September 2017 (and earlier)
October, 2017

MAY 22
CHUCKBIT
  This comes from Chuck Langerman, a noted South Jersey historian. Thanks, Chuck!
  Philadelphia Eagles emerging star running back Corey Clement is best known for his role in the "Philly Special" in Super Bowl LII, but Corey was also a prolific, record-setting running back at Glassboro High School in South Jersey. His career numbers at Glassboro were 619 carries for a South Jersey-record 6,254 yards with 85 rushing touchdowns and 90 touchdowns overall. Six years ago, on Friday, September 28, 2012, often described as the "night South Jersey running backs went bonkers," Corey had the best rushing output in his prep career. Earlier that night, Wildwood High School and future University of Delaware tailback Wesley Hills rushed for 452 yards and eight touchdowns in a 38-14 victory over Maple Shade. Hills' 452 yards rushing in the game eclipsed the former South Jersey record of 429 yards in 2004 by Terrance Riley of Paul VI High, and his eight touchdowns in the game equaled the mark of eight established in 1950 by Roger Morton of Florence High. Approximately two hours later, Corey Clement topped Hills' short-lived new record, rushing for 478 yards and seven touchdowns on only 14 carries in a 45-23 win over Gloucester City. Corey's 478 yards rushing in a game remains a South Jersey and Philadelphia area (South Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania) record, but it is not a New Jersey state record. The New Jersey state and national mark is 754 yards by John Giannantonio of now defunct Netcong High (Morris County, NJ) in a 61-0 shutout of Mountain Lakes in 1950. Giannantonio, a 5-foot-7, 137-pound sophomore halfback also scored nine touchdowns in that Thanksgiving Day triumph over Mountain Lakes. He would later play college ball at Villanova University, but came nowhere close to duplicating his high school stats on the Main Line. His national  high school record though has stood the test of time. The closest challenge to his standard was in September of 2015 when Journey Brown of Meadville High in Pennsylvania rushed 30 times for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns in a NBA-like score victory of 107-90 against DuBois High.

MAY 21
CHUCKBIT
  This comes from Chuck Langerman, a noted South Jersey historian. Thanks, Chuck!

  Finding space for athletic fields in densely populated urban cities across the United States is often a problem for city high schools. The Union City School District in North Jersey came up with a novel approach to this problem. Union City, NJ is the most densely populated city in the USA with 51,810 people per square mile. When the new Union City High School was built, there was no room in town to build the football field, so when you can't build outward, you have to build up. The school officials decided to build the football field three stories up on the roof of Union City High School. Pictured above is a photo of Roosevelt Stadium, an artificial turf facility which hosts football, baseball, soccer, and field hockey. The third-floor stadium presents a great view of the Empire State building and Midtown Manhattan. The grandstand holds 2,400 spectators and there's room for another 1,800 temporary seats for football games. There's netting around the stadium to prevent footballs and baseballs from going out in the street below. The athletic field has been dubbed "The Eagle's Nest" in honor of the Union City High School mascot. In 2019, Shawnee High School will be the first South Jersey school to play on the rooftop when they travel to Union City as part of their home and home football series.

MAY 19
CHUCKBIT
    This comes from Chuck Langerman, a noted South Jersey historian. Thanks, Chuck!

  This list of the 30 South Jersey players that have played in a Super Bowl or appeared on a Super Bowl roster may be of interest to the readers of your website. I included Victor Hobson of St. Joseph's Prep on the list. Even though he did not play for a South Jersey high school, Victor grew up and lived in Mt. Laurel, playing for the Mount Laurel Fleetwood Indians youth football teams. Also, on the list is former Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle and radio color commentator Stan Walters. Stan played at St. Mary's High School in Rutherford, NJ, before prepping for a year at the now defunct Bordentown Military Institute in South Jersey. Bordentown Military Institute, which was located off of Route 130 in northern Burlington County, fielded a football team from 1887 to 1971. The military school sent ten players to the NFL which is tops among all schools in South Jersey. The most renowned football player to play at Bordentown Military Institute was NFL Hall of Famer and former Denver Broncos halfback Floyd Little. An athlete with Philadelphia roots that played football at Bordentown Military was 1955 Olney High School graduate Lee Elia. Lee played running back at Bordentown Military in the fall of 1955 and was one of the leading individual football scorers in South Jersey. Of course, he went on to coach and manage the Philadelphia Phillies. Longtime Philadelphia Phillies fans might also remember a left-handed pitcher from Delaware by the name of Chris Short, who transferred to Bordentown Military Institute to play his senior year of high school before being signed by Phillies scout Jocko Collins.

