No. 1 Tommy Polley (Dunbar 1996) – Polley was universally hailed as one of the best athletes in the nation while playing basketball and football for the Poets. A highly sought-after basketball player at a school rich with tradition, he instead went to Florida State to play football for Bobby Bowden. Polley recorded 208 tackles (136 solo), 16 sacks and eight interceptions as a senior at Dunbar while catching 34 passes for 567 yards and three TDs on the offensive side. He led his team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior and was named Baltimore area Defensive Player-of-the-Year after both his junior and senior campaigns. He was also regarded as one of the country’s top 60 basketball prospects and led the Poets to four straight state titles—averaged 20.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game as a senior.
