Video: Stadiums named after NFL players See the view from above via Google Earth.
Athens (The Plains, Ohio) didn't waste any time in honoring its greatest athlete. It named the school's football stadium after Joe Burrow before he even took a professional snap from center.
According to
Sports Illustrated, the Athens School District decided to rename the stadium after Burrow's heartfelt Heisman Trophy acceptance speech in which he named the school district.
Burrow's star continued to rise following the renaming as he led LSU to the national championship in January and was selected No. 1 in the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals in April.
Joe Burrow Stadium is one of 10 stadiums and football fields featured in our Google Earth series, which takes a new view of gridirons named after NFL players. See the full list below.
Joe Burrow Stadium: The stadium is where Burrow threw for 11,416 yards in a career in which he earned all-state honors.
Tony Romo Field: The latest field to be renamed at
Burlington (Wis.), Tony Romo Field is located at Don Dalton Stadium. Dalton was Romo's coach at Burlington during the 1996 and 1997 seasons.
Joe Montana Stadium: Before leading the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl championships, Montana was an all-state quarterback at
Ringgold (Monongahela, Pa.).
John Elway Stadium: Elway was an All-American during his final two seasons at
Granada Hills Charter (Granada Hills, Calif.) after transferring from Washington. The stadium seats 4,000 people and is located in the San Fernando Valley.
Emmitt Smith Field: The NFL's all-time leading rusher got his start at
Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.), where he rushed for 8,804 yards and was named All-American.
Ronnie Lott Stadium: A native of New Mexico, Lott moved to Rialto, Calif., at a young age and attended
Eisenhower. The school renamed the stadium in honor of the Hall of Famer safety in 2009.
Walter Payton Field: While Walter Payton College Prep High School can be found in Chicago, where he played his entire NFL career, Walter Payton Field is found at his high school alma mater in
Columbia (Miss.).
Tony Dorsett Stadium: The all-time leading rusher in NCAA history by the time he finished his college career at Pitt, Dorsett began his career at
Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.), where he was one of the top recruits in the country in 1973.
Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium: While many NFL players have come from
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), the stadium is named after a former Raider who was the subject of Emmy-winning movie "Brian's Song." Piccolo played for the Chicago Bears and died from cancer in 1970. Actor James Caan played the role of Piccolo in the 1971 TV movie.
Brady Family Stadium: The stadium at
Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) is named not just for NFL quarterback Tom Brady, but for his family, as Brady requested. The stadium was renamed for the Brady family in 2012.
