Best Vermont high school football players of all time

Who is the best high school football player to hail from Vermont?

It’s time to make your vote count.

With the 250th anniversary of our country approaching this summer, USA TODAY Sports is celebrating the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. To supplement the national honors, USA TODAY Network is also recognizing athletes and sports figures in states and communities across the United States, and that includes right here in Vermont.

To get the ball rolling in Vermont, the Burlington Free Press has selected 10 football players who defined the Green Mountain State from their high school careers and on. We might be small, but our history is rich. The 10 players are listed in alphabetical order. The criteria for our list is simple: A player must have played at a Vermont high school and continued to excel at the college level or beyond.

Read about each player and cast your vote below at burlingtonfreepress.com. You will also have the ability to vote for any player who didn’t make our list with a write-in on the ballot.

David Ball, Receiver, Spaulding High School

Enshrined in the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2024, David Ball had 36 career touchdowns, averaged 23.4 yards per catch as a senior and made the Free Press’ All-State first team in back-to-back years. At the University of New Hampshire, Ball set the NCAA FCS (I-AA) record for most TD receptions (58), breaking Jerry Rice’s mark of 50. Ball played in NFL preseason games with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, and spent time in the Philadelphia Eagles training camp. In December 2007 with the Jets, Ball was activated for a regular-season game, but did not get any snaps.

Ollie Dunlap, Running Back, BFA-St. Albans

Ollie Dunlap racked up 1,800 rushing yards and 205 points in seven games during his All-American senior year in 1959, leading BFA-St. Albans to the second of back-to-back championships. A member of the 1960 Vermont Shrine football team, Dunlap went to Michigan State on a football scholarship and played on the Spartans’ freshman team. He also played in the Continental Football League and had a stint on the Washington Redskins practice squad. Dunlap was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Jake Eaton, Quarterback, Rutland High School

Jake Eaton is the only two-time winner of Vermont’s Gatorade football player of the year award. At Rutland, Eaton threw for 5,655 yards and 59 touchdowns and led Rutland to a pair of state titles (1996, 1997). Eaton played college football at Maine from 1999-2002, helping the Black Bears win two Atlantic 10 titles and two NCAA tournament triumphs in 2001 and 2002. Eaton threw for 7,145 yards and 58 touchdowns at Maine, both fourth-highest in team history. Following his decorated career at Maine, Eaton played for three teams in the Arena Football League 2. He was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

Jason Foster, Lineman, Mount St. Joseph

A defensive end and two-time Free Press All-State selection who played on Mount St. Joseph’s last championship team in 2005, Jason Foster switched to the offensive line during a prep year and then blossomed at the University of Rhode Island and became an all-conference player who soon caught the attention of NFL teams. Although he went undrafted, Foster signed a deal with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Foster was also on the practice squads of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Buccaneers.

Jeff Hughes, Running back, Burlington High School

A 2019 inductee of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame, Jeff Hughes was a three-time all-state football player (1965, 1966, 1967) for the Burlington Seahorses. In his senior year, Hughes ran for over 1,000 yards and averaged 13.1 years a carry, leading BHS to the Class L crown. The track and field champion earned a scholarship to Nebraska, where he was the backup running back and served as the team’s punter on back-to-back national title teams in 1970 and 1971. In 1999, Hughes was ranked 19th and the top football player on Sports Illustrated’s Top 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Vermont.

Sean Keenan, Quarterback, Mount St. Joseph

Sean Keenan was a two-time Division I coaches’ all-state selection, including first team in 1994 for the Mounties. Keenan was also the starting QB for the Vermont Shrine team, tossing for three scores and 108 yards in a loss to New Hampshire. At Williams College, Keenan set or tied 13 Ephs passing records and was named the ECAC New England and NESCAC offensive player of the year. He finished with 4,192 passing yards across 24 games between 1996-1999. Keenan earned an invite to the NFL Combine and spent time on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Keenan was also included on Sports Illustrated’s Top 50 Greatest Sports Figures for Vermont in 1999.

Nate Long, Running Back, Burlington High School

Nate Long had the greatest single season by a Vermont high school running back during his senior year in 1999. The Burlington Seahorse racked up 3,232 yards and 43 touchdowns in 11 games for the Division II state champions. He ran for 1,672 of those yards on his TD runs. Long totaled more than 300 yards in seven games including a 307-yard, 5-TD performance in the title game for Burlington’s first crown since 1970. Vermont’s Gatorade award winner, Long played collegiately at Massachusetts and Norwich.

Todd Rundle, Linebacker, Essex High School

A three-sport star at Essex, Todd Rundle was named to the National High School Athletic Coaches’ Association All-America Football team when he was a senior in 1983 after setting a single-season school record for tackles and defensive points. The honor gave him the distinction of being Vermont’s top player prior to the start of Gatorade’s state awards. At Massachusetts, Rundle was a three-time All-Yankee Conference honoree at linebacker, where he amassed more than two dozen career sacks. Rundle, who had a tryout with the New England Patriots in 1988, landed on Sports Illustrated’s Top 50 Greatest Sports Figures for Vermont in 1999.

Joe Shield, Quarterback, Brattleboro Union High School

A VPA Hall of Fame Class of 2023 inductee, Joe Shield is a former three-sport athlete at Brattleboro, but had his most success as a quarterback, leading his team to the 1978 Division I title game and was the starting signal-caller for the 1980 Vermont Shrine team. Shield continued his career at Trinity College, where he threw for a then-school record 6,646 yards, was a third-team All-American for two straight seasons and was inducted into Trinity’s HOF. Shield was selected in the 11th round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He entered three regular-season games for the Packers in 1986 but did record any stats.

Bob Yates, Lineman/Kicker, Montpelier High School

Bob Yates was a standout lineman and kicker at Montpelier High School. In his senior year, Yates was named to the 1955 All-Northern Conference Team as a lineman, which is a precursor to the all-state team. Yates earned 20 points and was the top-vote getter. Yates played college football at Syracuse and was a member of the Orange’s 1959 undefeated national championship team. Following his time at Syracuse, the New York Giants drafted Yates in the seventh round of the 1960 NFL Draft. Yates found professional success playing for the then Boston Patriots in the American Football League (AFL), appearing in 67 games over five seasons. He was a member of the inaugural Vermont Sports Hall of Fame class in 2012.