Four football players with Quad-City area roots have been recognized as among the best to play in what is now the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Former Northern Iowa greats James Jones and Kenny Shedd, and former Western Illinois standouts Lee Russell and Mike O'Brien were named Tuesday to the league's Silver Anniversary Team, which recognizes the greatest players in the 25-year history of a league founded in 1985 as the Gateway Conference.

The combination of a committee and fan voting were used to select a 67-player team that includes 35 players from UNI and Western Illinois, programs that have the most conference titles and playoff appearances among the 11 institutions that have been part of the league's history.

Jones and Shedd are among 19 Panthers to earn spots on the team, a group that includes two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner, and four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bryce Paup.

A three-time all-Gateway Conference defensive lineman for UNI from Davenport Central, Jones started 140 of the 160 NFL games with the Browns, Broncos, Ravens and Lions.

Shedd, a Davenport West graduate, was recognized as a wide receiver and return specialist. He was a three-time all-Gateway Conference choice and two-time all-American for the Panthers who went on to play seven seasons in the NFL. Although his collegiate career ended in 1992, Shedd continues to hold the conference record with seven returns for touchdowns.

Russell and O'Brien suited up for the Leathernecks in more recent seasons.

They are among 16 Western Illinois players named to the anniversary team, a group that includes former Leathernecks defensive back Rodney Harrison, the only player in NFL history with more than 30 sacks and more than 30 interceptions.

A Davenport Assumption grad, Russell was a four-time all-conference and two-time all-American selection, completing his career in 2003. He ranks sixth on the conference's career tackle chart with 475.

O'Brien played his high school football at Aledo. The defensive lineman earned all-Gateway Conference honors from 2001 to 2003 and was a two-time all-American selection for the Leathernecks.