Clairton’s Tyler Boyd extends Super Bowl streak for Big 33 Football Classic

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, January 31, 2022 | 4:30 AM

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Thanks to former Clairton star Tyler Boyd, the Big 33 Football Classic’s Super Bowl streak lives on.

Every Super Bowl has included at least one alumni from the high school football all-star game, a remarkable streak that Boyd will extend for another year as a wide receiver for the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.

Boyd played in the 2013 Big 33 and had one of the greatest performances in the game’s storied history. He scored four touchdowns, passed for another and earned MVP honors as Pennsylvania defeated Maryland, 58-27, in Hershey on June 15, 2013.

His big day started with the opening kickoff, which Boyd returned 90 yards for a touchdown. He scored on receptions of 16 and 5 yards, added a 4-yard touchdown run and threw a 68-yard TD pass.

Boyd seemed quite comfortable at Hersheypark Stadium, which is understandable since he also won four PIAA Class A titles on that field.

“I want everybody to know who I am and what I can do,” said Boyd, in 2013, while forever shedding the label of being only a small-school player.

Super Bowl 56 pairs the Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 13.

The Rams’ roster has two players who were selected but didn’t take part in the Big 33, including Penn Hills graduate Aaron Donald, now an NFL All-Pro defensive tackle. Donald was picked for the 2010 Big 33. Rams rookie running back Jake Funk was chosen to represent Maryland in 2016, but he also opted out.

According to Big 33 records, the streak started when Philadelphia native Herb Adderley played for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I and II. Adderley played in the first Big 33 game in 1957.

In the years since, the alumni list grew to include Joe Namath, Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, Ben Roethlisberger, Darrelle Revis and many others. In all, 146 former Big 33 alumni have played in a Super Bowl, according to all-star game organizers.

The streak actually was guaranteed safe before the Bengals won the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. That’s because the Bengals’ opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, had three former Big 33 players on their roster: defensive end Frank Clark (2011/Ohio), quarterback Chad Henne (2014/Pa.) and defensive tackle Chris Jones (2013/Pa.).

The Bengals defeated the Chiefs, 27-24, in overtime.

The Rams won the NFC Championship, 20-17, over the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers had two Big 33 alumni: defensive lineman Kevin Givens (2015/Pa.) and kicker Robbie Gould (2000/Pa.) both were all-stars.

This year’s Big 33 game is 2 p.m. May 30 at Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg. Rosters were not yet announced.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

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