The Mules’ most successful pro football player is Jeff Wright, who played for seven seasons (1988-94) with the Buffalo Bills and was their starting nose tackle in four Super Bowls. Chosen in the eighth round of the 1988 NFL Draft, Wright became the first player from Central to make an NFL team’s regular-season roster. A two-time first-team All-MIAA selection, he was MIAA Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Wright was also a first-team All-American as a senior and led the team with 119 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Wright is the only Mules’ football player to have his uniform number (79) retired. He also has established a football scholarship in his name at UCM and was a 1994 inductee into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame.

Roderick Green, who was selected in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens in the spring of 2004, is the highest any UCM football player has ever been drafted. He has seen action in four NFL seasons playing his first two in Baltimore and the last two with the San Francisco 49ers. Last year he played in seven games, recording two sacks. Green also plays with a fellow Mules alum, TE Delanie Walker.  Walker (Below left) is the Mules most recent draft choice (6th round), signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 2006. That season, he played in four games after being slowed by a shoulder injury in the preseason. Last year in his second full season he played all 16 games, starting 10 and recording 21 catches for 174 yards. Playing mostly H-back, he scored his first NFL touchdown against the Carolina Panthers on December 2. He signed a three-year, $6 million contract prior to the 2008 season, which includes a $1.8 million signing bonus.

Wide receiver Todd Devoe (right) spent much of 2004 with the Cologne Centurians in NFL Europe, finishing third in the league in scoring while catching 16 passes for 277 yards and five touchdowns. Devoe had a stint with the Denver Broncos where he caught his first NFL touchdown pass in 2005, and he has played with Toronto in the CFL. He is currently playing in the Arena League for the Arizona Rattlers and had 38 catches for 434 yards and eight touchdowns through 14 games in 2008. Two former Mules also active in the Arena Football League.

Colston Weatherington (below) was drafted in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Weatherington, who decided to pass up his final year of eligibility with the Mules, was the 207th player taken in the draft. He was released by the Cowboys in 2003, but signed as a free agent with the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. Last season, he was named first-team All-AFL for the third consecutive year. He also won AFL Lineman of the Year, a feat he also earned in 2006. Weatherington had a league-high 10.5 sacks along with 24 tackles. Kevin Nickerson (right) meanwhile, was named to the AFL All-Rookie team in 2005. In 2006 with the Austin Wranglers, he had 79 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. Orlando got him in a dispersal draft, and he had 73 receptions for 871 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2008. He also played with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.

In addition, Dennis Gile played with Bakersfield (AF2) after playing in Canada, while 2004 All-MIAA linebacker Jason Vanloo spent much of the 2006 campaign playing for the Peoria Roughriders of United Indoor Football. The Mules have had 10 players drafted by NFL teams and 49 have signed professional free agent contracts.

1966
Keith Browne, WR, 13th round
Green Bay Packers
1967
* Mike St. Louis, OT, 13th round
Washington Redskins
(St. Louis played briefly for British Columbia in the CFL)
1968
John Mack, RB, 17th round
Green Bay Packers
1969
Larry Roberts, RB, 13th round
Cleveland Browns
1970
Eddie Coates, WR, 15th round
Detroit Lions
1972
Walter Rhone, DB, 14th round
Los Angeles Rams
1977
Henry Mason, WR, 11th round
Baltimore Colts
1987
* Jeff Wright, NG, 8th round
Buffalo Bills
1999
* Colston Weatherington, 7th round
Dallas Cowboys
2003
* Roderick Green, 5th round
Baltimore Ravens
2006
Delanie Walker, 6th Round
San Francisco 49ers

* appeared in at least one professional regular season game.

1923
* Ernie Windburn, E, St. Louis
* Sox Werner, B, St. Louis
1940
* Argyle Wakeman, E, Cincinnati
1961
Jerry Boyce, RB, St. Louis
1963
Jim D’Alesio, DB, Denver
1968
Clark Frost, WR, Philadelphia
1969
* Garret Hunsperger, DT, Br. Columbia (CFL)
Henry White, FB, Philadelphia
1971
John Mack, LB, Kansas City
1973
* John Mack, LB, Jacksonville (WFL)
* Walter Rhone, DB, Chicago (WFL)
1974
Raymond Bass, WR, Kansas City
1975
Bruce Reed, LB, Kansas City
Carlos Greene, RB, Kansas City
1976
Steve Eskew, OT, Atlanta
1980
Marcus Dixon, WR, Dallas
Curtis Antrum, DB, Kansas City
1981
Rick Williams, RB, St. Louis
1985
Jim Bauwens, TE, Br. Columbia (CFL)
1987
Phil Grimes, DE, L.A. Raiders
1988
Elliott Eley, FB, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
1991
Mark Peoples, DB, New York Giants
1993
Vince Jordan, WR, Washington Redskins
1994
Henry Caldwell, RB, San Diego Chargers
1995
* Mike Armstrong, DT, Memphis (CFL)
Ron Florine, OT, Kansas City Chiefs
1996
Ron Florine, OT, Houston Oilers
1997
* Ron Florine, OT, Scottish Claymores (WLAF)
1998
Paul Kaiser, QB, Buffalo (AFL)
1999
Craig Koontz, DE, British Columbia (CFL)
2000
* Byron Mays, DL, Norfolk (AF2)
* Kenneth Bouie, DL, Peoria (IFL)
* John Davis, DL, Peoria (IFL)
* Dexter Ford, RB, Peoria (IFL)
* Kevin Diepenbrock, OL, Sioux City (IFL)
* Jason Graham, RB, Sioux City (IFL)
* Stanley Williams, DB, Sioux City (IFL)
* Jason Hennigh, OL, Sioux City (IFL)
* Lamont Truitt, DB, Sioux City (IFL)
2001
* Chris Jackson, DB, Orlando (AFL)
* Shane Meyer, K, Norfolk (AF2)
* Mike Orlando, DB, Sioux City (IFL)
* Mike Armstrong, DE, St. Louis (IFL)
2002
* Kenneth Bouie, DL, Buffalo (AFL)
* Kevin Nickerson, WR, Tulsa (AF2)
Joe Johnson, OL, British Columbia (CFL)
Cable Davis, QB, Edmonton (CFL)
2003
* Kevin Nickerson, WR, Saskatchewan (CFL)
Todd Devoe, WR, Baltimore
Dennis Gile, Saskatchewan (CFL)
Joe Johnson, OL, Dallas
2004
* Kevin Nickerson, WR/DB, Austin (AFL)
* Colston Weatherington, TE/DL, Dallas (AFL)
* Kenneth Bouie, DL, Peoria (UIF)
* Jason Vanloo, LB, Peoria (UIF)
Kegan Coleman, RB, Saskatchewan (CFL)
Todd Devoe, WR, Denver (NFL)
Joe Johnson, OL, Toronto (CFL)
2005
Maurice White, DL, Oakland (NFL)
*Joe Johnson, OL, Tulsa (AF2)
RoShawn Marshall, Calgary (CFL)
2006
Toby Korrodi, QB, Arizona (NFL)
Todd Devoe, WR, Saskatchewan (CFL)
2008
Todd Devoe, WR, Arizona (AFL)
Kendall Ricketts, FS, Toronto (CFL)

* appeared in at least one professional regular season