Pitt Football: 10 Greatest Panthers' Players in NFL History

The latest NFL Hall of Fame Class has a distinctive Pitt Panthers flavor to it, with Curtis Martin and Chris Doleman being the latest Panthers to be able to call themselves Hall of Famers.

There have been quite a few Panthers to leave their mark on the game at the NFL level.

Here's a look at the 10 greatest Pitt players to ever lace up their cleats in the NFL

Joe Schmidt

Schmidt was an All-American linebacker at Pitt in 1952 and was the first Panther player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He spent 13 years with the Detroit Lions, and was a member of the Lions' two NFL championship teams. He later coached the team for six seasons and led Detroit to its only playoff appearance of the 1970s.

Darrelle Revis

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Revis has become one of the NFL's best cornerbacks in a short time.

In his five-year NFL career he's picked off 18 passes and has become one of the best shutdown corners currently in the league today.

Larry Fitzgerald

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It's hard to believe that Fitzgerald has been in the league for eight season's already, but in that time he's become one of the best wide receivers in the game.

His numbers speak for themself. With 963 career receptions, 9,615 yards and 73 touchdowns already, Fitzgerald is well on pace to heading for a spot in Canton himself.

Rickey Jackson

Jackson had a stellar 15-year NFL career and was a four-time All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler.

He was part of the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class.

During his career he recorded 128 sacks (ranking him third all-time when he retired in 1995). Jackson recovered 28 fumbles (second most in NFL history) and forced 41 (fourth all-time).

After signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, Jackson finally got the ring that had eluded him his entire career.

Mike Ditka

Ditka was an All-America tight end at Pitt in 1960 during his senior season.

Ditka was All-Pro in the NFL and a member of the Chicago Bears' 1963 NFL Championship squad.

Some of his best work has been done on the sidelines though. Ditka served as an assistant coach in Dallas for nine seasons, and spent 11 seasons as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and three seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

As the head coach of the Bears, he brought a Super Bowl title to Chicago during the 1985-86 season.

Russ Grimm

Grimm went on to start 11 seasons at guard for the Redskins and helped lead the team to four Super Bowl appearances, winning three of those.

He was voted to four consecutive Pro Bowls and was a first-team selection to the 1980s All-Decade Team.

Grimm was an original member of Washington's renowned "Hogs" offensive line, which also included another all-time Pitt great, Mark May.

Chris Doleman

Doleman's recent selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was based on a career that saw him make the Pro Bowl eight times.

He was a first-team All-Pro three times and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

Doleman ranked fourth in NFL history with 150.5 career sacks when he retired in 1999.

He was the No. 4 pick of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Vikings and recorded 10 or more sacks in eight different pro seasons. In 1989, he led the NFL with 21 sacks, the fourth-highest single-season total ever.

Curtis Martin

Martin was a third-round draft pick out of Pitt, but wound up being the fourth leading rusher of all-time with 14,101 yards.

He was named to five Pro Bowls in his 11 year NFL career that was split between the New England Patriots (three years) and the New York Jets (eight years).

Martin is a member of the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class.

Tony Dorsett

Dorsett was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

When he retired from the NFL in 1989, he was the league's second all-time leading rusher with 12,739 yards.

Dorsett finished his career by winning the Heisman Trophy, a collegiate national championship, a Super Bowl championship and was elected into the college and pro football halls of fame.

Dan Marino

Marino completed an outstanding 17-year NFL career as a nine-time Pro Bowler who retired holding 25 different NFL records.

He was also one of the winningest quarterbacks of all-time, finishing his career with 147 regular season victories, which put him only one behind John Elway for the all-time lead.