By Marc Narducci| For the Courier-Post
South Jersey has a rich history when it comes to the Super Bowl.
Counting this year when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, a total of 38 players from the seven-county South Jersey area will have been on Super Bowl teams, according to area historian Chuck Langerman.
Not all the players appeared in the Super Bowl, but they were on teams that went there.
Of those players, 36 attended South Jersey high schools and two, Victor Hobson and current Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr, lived in Burlington County while attending St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia.
In this year’s game, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco of Vineland will be making his third straight Super Bowl appearance in his third year in the NFL.
Pacheco played a major role in helping Kansas City win each of the last two Super Bowls. In the two wins, he rushed for a total of 135 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.
South Jersey has had two players earn Super Bowl MVPs – Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris of Rancocas Valley and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (Audubon).
Harris earned the MVP after rushing for 158 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries as Pittsburgh earned a 16-6 win over Minnesota in Super Bowl IX.
Flacco’s MVP performance consisted of completing 22 of 33 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns (and no interceptions) and a 124.2 passer rating as Baltimore beat San Francisco, 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
Harris, an NFL Hall of Fame member who passed away on Dec. 20, 2022, appeared in and won more Super Bowls than any other South Jersey player. As a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Harris won all four Super Bowls that he appeared in.
According to Pro-footballreference.com, Harris has rushed for the most career yards in Super Bowl history, 354 and is tied for second with four career rushing touchdowns.
Pacheco will become the third South Jersey player competing in exactly three Super Bowls. The others are San Francisco 49ers wide receiver John Taylor of Pennsauken and defensive back Logan Ryan of Eastern
Taylor won all three Super Bowls he appeared in, and Ryan won two with the New England Patriots and was on the San Francisco 49er team that lost 25-22 in overtime to Kansas City in last year’s Super Bowl.
Taylor caught the winning 10-yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana to give the 49ers a 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. In his three Super Bowls, Taylor has two receiving touchdowns, which is tied for seventh on the all-time list.
The most prominent performance by an Eagles player from South Jersey in the Super Bowl was Corey Clement of Glassboro.
When the Eagles won their first ever Super Bowl by defeating New England, 41-33 following the 2017 season, Clement was a game-changer as a receiver out of the backfield.
He had four receptions for 100 yards and 29-yard touchdown reception from Nick Foles. Clement also rushed for eight yards on three carries, while returning one kickoff for 25 yards.
Clement picked an opportune time to have what would be his greatest game in the NFL.
South JerseyPlayers on Super Bowl Teams
Name; Position; High School; Super Bowl Team; Super Bowl Number
Eli Apple; DB; Eastern; Bengals; LVI
Randy Beverly; DB; Wildwood; Jets; III
Gary Brackett; LB; Glassboro; Colts; XLI, XLIV
Shaun Bradley; LB; Rancocas Valley; Eagles; LVII
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
Jamil Demby; OL; Vineland; Rams; LIII
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; Rancocas Valley; Steelers; IX, X, XIII, XIV
George Hegamin; OT; Camden; Cowboys; XXX
Dwayne Hendricks; DT; Millville; New York Giants; XLVI
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; XLVII
Isiah Pacheco; RB; Vineland; Chiefs; LVII, LVIII, LIX
Shaun Phillips; LB; Willingboro: Broncos; XLVIII
Derrick Ramsey; TE; Camden; Raiders, Patriots; XV, XX
Hasson Reddick; LB; Haddon Heights; Eagles; LVII
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; 49ers XLIX, LI, LVIII
Alex Silvestro; DL; Paulsboro; Patriots; XLVI
Ed Smith; TE; Pemberton; Falcons; XXXIII
John Taylor; WR; Pennsauken; 49ers; XXIII, XXIV, XXIX
Jullian Taylor; DT; Williamstown; 49ers; LIV
*Jeremiah Trotter Jr; LB; St. Joseph’s Prep; Eagles; LIX
Stan Walters; OT; Bordentown Military Institute; Eagles; XV
*Victor Hobson and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. grew up in Burlington County, but played their scholastic football at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep.
Chart compiled by Chuck Langerman
Marc Narducci is a freelance reporter for the Courier-Post. He can be reached at cpvarsity@gmail.com
