Levi Wallace, Rodney Peete among Tucson’s best NFL alumni
TUCSON, Ariz. (BVM) – While Tucson may not be recognized nationally for its strong stable of football talent, the city has seen a number of its high school products make waves at the NFL level. From linemen to skill position players, Tucson has produced NFL athletes all over the field, some of who have even won Super Bowls. Here are the top five NFL players the city has produced.
5. Levi Wallace, CB, Tucson Magnet
After playing both ways for the Tucson High Badgers, Wallace was not heavily recruited, earning no major offers and not even a single star from recruiting services. Undeterred, Wallace enrolled at the University of Alabama and walked onto the football team.
As a senior for the Tide in 2017, Wallace blossomed. He was tabbed a second-team All-SEC honoree by the Associated Press after he totaled 48 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, 15 pass breakups, three interceptions and one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Despite going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, Wallace worked his way onto the Buffalo Bills roster and would go on to start each of the games he appeared in, 52 in total, registering 219 tackles, 30 pass deflections, seven tackles for loss and six interceptions. This offseason, he signed a two-year contract to join the Pittsburgh Steelers.
4. Rodney Peete, QB, Sahuaro
While Peete didn’t finish his high school career at a Tucson high school or even in the state, he was still very accomplished during his three seasons at Sahuaro. The next season, he earned first-team all-state honors as a quarterback when he threw for 1,885 yards and 15 touchdowns and had only eight interceptions. This helped Peete earn the Arizona High School football Player of the Year award and he was later named the year’s Arizona High School Athlete of the Year as well as an Academic All-American.
The quarterback went on to attend the University of Southern California where he would go on to star for the Trojans. During his senior season in 1988, Peete finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Barry Sanders after he threw for 2,812 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Peete was drafted in the sixth round, No. 141 overall, in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. The quarterback would go on to play 15 NFL seasons appearing in 104 games with 87 starts and going 45-42. He finished his NFL career with 16,388 passing yards, 76 touchdown passes and 92 interceptions while rushing for 1,139 yards with 16 rushing scores. He is a member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.
3. Mark Arneson, LB, Palo Verde
Little is known about Arneson’s athletic prowess at Palo Verde though he was selected to the All-City team during his junior and senior years. He would also play in the All-Star football game in Flagstaff, Arizona as a senior.
Arneson joined the team at the University of Arizona where he became one of the more feared linebackers in the country. Arneson led the team with 110 unassisted tackles in 1970, earning all-conference honors. The next season, he was named both all-conference and All-American, finishing his Wildcats career with 357 total tackles, a number that still sits in the school’s top 10 today.
The middle linebacker was selected in the second round, No. 32 overall, by the then-St. Louis Cardinals in the 1972 NFL Draft. Arneson spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Cardinals playing in 127 career games with 104 starts. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1972 and holds the Cardinals’ record for most recovered fumbles in a career with 18. He is also a member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Arizona Athletics Hall of Fame.
2. Riki Ellison, LB, Amphitheater
The first New Zealand–born NFL player, Ellison first made his impact in American football at Amphitheater High School in Tucson. The linebacker helped the Panthers win a state championship in 1975 before being named all-state as both a junior and senior and was named an All-American as a senior as well in 1977.
Ellison went on to star at USC where he was named a freshman All-American in 1978, All PAC-10 in 1980, and was chosen as the PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1982.
The linebacker was selected in the fifth round, No. 117 overall, by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1983 NFL Draft. Ellison contributed right away to the team, earning all-rookie team honors. He went on to play seven seasons in San Francisco helping the 49ers win three Super Bowls before joining the Los Angeles Raiders in 1990 where he played for three seasons. In total, Ellison played in 124 games with 119 starts.
Ellison is a member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. His son, Rhett, played eight years in the NFL as well from 2012-19.
1. John Fina, OT, Salpointe Catholic
As a senior at Salpointe Catholic in 1987, Fina was selected as an all-state defender and played in the state’s all-star football game. He earned attention from Arizona, Colorado State and New Mexico and ultimately chose his home state Wildcats.
At Arizona, Fina was moved from defensive line to offensive line in his sophomore year and helped the Wildcats finish first in the PAC-10 in rushing. In total, Fina played 27 games on the offensive line and finished his career earning second team All-Pac-10 honors and being named the team MVP as a senior in 1991.
The offensive tackle was selected in the first round, No. 27 overall, by the Buffalo Bills in the 1992 NFL Draft. The offensive lineman went on to play 10 years in Buffalo participating in 148 games with 131 starts including starting in two Super Bowls for the team. Fina played his final season for the Arizona Cardinals before retiring from the league after 11 NFL seasons.
Fina is a member of the University of Arizona Hall of Fame and the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.
