I love data. Often that means diving deeply into heavy or complex issues … but sometimes it means looking at which schools send the most players to the pros, because a friend forwards it to you.
via NCAA
It’s not particularly surprising that a school with the vanity to include “the” in its official branding sends the most players to play in the NFL. Though after Nick Saban’s run with Alabama, it may be surprising that they fell short of THE Ohio State.
I couldn’t find a great NBA companion infographic, but their website lists the most powerful pipeline schools.
- Kentucky (29)
- Duke (24)
- UCLA (14)
- Arizona (12)
- Arkansas/Gonzaga/Kansas/USC (11)
It’s nice to see my alma mater (Duke) still producing so much NBA talent after Coach K; I guess there’s a reason they rank among the Blue Bloods.
In football and basketball, the familiar powerhouses dominate. Rugby tells a different story.
My son (who helps write these posts) follows professional rugby and decided to do research into which schools produced the most pros. You probably won’t recognize the names, but here they are: Lindenwood, Life University, and St. Mary’s. They’re smaller schools that put a real emphasis on varsity rugby, focusing their athletic resources on sports where they can compete at a high level rather than trying to match the budgets of larger universities in sports like football and basketball.
The same is true in business: you don’t have to outspend the giants if you pick the arena where your edge compounds. Talent doesn’t always follow the biggest budgets, and success doesn’t always mean trying to compete in everything. Sometimes, it’s about finding the right niche, investing in it, and building a program that consistently produces great results.
You don’t need to compete at everything against everyone. Have you found your niche?
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