It’s Not Super without Texas Boys
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Updated: January 31, 2015
17 Former Texas high school football players in Super Bowl
I know that just about every time something happens in the NFL or college, I do an article about how many former Texas high school football players are involved, but hey - it's a big deal. The impact the gridiron gang from the Lone Star State has in the higher levels of football cannot be undersold. There's a reason why it is referred to as the "gold standard" of high school football. This is the national sport of Texas.
Don't take this as betting advice but here are some of the facts:
The Seahawks have more of our boys than the Patriots (10 vs 7)
Almost all the Texas players on the Patriots are on the Offense (3 WRs, 2 OL and 1 DB)
The majority of the Seahawks with TXHSFB roots are on the Defense (3 DBs, 3 DE, 1 LB, 1 RB and 2 OL)
Links are to team histories (Premium Content)
Patriots TXHSFB players
- Danny Amendola - WR (The Woodlands)
- Josh Boyce - WR (Copperas Cove)
- Marcus Cannon - OL (Odessa)
- Cameron Fleming - OL (Cypress Creek)
- Garrett Gilbert - QB (Austin Lake Travis)
- Brandon LaFell - WR (Houston Lamar)
- Daxton Swanson - DB (Waco La Vega)
Seahawks TXHSFB players
- Michael Bennett - DL (Alief Taylor)
- Clint Gresham - LS/DE (Corpus Christi Ray)
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David King - DE (Houston Strake Jesuit)
- Jeremy Lane - CB (Tyler John Tyler)
- Christine Michael - RB (Beaumont Westbrook)
- Keavon Milton - OL (Canton)
- Mike Morgan - LB (Dallas Skyline)
- Russull Okung - OT (Fort Bend Bush)
- Steven Terrell - DB (Allen)
- Earl Thomas - DB (West Orange-Stark)
So it appears that the TXHSFB factor will cancel itself out a bit with all the Patriots receiving core going up against the Seahawks defensive backs. Also, some of the players are there only because they are on the practice squad (Gilbert, Milton, Swanson) but they still get a ring if their team wins.
The truth is you'd be hard-pressed to find any team in the NFL that doesn't have some former Texas high school football players on the roster. It is just fun to point it out when you come down to deciding which is the top dog. Whether its because the defensive players we produce are "meaner than a skilletful of rattlesnakes," or because our offensive players are so tough they would "charge Hell with a half a bucket of ice water," we do football well in Texas.
by Chris Doelle
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