5. Joe Namath, Beaver Falls

Namath earned legendary status when he guided the New York Jets past the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The win was the first for an AFL team over an NFL team in the Super Bowl and is considered one of the most important games in NFL history. Born in BeaverFalls, which is just 20 miles from Pittsburgh, Namath was a standout in football, basketball and baseball. He received a scholarship to Alabama and led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1964. Although a series of knee injuries limited his NFL career, he was named to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985.

4. Jim Kelly, East Brady

Although he holds the distinction of being on the losing end of four straight Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, Jim Kelly ranks as one of the NFL’s great quarterbacks. He played 11 years with the Bills after a two-year stint with the Houston Gamblers in the USFL. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. He began his football career in the small Pennsylvania town of East Brady, which is located 55 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. He earned all-state honors and reportedly threw for 3,915 yards and 44 touchdowns his senior year. He went on to star at the University of Miami before being drafted by both the Gamblers and the Bills. During his stint with the Gamblers, he threw for 83 touchdowns in just two seasons.

 3. Dan Marino, Central Catholic, Pittsburgh

Dan Marino set nearly every career passing mark during his 17-year career as quarterback of the Miami Dolphins. Marino was a standout from his early days at CentralCatholicHigh School in Pittsburgh where he earned Parade All-American honors before heading off to the University of Pittsburgh. After a solid, although sometimes disappointing, college career, Marino was the sixth quarterback drafted during the 1983 draft. However in his second year under head coach Don Shula, Marino set NFL records for touchdowns and yards passing in a season. Although many of his records were recently broken by Brett Favre, Marino once owned career records for passing yardage (61,361 yards) and 420 touchdowns. He was the NFL MVP in 1984 and made the Pro Bowl nine times. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

 2. Johnny Unitas, St. Justin’s, Pittsburgh

Although he was named to the NFL’s all-time 75th anniversary team, Johnny Unitas was often overlooked early in his football career. Undersized in his youth, Unitas was not heavily recruited out of St. Justin’s School in Pittsburgh in the early 1950s. He also played on losing teams at Louisville before being drafted – and cut – by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. After a year of playing sandlot football, Unitas hooked up with the Baltimore Colts in 1956 and went on to a storied career that included three NFL championships. He appeared in 10 Pro Bowls and was the NFL MVP three times. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1979.

 1. Joe Montana, Ringgold, Monongahela

Considered by many as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Montana got his start at RinggoldHigh School in Western Pennsylvania, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. He was a starter only his junior and senior year, but he was selected to the Parade All-American team as a senior. An all-around athlete, Montana receiver scholarship offers in basketball, but chose to play quarterback at Notre Dame. After leading the Fighting Irish to a Cotton Bowl win over University of Houston in 1979. He went on to a stellar NFL career that included four Super Bowl trophies with the San Francisco 49ers. He was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2000.