers, Tuggle was again overlooked as he went undrafted in 1987. However, he was given a chance by his hometown Falcons as an undrafted free agent. After a slow rookie season, Tuggle improved drastically with 103 tackles in 1988 and 183 in 1999. Over the next three seasons, Tuggle led the league with 201, 207 and 193-tackle seasons, respectively. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 1992, something he would do four more times as he became a leader of the Falcons鈥� defense. Tuggle got to play in a Super Bowl with the Falcons in 1998, but injuries would put his career to rest in 2000. However, the Atlanta native had one of the most impressive careers ever seen by an undrafted free agent with 1,805 career tackles, six interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and five fumble-recovery touchdowns. Tuggle鈥檚 son, Justin, followed in his footsteps as a player at Kansas State and in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts. So too did his other son, Grady Jarrett, who also got to play with the Falcons.
