We're all just a kid from somewhere, and that's hitting home for some Super Bowl champions.
Super Bowl MVPs Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis recently went home to San Diego's Abraham Lincoln High School as part of the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll program.
Allen and Davis, along with Super Bowl champion Saladin Martin and former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Wally Henry, gave Lincoln High -- their old stomping grounds -- four Wilson Golden Footballs. Former Oakland Raiders cornerback Dave Grayson played in Super Bowl II and was a graduate of Abraham Lincoln, which will receive five Wilson Golden Footballs representing six Super Bowls.
"The golden football represents accomplishment," Davis said. "It validates a lot of hard work that I put in. The fact that no matter where you come from ... it's not where you start, it's where you finish."
This visit to Abraham Lincoln is just a glimpse of what is to come as Super Bowl High School Honor Roll visits. As part of the nationwide Super Bowl 50 celebration, the NFL started the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll program to acknowledge schools and communities that have directly influenced Super Bowl history and impacted the game for the better.
High schools across the country, and around the globe, will be given a Wilson Golden Football for every player or head coach who graduated from the school and was on an active Super Bowl roster. More than 2,000 high schools and roughly 3,000 players and coaches will be recognized this season. Players and coaches will have chance to deliver the commemorative footballs personally.
The highest number of golden footballs a state will receive is California with 432. Following California on the list is Texas (326), Florida (218), Ohio (155) and Pennsylvania (148). California also has the mark for most high schools receiving golden footballs with 296. Texas is second with 223 and followed by Florida (141), Pennsylvania (124) and Ohio (119).
Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas, will be honored as the school to receive the most golden footballs with eight.
The NFL Foundation, which gave $1 million for the campaign, will also provide schools with the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support their football programs, along with a new character education curriculum.
Super Bowl High School Honor Roll is an initiative developed by the NFL to recognize schools and communities that contributed to Super Bowl history and positively impacted the game of football.
High schools across the nation, and around the world, will receive a commemorative Wilson Golden Football for every player or head coach who graduated from their school and was on an active Super Bowl roster. Nearly 3,000 players and head coaches, and more than 2,000 high schools, will be recognized. Players and coaches will also have the opportunity to personally deliver golden footballs.
The NFL Foundation will provide the schools with a new character education curriculum and the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to help support and grow their football programs. The NFL Foundation has invested $1 million towards the campaign.
