Football players vary in height from youth leagues to high school, college and professional ranks. Youth teams typically have at least one player who is tall for his age. By the time players reach college, most are close to their maximum height. Overall, the average height of a male football player is relative to the age of a particular group.
Youth Football
Youth football, designed primarily to give youngsters an opportunity to play, is divided into age groups. Pop Warner, America's oldest and largest youth football organization, has minimum weight requirements for each age group but no height requirements. Typical of these age groups, you can expect youth football players to continue growing. Some might grow faster, and others might grow more slowly.
High School
Similar to youth leagues, most high schools have no minimum height requirements. Typical high school teams have a few players in the 5-foot-plus range and one or more who might be coveted by the school's basketball coach. Looking at team photos from past and current eras shows this has been the norm for some time. Because many high school students have not yet grown to maximum height, it's difficult to find a constant that permits establishing the average height of football teams. You might input data from regions across the country and arrive at a 5-foot-8 average. Average height the following year might change an inch, depending on the number of returning players who continued to grow during the off-season.
College Players
Observations or personal experience might suggest that most people reach their maximum height around college age. If this were not the case, colleges would recruit shorter players, knowing they would continue to grow. Big-time colleges recruit players based on talent and height. It's assumed that players will add muscle and body weight during training. A talented freshman player sporting a lanky 6-foot-2 frame might spend most of his first year dining on hearty meals and a full complement of dietary supplements. In 2010, the average height of the Butte Junior College football team in Chico, California, was 6-foot-1. The average height for the 2010 Notre Dame team was 6-foot-2.
Professional Teams
A 6-foot-tall person standing with a group of professional football players might feel like he's standing in a pine forest. Professional linemen are big people, with shoes larger than size 14 and body weight equal to two freshmen high school players. Coaches today consider a 6-foot quarterback short, even though several quarterbacks under 6 feet have been inducted into the professional football Hall of Fame. Ben Roethlesberger, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is listed at 6-foot-5. Watch a televised game, and you will see that Roethlisberger stands tall among most players in the National Football League. Conversely, receiver Wes Welker of the New England Patriots is 5-foot-9. He looks up to most NFL players and referees.
Average Height
Data from the rosters of 32 professional football teams show an average height in the range of 6-feet-2. This means that for every 6-foot-6 player, there is another player who's 5-foot-10. It's rare to hear of professional athletes who grew an inch during their careers. Conversely, you expect younger players to grow. With this in mind, the average height for a male football player at any level is established by applying data compiled at a particular point during a season.
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