Forget gumbo, Delta states should be known for Super Bowl QBs

MIAMI -- The pride in the voice of former Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams registers like a heavy knock on the door. The Louisianan in him spills out over the phone when asked about how his native state is now producing Super Bowl quarterbacks the way Apple is making iPhones.

Williams is all too aware that Peyton Manning continues in Super Bowl XLIV what has been a remarkable Super Bowl historical trend. Out of the 88 total quarterback starts in Super Bowls, 14 of those starts were by players from Louisiana and Mississippi. That's about 16 percent of all the Super Bowl starters coming from those two states alone.

The all-time Super Bowl quarterback incubator is Western Pennsylvania, and no state will likely reach that level of quarterback production ever again. That state birthed Super Bowl winners and Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Joe Namath, John Unitas, Joe Montana and Jim Kelly.

Yet what's happening with the quarterback growth in Louisiana (with the Manning family as the recent anchor) nonetheless remains remarkable and Louisiana is approaching Pennsylvania as a reputed quarterback factory.

"It really is an incredible thing," said Williams, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XXII, speaking of his state's growing umbilical quarterback Super Bowl connection. "I think it's one of the most unusual things you'll ever see in all of sports. We're not as big a state as California or Texas but we're cranking out some of the great quarterbacks. Maybe it's something in the water."

Is it the crawfish? The gumbo? The beads on Bourbon Street?

In terms of sheer population, the states of Louisiana and Mississippi are sparsely populated compared to Pennsylvania. The latter is the sixth-most populous state with more than 12 million people while Louisiana and Mississippi combined have some 7 million.

The state of Florida has produced so much NFL talent it's arguably the greatest overall player conduit, but it doesn't come close to Louisiana in terms of quarterbacks despite having several times the population. California has produced Super Bowl starters Jim Plunkett, Troy Aikman, Tom Brady, Daryle Lamonica, Vince Ferragamo, Trent Dilfer and Tony Eason. Impressive, but when you consider California's population advantage, Louisiana dominates the state.

"The numbers could even be higher in Louisiana because there are a bunch of players who were never given a shot in the NFL that should have been given one," said Williams, referring mostly to quarterbacks who played at historically black colleges but in the past were converted to other positions once they reached the NFL.

The question is why has Louisiana in particular been such a Super Bowl quarterback kingmaker? What is it about Louisiana that has allowed a relatively lower populated state to have such a grand impact on the Super Bowl?

The answer is ... no one really knows. It's a mystery. The reason is likely a complicated mix of economical, sociological and cultural doings.

"To me one of the biggest reasons is kids growing up in Louisiana see football as an escape from poverty," Williams said, "maybe more than other places. They see quarterbacks making a lot of money and say, 'I want that to be me.' "

There are poor people across the country (not merely Louisiana) who view football as a way out, but Williams might have a point. According to Census data, Louisiana in 2008 ranked 41st in median household income and Mississippi ranked last.

Overcoming poverty is only part of the equation. The Mannings, after all, are from an affluent New Orleans family.

What seems to be at work is a sort of quarterback chaos theory where a brew of many different factors (including luck) collide and coagulate to put Louisiana (and to a smaller degree nearby Mississippi) into the same sentence with Pennsylvania as king of the quarterbacks.

The list is impressive. At the top is Shreveport's Terry Bradshaw, followed by the Mannings, and Brett Favre from Gulfport, Miss. There is also Louisianans David Woodley (Shreveport), Stan Humphries (Shreveport), Jake Delhomme (Breaux Bridge) and Williams, who is from Zachary.

The Pennsylvania group is deeper but the Louisianans are getting equally as top heavy since Peyton Manning has a chance to win another title if he beats New Orleans and maybe a few more in the years to come. Same as his brother.

It has long been believed that no state could ever duplicate what Pennsylvania did by grooming so many talented Super Bowl throwers.

But Louisiana is making a strong run.

"How about little ol' Louisiana?" Williams said. "Who would've thought it?"