school football coach at the Christian Academy of Louisville Lenny Lyles (1954–57) – drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the first round (11th overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft; one-time Pro Bowl selection; one of the first African American football players at the University of Louisville; often referred to as "the fastest man in football" Sam Madison (1993–96) – former Miami Dolphins and New York Giants defensive back; four-time Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002) Frank Minnifield (1979–82) – former Cleveland Browns defensive back; four-time Pro Bowl selection (1986–89); co-creator of the "Dawg Pound"; led nation in kickoff returns in 1981 and punt returns in 1982 Roman Oben (1991–95) – offensive lineman Amobi Okoye (2003–06) – Chicago Bears defensive lineman Richard Owens (1999–2003) – free agent tight end Chris Redman (1996–99) – Atlanta Falcons quarterback; 1999 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Kerry Rhodes (2001–04) – Arizona Cardinals defensive back, 2005 NFL All-Rookie team Kolby Smith (2003–06) – free agent running back Jason Spitz (2002–05) – Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Montavious Stanley (2002–05) – free agent defensive tackle Howard Stevens – running back, Baltimore Colts, New Orleans Saints; member of Louisville Athletic Hall of Fame Johnny Unitas (1951–54) – former Baltimore Colts quarterback; Pro Football Hall of Fame member, three-time NFL Most Valuable Player Dewayne White (2000–02) – Detroit Lions defensive end Otis Wilson (1976–79) – first team All-American defensive end; member of the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX Championship team Men's basketball Rakeem Buckles (2009–12) – professional basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Taqwa Pinero, formerly known as Taquan Dean (2003-05) - professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns (NBA Summer league 2008), Unicaja Málaga (2009–2010), Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez (2017-2019) Trey Lewis (2015–2016) – professional basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Mangok Mathiang (born 1992) - Australian-Sudanese basketball player for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League Donovan Mitchell (2015–17) – professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz (2017-2022), Cleveland Cavaliers (2022-present) Chinanu Onuaku (born 1996) - basketball player Kenny Payne (1985–89) – professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers (1989–1993), coach for the University of Louisville (2022–present) Derek Smith (1979–82) – professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors (1982–1983), Los Angeles/San Diego Clippers (1983–1986), Sacramento Kings (1986–1989), Philadelphia 76ers (1989–1993), and Boston Celtics (1990–1991) Russ Smith - former NBA player, currently in the Israeli Basketball Premier League All-Americans (listed in