South Jersey has enjoyed strong Super Bowl presence

Players from South Jersey have a rich history in the NFL, so it naturally extends to the Super Bowl.

Eagles rookie running back Corey Clement of Glassboro High will be the 29th player from the seven-county South Jersey area to appear on a Super Bowl roster, according to historian Chuck Langerman. All but one played high school football in South Jersey; the other, Victor Hobson, was a Mount Laurel resident who attended St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia.

This year marks the 52nd Super Bowl, as the Eagles will face the defending-champion New England Patriots on Feb. 4 in Minnesota.

In the upcoming 52nd Super Bowl, pitting the Eagles against the defending-champion New England Patriots, Clement will be the second player from Group 1 Glassboro to play in the title game. Former Glassboro and Rutgers star Gary Brackett won a Super Bowl ring with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

Glassboro is one of six South Jersey schools that boast multiple Super Bowl players. Pennsauken leads the way with three: David Griggs, Dwight Hicks, and John Taylor. Also with two representatives are Rancocas Valley (Irving Fryar, Franco Harris), Camden (George Hegamin, Derrick Ramsey), Willingboro (Kareem McKenzie, Shaun Phillips), and Paulsboro (Isaac Redman, Alex Silvestro).

In all, 21 high schools from the seven counties have been represented.

In the first two Super Bowls, linebacker Dave Robinson, a standout from Moorestown and Penn State, helped the Green Bay Packers win both games.

Two South Jersey players have been Super Bowl MVPs: Rancocas Valley's Harris, who earned the award in Super Bowl IX, when the Steelers beat the Vikings, 16-6; and Audubon's Joe Flacco, who led Baltimore to a 34-31 win over San Francisco in Super Bowl XLVII. Harris rushed for 158 yards and a 9-yard touchdown on 34 carries in earning his MVP award. Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Pennsauken's Taylor had one of the biggest plays in Super Bowl history, a 10-yard scoring pass from Joe Montana with 34 seconds left that gave the 49ers a 20-16 win over the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. It was Taylor's lone catch of the day.

Taylor won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. In 17 playoff games, he had 46 receptions for 734 yards and six touchdowns.

Harris won all four Super Bowls he played in with the Steelers. In 19 playoff games, he rushed for 1,556 yards (3.9 average) and 16 touchdowns.

*–Victor Hobson grew up in Mount Laurel.

Source: Chuck Langerman