The Super Bowl & The Jersey Shore

The world will be tuned in to watch Super Bowl LV on Sunday night, a game which over the years has certainly had some Jersey Shore influence!

Let’s take a look at some of the Jersey Shore natives (and Shore Conference football alums) to have played in the Super Bowl.

Phil Villapiano — The linebacker played at both Ocean Township and Asbury Park High Schools before a collegiate career at Bowling Green. He was drafted by the Raiders in 1971 and started on their Super Bowl XI winning team (1976–77 season).

Jim Jeffcoat — The defensive end won two Super Bowls (following the 1992 and 1993 seasons) with the Cowboys after a storied career at Matawan.

Danny Stubbs — A graduate of Red Bank Regional, Stubbs, a defensive end, played collegiately at Miami. He was drafted by the 49ers in the second round and won Super Bowls in his first two seasons (1988 and 1989). He had two sacks in Super Bowl XIV against Denver.

Dan Klecko — Klecko went to Marlboro HS and was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams. He was a member of the Patriots in 2003 and 2004 and then won with the Colts in 2006.

Darian Barnes — The fullback from Toms River North had a seven year NFL career, the first year of which was 2002, when he was a member of the Buccaneers Super Bowl winning team.

Darrell Reid — A Freehold Boro product, Reid played collegiately at Minnesota and won a Super Bowl with the 2006 Colts.

Tim Wright — The Wall HS graduate played at Rutgers and was a member of the Patriots for their Super Bowl win over Seattle following the 2014 season.

Vinny Curry — The defensive end from Neptune was a member of the Eagles Super Bowl winning team following the 2017 season.

Rick Lovato — Lovato, a long snapper from Middletown South, was teammates with Curry on the 2017 Eagles.

One of the greatest players the Shore Conference has ever produced is Sam Mills, a linebacker from Long Branch HS. Mills played for the Saints and Panthers and while he never played in the Super Bowl, he played for Carolina’s 1996 team that lost the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Packers. Mills was a finalist once again this year for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He tragically passed away from cancer at the age of 45.

Thanks to Kevin Williams of the Shore Sports Network for his assistance with this list.