South Jersey Players in Super Bowl
Compiled by Chuck Langerman

Name; Position; High School; Super Bowl Team; Super Bowl Number
Randy Beverly; DB; Wildwood; Jets; III
Gary Brackett; LB; Glassboro; Colts; XLI, XLIV
Corey Clement; RB; Glassboro; Eagles; LII
Andre Collins; LB; Cinnaminson; Redskins; XXVI
Doug Colman; LB; Ocean City; Titans; XXXIV
Ron Dayne; RB; Overbrook; Giants; XXXV
Mike Devlin; C; Cherokee; Bills; XXVIII
Joe Flacco; QB; Audubon; Ravens; XLVII
Irving Fryar; WR; R.V.; Patriots; XX
Jamaal Green; DE; W. Wilson; Eagles; XXXIX
David Griggs; LB; Pennsauken; Chargers; XXIX
Franco Harris; RB; R.V.; Steelers; IX, X, XIII, XIV
George Hegamin; OT; Camden; Cowboys; XXX
Dwight Hicks; DB; Pennsauken; 49ers; XVI, XIX
*Victor Hobson; LB; St. Joseph’s Prep; Arizona; XLIII
Pete Kugler; NT; C.H. East; 49ers; XXIII, XXIV
Brison Manor; DE; Bridgeton; Broncos; XII
Kareem McKenzie; OL; Willingboro; Giants; XLII, XLVI
Bryant McKinnie; OL; Woodbury; Ravens; XLVI
Shaun Phillips; LB; Willingboro: Broncos; XLVII
Derrick Ramsey; TE; Camden; Raiders, Patriots; XV, XX
Isaac Redman; RB; Paulsboro; Steelers; XLV
Dave Robinson; LB; Moorestown; Packers; I, II
Dave Rowe; DT; Deptford; Raiders; XI
Jim Ryan; LB; Bishop Eustace; Broncos; XXI, XXII
Logan Ryan; DB;  Eastern; Patriots; XLIX, LI
Alex Silvestro; DL; Paulsboro; Patriots; XLVI
Ed Smith; TE; Pemberton; Falcons; XXXIII
John Taylor; WR; Pennsauken; 49ers; XXIII, XXIV, XXIX
Stan Walters; OT; Bordentown Military Institute; Eagles;  XV
*Victor Hobson grew up in Mount Laurel but played his scholastic football at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep.

MAY 17
CHUCKBIT
  This comes from Chuck Langerman, a noted South Jersey historian. Thanks, Chuck!
  I saw your May 4th picture of Eastern High alumni English Gardner (Olympic gold medal) and Logan Ryan (two Super Bowl rings), and I wondered if any South Jersey high schools could match Eastern High's gold medal and ring count. Of all the South Jersey schools, there are only three others that have a graduate with at least one Olympic gold medal and graduates with at least two Super Bowl rings. All three of the schools are located in Burlington County and each has a professional Hall of Famer in their respective sport. The three high schools are:
  1. Willingboro ( 10 Olympic gold medals/two Super Bowl rings)-----Track and Field legend Carl Lewis ("Class of 1979") won nine gold medals, and LaMont Smith, a sprinter, won a gold medal in the 4x400 meters relay at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Former Willingboro High and Penn State offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie won Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants in Super Bowls XLVII and XLVI.
  2. Rancocas Valley (one Olympic gold medal/four Super Bowl rings)-----Kelsi Worrell, a swimmer specializing in the butterfly, captured a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as part of the USA's women's winning 4x100 medley relay team. Football great Franco Harris ("Class of 1968") earned four Super Bowl rings, leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV.
  3. Moorestown (two Olympic gold medals/two Super Bowl rings)-----Al LeConey, a sprinter, was a gold medal winner in the 4x100 meter relay race at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, and Lauren Schmetterling, a rower, earned a gold medal in the Women's eight competition in the 2016 Summer Olympics.  Hall of Fame linebacker Dave Robinson ("Class of 1959") earned his two Super Bowl rings when the Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls played.

MAY 1
TEDBIT
  In the spring of 2012, all fans of city football were wondering, "What the heck is going on? Why has Philly become such a wasteland?" Those thoughts were powered by the fact that, for the fourth consecutive year, no Public/Catholic/Inter-Ac grads were selected in the NFL draft. Well, folks, we have bounced back, big time. Four more guys were selected this year and that brought the total over the last six years to 17. Just under three per year. The details are listed below, in the round-by-round order. Meanwhile, basketball is now a mess. No "Our Guys" grads have been selected in the NBA draft since 2011. That year, Prep Charter's Morris twins were picked back-to-back in the first round -- Markieff by Phoenix at 13, Marcus by Houston at 14. Since then, two guys who spent time in our schools and then transferred have been tabbed -- Rakeem Christmas (North Catholic, Academy of the New Church) by Minnesota in 2015 and Ben Bentil (Haverford School, St. Andrew's School in Middletown, DE) by Boston in 2016. Bentil played three games for Dallas in 2017. Christmas played one game for Indiana in 2016 and 29 more for that team in 2017. Carroll grad Derrick Jones made it into the NBA as a free agent.

