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Southwest Florida and the Super Bowl: Many local NFL products have played in the Big Game
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- Southwest Florida and the Super Bowl: Many local NFL products have played in the Big Game
Southwest Florida has become a steady pipeline of NFL talent so it's only natural that those players would appear in the league's biggest game.
Area football fans have had plenty of athletes to cheer for in the Super Bowl and heading into the playoffs this year, several local products made a charge at the Big Game. Some of those included Green Bay linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (South Fort Myers), Tampa Bay wide receiver Deven Thompkins (Dunbar), and Dallas safety Jayron Kearse (South Fort Myers), but unfortunately none will reach Las Vegas ' Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11.
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Overall, Collier and Lee counties and LaBelle have 12 athletes who have played for the NFL championship, including the likes of South Fort Myers' Sammy Watkins , North Fort Myers' Deion Sanders, Immokalee's Edgerrin James, and J.C. Jackson among others.
Consider that a Southwest Florida product appeared in six consecutive Super Bowls through 2021: Watkins (2020-21), Jackson (2019) with the New England Patriots , Jaylen Watkins (2018) with the Philadelphia Eagles , Campbell (2017) with the Atlanta Falcons and Tre Boston (2016) with the Carolina Panthers .
Here are the Southwest Florida players who have played in a Super Bowl in order of most recent appearance and how they performed in the NFL's marquee event.
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Sammy Watkins
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins walks off the field after Super Bowl 55 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9.
Year:2021
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
High School:South Fort Myers
Super Bowl 55:Watkins was held to one catch for 13 yards as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 on Feb. 7 in Tampa.
Sammy Watkins
South Fort Myers High School graduate Sammy Watkins talking postgame at Super Bowl LIV after he and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.
Year:2020
Team:Kansas City Chiefs
High School:South Fort Myers
Super Bowl LVI:This was a much happier day for Watkins and the Chiefs. Watkins caught five passes for 98 yards, including a big 38-yard reception late in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs rallied to beat San Francisco 31-20 at Hardrock Stadium in Miami .
J.C. Jackson
New England Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson (27) of Immokalee and outside linebacker Dont'a Hightower (54) reacts during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019 in Atlanta.
Year:2019
Team: New England Patriots
High School:Immokalee
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Super Bowl LIII:Jackson played a part in a stifling Patriots defensive effort, recording a tackle and an assisted tackle as New England won its sixth Super Bowl title 13-3 against the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.
Jaylen Watkins
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) together with Philadelphia Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod (23) and cornerback Jaylen Watkins (26) jump for a pass in the end zone, during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. The Eagles won 41-33. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Year:2018
Team:Philadelphia Eagles
High School:Cape Coral
Super Bowl LII:The strong safety played three snaps on defense and 17 on special teams and Watkins was in the end zone and helped bat down the final pass to clinch the Eagles' 41-33 win over the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
De'Vondre Campbell
2017: De’Vondre Campbell, Atlanta Falcons: Had three tackles in a 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots. In this photo, Campbell, (59) tackles New England Patriots' James White, left, during the second half of Super Bowl 51.
Year:2017
Team:Atlanta Falcons
High School:Cypress Lake
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Super Bowl LI:28-3. That was the score late in the third quarter before the New England Patriots made the largest comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime. Campbell, an Atlanta linebacker, had three tackles in the game held at NRG Stadium in Houston .
Tre Boston
Tre Boston rides the Denver Broncos' Andre Caldwell out of bounds during the first half of Super Bowl 50.
Year:2016
Team:Carolina Panthers
High School:North Fort Myers
Super Bowl 50:Boston, a Panthers safety, recorded a tackle in Carolina's 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Matt Prater
Estero High graduate and Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater looks on during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on February 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Year:2014
Team:Denver Broncos
High School:Estero
Super Bowl XLVIII:Parter attempted only one kickoff in the game as the Seattle Seahawks jumped out to a big lead early and the Broncos couldn't penetrate the Seahawks' Legion of Boom in a 43-8 loss at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Terrance Cody
Year:2013
Team: Baltimore Ravens
High School:Riverdale
Super Bowl XLVII:The defensive tackle recorded one assisted tackle in the Ravens' 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans .
Edgerrin James
Arizona Cardinals running back Edgerrin James (32) tries to break a tackle by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Tyrone Carter during the second quarter of the NFL Super Bowl XLIII football game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Year:2009
Team: Arizona Cardinals
High School:Immokalee
Super Bowl XLIII:The Future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer started at running back and gained 33 yards on nine carries in the 27-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Jevon Kearse
Jevon Kearse played in Super Bowl XXXIV for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Year:2005
Team:Philadelphia Eagles
High School:North Fort Myers
Super Bowl XXXIX:Kearse made one tackle and assisted on another in the Eagles' 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots at Alltel Stadium (now EverBank Stadium) in Jacksonville .
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Martin Gramatica
Martin Gramatica of the Tampa Bay Bucs and from LaBelle celebrates is second quarter field goal in the Super Bowl.
Year:2003
Team:Tampa Bay Buccaneers
High School:LaBelle
Super Bowl XLXII:The Bucs kicker hit two field goals and six extra points as Tampa Bay routed the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in San Diego.
Greg Spires
2003: Greg Spires, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The 1993 Mariner High graduate won a ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. He started and made three tackles, a sack and had a pass defended in the 48-21 victory. Here he sacks Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon during the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003.
Year:2003
Team:Tampa Bay Buccaneers
High School:Mariner
Super Bowl XLXII:The Bucs defensive lineman had three solo tackles, a sack, and a pass defense in the Bucs' 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Jevon Kearse
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse (90) blocks a pass by St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner during the 3rd quarter Jan. 30, 2000. The Titans just fell inches short in a 23-16 Rams' victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Year:2000
Team: Tennessee Titans
High School:North Fort Myers
Super Bowl XXXIV:Kearse had five solo tackles, a sack, and two passes defensed in the Titans' 23-16 loss to the St. Louis Rams at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
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Deion Sanders
Year:1996
Team: Dallas Cowboys
High School:North Fort Myers
Super Bowl XXX:The Steelers didn't test the future Pro Football Hall-of-Fame cornerback much but Sanders did have one pass defensed, returned a punt for 11 yards, and had a 47-yard catch in Dallas' 27-17 win at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders celebrates a fourth-quarter play as the San Francisco 49ers defeat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.
Year:1995
Team:San Francisco 49ers
High School:North Fort Myers
Super Bowl XXIX:The 1985 North Fort Myers High graduate started at cornerback for the 49ers and had an interception, two tackles, and two passes defensed in Super Bowl XXIX, a 49-26 triumph over the San Diego Chargers at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: All-time list of Collier and Lee county NFL players to appear in the Super Bowl
