CRAWFORD | An All-Georgia team from Louisville football history | Archive

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — How important has the state of Georgia been to University of Louisville football? The Cardinals have signed enough talented recruits from Georgia over the years that you could nearly put together an all-star team on offense and defense made up entirely of natives of the Peach State.

While not as prominent a supplier of talent as Florida and perhaps Alabama have been, Georgia has supplied plenty of solid contributors.

The biggest recent names were at wide receiver, Deion Branch of Albany, who went on to NFL success and won a Super Bowl MVP award and Harry Douglas of Jonesboro, who went back to Atlanta after his career at U of L and was a standout for the Falcons.

Senorise Perry, a running back from Summerville, played in all 16 games for the Chicago Bears this past season. Ernie Green, from Columbus, paved the way for a couple of Hall of Fame runners — Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly — with the Cleveland Browns.

There are basketball connections. Joshua Tinch (Albany) played basketball for a season or two for coach Rick Pitino, before concentrating on football. Ken Robinson (Hogansville), the team's leading receiver in 1978, helped Cardinals' coach Denny Crum land Wiley Brown and Derek Smith, who had a fair amount of success in Louisville.

Georgia has made great contributions to Louisville defensive lines, especially the current one, which is led by Lorenzo Mauldin from Atlanta and Sheldon Rankins from Covington.

Here's a look at an all-Georgia team, if U of L were to put one together. Some positions crowd out others. Feel free to add to the list, if I've left anyone out, which I undoubtedly have.

Offense

WR - Deion Branch, Albany

WR - Harry Douglas, Jonesboro

WR - Joshua Tinch, Albany

WR - Ken Robinson, Hogansville

OL - Kurt Quarterman, Albany

OL - Cleo Walker, Columbus

OL - Rob Eble, Marietta

QB - Will Gardner, Douglas

RB - Ernie Green, Columbus

RB - Senorise Perry, Summerville

FB - Ronald Davenport, Atlanta