APRIL 29
TEDBIT
  The drought lasted 44 years . . . and now it's over. Two guys from the same Philly high school hav been selected in the same NFL draft for the first time since 1974. Thursday night, Maryland wideout D.J. Moore (his first name is Denniston) was a first-round choice (No. 24) of the Carolina Panthers. Early Saturday evening, Arkansas running back David Williams went to the Denver Broncos in the seventh and final round (at No. 235). Their high school was Imhotep and they played only one season together, in 2012. As a senior transfer from West Catholic, Williams rushed 194 times for 1,790 yards and 23 TDs. Moore, then a soph, made eight catches for 212 yards and three TDs while adding 50 PAT. Williams' first college stop was South Carolina. He redshirted in '13, then played three seasons while completing his work for a degree in retail management. He played last fall for Arkansas as a graduate transfer. He rushed for 1,467 yards and 13 TDs between the two schools. Moore played three seasons at Maryland, then decided to make himself eligible for the draft. For the Terps he totaled 146 catches for 2,027 yards and 17 TDs. . . Now for the waaaaay-back-in-the-day guys. In 1974, when the draft had many more rounds, two products of Cardinal Dougherty (it closed in 2010) AND Southern Mississippi were late selections. Wideout Harvey McGee went to Dallas in the 11th round (No. 280) and linebacker Mike Dennery went to Oakland in the 13th round (No. 330). They were major stars for Dougherty's '68 powerhouse, which won the Catholic and City championships. According to newspaper accounts, McGee walked out of the Cowboys' training camp on July 9, never to return. Dennery, despite the long odds against him, played for three years in the NFL -- 28 games over two years for Oakland and three in one year for Miami. On Oct. 26, 1975, he was part of a very strange development. The Raiders beat the Chargers, 25-0, and started/ended their scoring with safeties. Mike racked up the first one. Punter Dennis Partee was unable to corral a low snap and Mike brought him down in the end zone. Ted Hendricks and Otis Sistrunk were responsible for the last one. They dropped QB Jesse Freitas in the end zone. Wonder how often a pro team has scored its first and last points via safeties? Even college/high school teams, for that matter. . . One last nugget: I once had a tie to the Dennery family. In the mid-1980s, I lived for a short time in a second-floor apartment on the 6400 block of Rising Sun Avenue, footsteps above Levick Street. What was on the first floor? Dennery Sporting Goods. Owned by Mike's family.

APRIL 28
TEDBIT
  As mentioned on this website, oh, maybe a million times (smile), I love it when guys play multiple sports and have strong faith in both the short-term and long-range benefits. Penn Charter product Mike McGlinchey, drafted at No. 9 in the first round Thursday night by the San Francisco 49ers, was also a quality basketball player. He scored in 32 games over four seasons of Inter-Ac play and his point total was 308. He ranks second on the list below -- basketball points scored by NFL players from Inter-Ac schools, 1950 on up. Only 20 points behind "Glinch" is Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan, his first cousin. Only 17 points ahead is Haverford School's Mike Mayock, a well-known NFL draft guru and even an analyst for draft telecasts. Overall, McGlinchey scored 862 points at PC. Ryan totaled 682. Meanwhile, also on the they're-related trail, we give you Malvern's Ryan and Carl Nassib. They're brothers. GS = Games Scored.

APRIL 27
TEDBIT
  How cool was the first round of the 2018 NFL draft? VERY! First, Penn Charter -- Matt Ryan in 2008, Mike McGlinchey last night -- became the third city leagues school (Public, Catholic, Inter-Ac) to have a second player selected, following Bonner -- John Cappelletti in 1974, Anthony Becht in 2000 -- and Roman -- HOFer Marvin Harrison in 1996 and Will Fuller in 2016. Second, as many of you likely know by now, Ryan and McGlinchey are first cousins. Third, Imhotep product D.J. Moore, a wideout from Maryland, was tabbed at No. 24 and that gave us two "Our Guys" in the same first round, ever. The list below shows all NFL first-rounders, in order. Congrats to Mike and D.J. Keep making wonderful history!   

APRIL 22
TEDBIT
  Alumnus Kyle Adkins is the new football coach at Archbishop Wood and his hiring ups the number one more. Now, nine of the Catholic League's 14 schools are being coached by grads. In basketball this past season, the total was only four -- B-P's Jack Concannon, Carroll's Paul Romanczuk, Judge's Sean Tait and Ryan's Joe Zeglinski -- and the first two have since stepped away. Adkins four times won Coaches' All-Catholic honors, twice apiece on offense/defense, also twice apiece as a first-/second-teamer, and he was a second team Daily News All-City linebacker in 2011. The list below shows the most recent alum coach at the CL schools. Kyle is only the second grad at Wood. Art Barrett (2001-03) was first. Carroll has gone the longest without having an alum in charge. Kevin Clancy's nine-year run ended in '90.