Big 33 Football Classic's Super Bowl Streak extends to Super Bowl LIX

The PFSCA's Big 33 football All-Star game has been held in Pennsylvania since 1957. The game has placed at least one alumnus in the big game every year. That streak will continue at Super Bowl LIX.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson (83) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter in the NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson (83) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter in the NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A.J. Woods and Jahan Dotson are keeping the Big 33 Football Classic’s long-standing tradition alive. The two Philadelphia Eagles players, along with Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach, reached Super Bowl LIX, which means the all-star game will continue its streak of having one representative in every Super Bowl.

The Professional Football Scholastic Coaches Association's Big 33 game predates the Super Bowl. The first contest was held in 1957 and featured the 33 best players from Pennsylvania against players from around the country. Over the years, the format has shifted. 

For most of the game’s existence, Pennsylvania challenged Ohio. However, Ohio dropped out of the series following the 2012 game and the Pennsylvania team took on a team from Maryland.

Woods is a Maryland native, but Dotson and Veach will keep the Keystone state well represented this year.

Good timing for Jahan Dotson

Jahan Dotson played in the Big 33 game in 2018, representing Pennsylvania. Dotson graduated from Nazareth Area High School and played collegiately at Penn State. After a strong senior year for the Nittany Lions, Dotson was drafted in the first round by the Washington Commanders in 2022.

Dotson led Washington in receiving during his rookie season but didn’t take a step forward during his second season. Dotson was dealt to Philadelphia before this season. While Dotson played in all 17 games during the regular season, he only made six starts and caught 19 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown.

In the postseason, Dotson caught his first career postseason touchdown during the Eagles’ win over the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round.

Patrick Mahomes Brett Veach Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, right, watches quarterback Patrick Mahomes step to the line as general manager during training camp at Missouri Western State University. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Brett Veach lands on top

Veach was a standout high school player at Mount Carmel before playing collegiately at Delaware. Veach started his NFL career as a coaching intern with the Eagles in 2004. Veach worked his way up to the scouting department in 2010.

After the Eagles fired Andy Reid, Veach would follow the head coach to Kansas City in 2013. He worked his way up to GM by 2017 and has helped put together three Super Bowl championship teams.

A.J. Woods finds his way to the Big Game as a rookie

Woods was a two-way standout at Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland. and played in the 2019 Big 33 Classic as a defensive back for Team Maryland, before playing collegiately for the University of Pittsburgh.

He signed last spring with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted rookie free agent and was later signed to the Eagles practice squad where he spent the remainder of the 2024 season.

During his senior high school season, Woods made 35 tackles, defended 17 passes, forced two fumbles and blocked two punts. He also averaged 21.6 yards per reception (14 catches for 303 yards) with five touchdowns as a wide receiver, helping Northwest to a 9-3 record and a spot in the Maryland 4A regional finals.

Herb Adderley set the standard

Herb Adderley graduated from Northeast High School in 1957. The Philadelphia native would go to big things in professional football. Adderley played in the first Big 33 game in 1957 and professionally for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys from 1961 to 1972.

Adderley became the first Big 33 participant to suit up in what is now known as the Super Bowl when he played in the Packers’ 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL-NFL World Championship. Adderley earned three Super Bowl rings and was a five-time NFL champion.

Adderley intercepted 48 passes and ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Not just observers

Many of the Big 33 alumni who have played in the Super Bowl have made a major impact. Joe Namath, a Beaver Falls graduate, was named MVP of Super Bowl III. Joe Montana, who attended Donora, was a three-time MVP and four-time Super Bowl champion.

Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Curtis Martin are some of the other notable names out of the more than 140 players who have participated in the Big 33 and the Super Bowl.

--Josh Rizzo | rizzo42789@gmail.com | @J_oshrizzo


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Josh Rizzo
JOSH RIZZO

Josh Rizzo has served as a sports writer for high school and college sports for more than 15 years. Rizzo graduated from Slippery Rock University in 2010 and Penn-Trafford High School in 2007. During his time working at newspapers in Illinois, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, he covered everything from demolition derby to the NCAA women's volleyball tournament. Rizzo was named Sports Writer of the Year by Gatehouse Media Class C in 2011. He also won a first-place award for feature writing from the Missouri Press Association. In Pennsylvania, Rizzo was twice given a second-place award for sports deadline reporting from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025