You Can't Play a Super Bowl Without the Big 33 All-Star High School Football Game

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Streaks rule sports.

It starts with winning streaks…losing streaks.

Then there are accomplishment streaks…Joe DiMaggio’s hit streak or Brett Favre and Cal Ripken’s consecutive game streaks.

Today I want to talk about the Big 33 streak.

You don’t know about it?

Well I’m here to tell you on the eve of Super Bowl XV, it’s one of the most amassing high school football streaks that will stand forever.

First a little background on the Big 33 game that is played annually in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The first Big 33 game was played in 1958.  Through the years, Pennsylvania’s top 33 football players have squared-off with all-star teams from Maryland, Ohio and Texas.  There have been games against an all-USA all-star team, plus sometimes the eastern part of the state battled the western part of the state for bragging rights.

For the past 18-years, the Big 33 has pitted the Keystone State against stars from Ohio.  It’s been a very competitive series with each state winning nine times coming into this year’s game in June.

The names of those who have strapped ‘em up for the game reads like a who’s who of NFL football…Montana, Namath, Dorsett and the list goes on.

And, that gets me to the streak.

When the Packers and Steelers hit the field tomorrow in Dallas, it will mark the 45^th straight year that a former Big 33 player will compete in the Super Bowl.

That’s right, there’s never been a Super Bowl without a Big 33 alum!!

It all started with Big 33 alum Herb Adderley of Northeast High School in Philadelphia.  Adderley played in the first two Super Bowls with the Packers.  It continues tomorrow with five former Big 33 players on the turf at Cowboys Stadium. 

Continuing the Big 33 streak tomorrow will be Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Ryan Mundy.  On the other side of the ball, Green Bay has three former Big 33 players…linebacker A.J. Hawk, cornerback Brandon Underwood and linebacker Matt Wilhelm.

Roethlisberger, Hawk, Underwood and Wilhelm are former Ohio Big 33 all-stars, while Mundy is a former Pennsylvania Big 33 all-star.

Will the streak hit 46 next year?  Who knows.

But what we do know, much like DiMaggio, Favre and Ripken’s streak, it’s going to be hard to top the Big 33 streak.

Click here to learn more about the game and the Big 33 Scholarship Foundation.

Super Bowl Streak Continues for Big 33 Football Classic

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Being a Pennsylvania native, it's always fun at Super Bowl time to check-out THE STREAK from the annual Big 33 Football Classic played annually in Hershey for the last 52 years, as it relates to the NFL's championship game.

If you're not familiar with the THE STREAK, all you need to know is that there has been a Big 33 alum in all 43 Super Bowls played. The question now is, will the streak continue at Super Bowl XLIV?

The answer is yes!

THE STREAK reaches 44 thanks to the Saints offensive lineman Zach Strief, who played for Milford HS and the Ohio All-Stars before attending Northwestern. Tight end Darnell Dinkins, a former PA 33er (Schenley HS), is on the Saints 53-man roster, but didn't make the 45-man active roster for the NFC championship game against the Vikings.

The Colts have three former Big 33 alums (Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson - PA, Anthony Gonzalez - OH), who won't play because they are on the injured reserve.

The Big 33 Classic began in the late 50's when a central Pennsylvania sportswriter decided that Pennsylvania all-star high schoolers should be challenged by a team made-up of all-stars from around the country. The game has gone through many changes, including an East-West Pennsylvania match-up in the early 60's, plus the Keystone State taking-on teams from Texas and Maryland. Since 1993, it's been border neighbors Pennsylvania and Ohio slugging-it-out for bragging rights.

Some notables that have played in the Big 33...Joe Namath in 1961, Tony Dorsett in 1973 and Joe Montana in 1974. Of course all three are in the Hall of Fame. Click here to see the entire list from the Big 33 website.

Last year, ESPN's E:60 did a great piece on the Big 33 game, so for those of you that missed it...here it is again.