21. John Rauch, Georgia
Few people alive today will remember Rauch, but his story is amazing. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur at age 14 and advised to give up sports. Rauch didn’t listen and became a three-sport star in high school before becoming a four-year starter at Georgia. The Bulldogs were 36-8-1 in those four seasons, including an undefeated record during Rauch’s sophomore season. He was conference MVP and a First-Team All-American as a senior and left Georgia as the SEC’s all-time leading passer.
He had a brief pro career that included playing on both sides of the ball and then went into coaching. Rauch spent over 30 years in coaching, including stints as the head coach of the Raiders, Bills, and Toronto Argonauts. His heart problems finally killed him in 2008, but only after he lived 80 glorious years on this planet.
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