Another year, another 941 representative in the Super Bowl

With the Philadelphia Eagles punching their ticket to Super Bowl LII on Sunday, the Manatee-Sarasota region has another player headed for the title game.

Venice High graduate Trey Burton, who later played at the University of Florida, is a tight end for the Eagles, who will face the New England Patriots on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis.

A season ago, Southeast’s Brian Poole and Braden River’s Sharrod Neasman helped the Atlanta Falcons win the NFC title and advance to the Super Bowl.

Pro football’s grandest stage has seen quite a few 941 area representatives, either through victory or defeat.

In fact, there was a stretch from 2006-2012 that, except for one year, someone from the area played in the Super Bowl.

Not bad when you consider the combined population between Manatee and Sarasota counties is less than 800,000, according to the United States Census Bureau’s latest estimate.

High school football players have a 6.5 percent chance of playing in college and those college players have a 1.6 percent chance to make it to the NFL, according to a 2013 NCAA study.

That’s just to play in the NFL, let alone the slimmer odds of playing on a team that makes it to the Super Bowl.

Here’s a look at those from the area who have played on the NFL’s biggest stage:

Super Bowl I

Manatee High’s Bill Anderson won the inaugural Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers under legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. It was Anderson’s final NFL season. He died in April 2017.

Super Bowl XI, XV, XVIII

Henry Lawrence, who played at Palmetto’s Lincoln High before integration and then attended Manatee High, won three Super Bowls with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. His second title came at the expense of this year’s NFC representative, the Eagles.

Super Bowl XXVI

Manatee High’s Alvoid Mays, a defensive back, had a sack and strip for a forced fumble to seal the Washington Redskins’ victory over the Buffalo Bills the last time the Super Bowl was held in Minnesota. Mays’ son plays wide receiver at Palmetto High. Sarasota High’s Tim Johnson also had a standout game in leading Washington’s defense to Super Bowl glory that season.

Super Bowl XXXI

Manatee High alumnus Tyrone Williams, a defensive back with the Green Bay Packers, won a Super Bowl ring in 1997 when the Packers defeated the New England Patriots.

Super Bowl XL

One of college football’s greatest players, Southeast High’s Peter Warrick was on the losing end of the 2006 Super Bowl as his Seattle Seahawks fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLI

Sarasota Riverview’s Todd Johnson played in the secondary for the Chicago Bears, who lost to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

Super Bowl XLIII

Lakewood Ranch High’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the defensive back trying to thwart Santonio Holmes from squeezing the game-winning touchdown the last time the Super Bowl was held in Tampa. DRC, who played for the Arizona Cardinals, couldn’t stop Holmes from making the catch that led to Pittsburgh’s sixth Super Bowl title.

Super Bowl XLIV

Southeast High’s Rod Harper didn’t play for the New Orleans Saints in their Super Bowl triumph, but he was on the roster as an injured player.

Super Bowl XLV

Sarasota Booker’s Sam Shields claimed a Super Bowl ring when the Green Bay Packers edged the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLVI

Sarasota Riverview’s David Baas played offensive line for the New York Giants’ last Super Bowl victory, which came at New England’s expense. The Giants are the only team to defeat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, doing so twice.

Super Bowl LI

Continuing the long defensive back tradition, Southeast High’s Brian Poole and Braden River High’s Sharrod Neasman were this close to winning a Super Bowl ring as rookies last season. Neasman fought his way onto the roster from the practice squad, while Poole overcame not getting drafted to signing and breaking training camp as a can’t-miss defensive player. The Falcons led 28-3 late in the third quarter before Brady willed the Patriots to a fifth Super Bowl title with the overtime victory.

Notable

Though not an alumnus of a local high school, Sarasota resident John Neidert, who coached at Riverview on Todd Johnson’s staff, won Super Bowl III with the New York Jets and Joe Namath. The game, which is considered one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, saw the Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts.

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Another year, another 941 representative in the Super Bowl."