Reviewed by: Sarah Gronberg
2 Super Bowl-bound football stars make Limestone County proud
The Super Bowl is arguably the biggest stage in sports in the U.S., with nearly 100 million viewers watching the top two teams in the NFL battle it out for the Lombardi Trophy.
This year, as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs, two Huntsville-area natives — Reed Blankenship and Quez Watkins — will be on that stage. Check this out:
Read more: 2 Super Bowl-bound football stars make Limestone County proudQuez Watkins, Reed Blankenship make Limestone County proud
The Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC title with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, which means two Eagles players with local ties will get a chance to play in the Super Bowl this weekend.
Athens High School alum Quez Watkins is a wide receiver for the Eagles, and has scored three touchdowns for Philadelphia this season. Watkins was a standout player for Athens before playing college football at Southern Miss. He was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship will also take the Super Bowl stage this Sunday. Blankenship is a graduate of West Limestone High School, where he was an All-State selection, and went on to star at Middle Tennessee State before landing on the Eagles’ roster as an undrafted free agent last year.
Huntsville-area players in the Super Bowl
As we referenced in a previous report here on Hville Blast, the Huntsville area is no stranger to sports fame, and that includes gridiron stars who were on Super Bowl rosters.
Here a look at some Huntsville-area natives who played in Super Bowls:
- Howard Cross: The New Hope High School graduate and Alabama Crimson Tide star played for the New York Giants when they won Super Bowl XXV.
- Trey Flowers: This Columbia High School graduate was an All-SEC defensive back for the University of Arkansas and has gone on to play in three Super Bowls as a member of the New England Patriots, winning two (LI & LIII) and losing one (LII)
- Walter Jones: As a member of the Seattle Seahawks, this Aliceville native was on the losing end of Super Bowl XL, as his team reached their first Super Bowl in franchise history, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones had an All-American career at Florida State before a stellar NFL career where he was a 4-time Pro Bowl Selection.
- Reggie Ragland: A standout football and basketball player at Bob Jones High School, Ragland was an All-American at Alabama and second round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016. He helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV over San Francisco.
- John Stallworth: This NFL Hall of Famer helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls in the 1970s during a career that finished as the most prolific for any wide receiver in Steelers history.
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