Trinity-Pawling graduate and Super Bowl champ Chukky Okobi addresses the crowd at halftime of T-P's game on Saturday against Hotchkiss.
MaxPreps Photo by Jim Stout
Nearly 3,000 former high school players and coaches and over 2,000 schools are being recognized by the NFL this fall for their contributions to the 50-year history of the Super Bowl.
On Saturday, NEPSAC member
Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) joined the celebration. Chukky Okobi wasn't about to miss it, either.
Okobi, the 1996 Trinity-Pawling graduate who won a Super Bowl championship with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005, returned to his roots and presented the school with the commemorative Golden Ball that the NFL is awarding to all high schools that have contributed players and coaches to 50 years of Super Bowl lore.
Okobi, who played center at Purdue during the Drew Brees era prior to his NFL career, made the presentation at halftime of
the Hotchkiss game. He awarded the Golden Ball to his one-time head coach at T-P, David Coratti, and to the school's headmaster, Bill Taylor. Coratti is retired but continues to assist the football program and current head coach Nick LaFontaine.
Complete photo coverage of ceremony and game.
A native of Hamden, Conn., Okobi played seven seasons in the NFL, six of them with the Steelers.
The NFL recognition program is formally known as Super Bowl High School Honor Roll Initiative, citing all schools and communities that have not only contributed to Super Bowl history, but have positively impacted the game of football.
The NFL Foundation is also affording schools the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to help support and grow their football programs. The NFL Foundation has invested $1 million towards the campaign.
The Wilson Golden Footballs being presented in the initiative feature the school's name and location, honoree's name and the Super Bowl(s) the honoree appeared in. Players and coaches honored are from both teams that competed in the Super Bowl.
CBS will televise Super Bowl 50 from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., in February. The network is featuring events from the High School Honor Roll Initiative during its regular-season coverage of Thursday Night Football, and on its Sunday pregame shows.
Jim Stout is the CBS MaxPreps Media Manager for the Eastern
U.S. He may be reached at 845-367-2864 or jim.stout@cbsi.com.
Chukky Okobi is flanked by his former Trinity-Pawling coach, David Coratti, left, and T-P headmaster Bill Taylor. Coratti displays the NFL's commemorative Wilson Golden Ball, symbolic of this season's Golden Anniversary of the Super Bowl and part of the NFL's Super Bowl High School Honor Roll Initiative program.
MaxPreps Photo by Jim Stout
Complete photo coverage of ceremony and game.
