by Jeff Fisher
When the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks face-off in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on February 2nd, the Big 33 Classic will be in lock-step with America’s biggest football game for the 48th straight year. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the streak – there’s never been a Super Bowl played without a Big 33 alum on the field.The Big 33 game is played annually in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Over the years, Pennsylvania all-stars have squared-off against all-star teams from Maryland, Ohio and Texas. On other occasions, Pennsylvania has faced an all-USA team. Currently Pennsylvania is in a five-year deal playing Maryland all-stars. The current series began in 2013, ending a 19 year series between PA and Ohio.
The streak was extended to 48 straight with three players – Seattle’s Jordan Hill, and Denver’s Zac Dysert and Steve Vallos – winning confernce championships on Sunday.
Hill, who is a rookie defensive tackle out of Penn State, played in the 2009 Big 33 Classic with Steelton-Highspire in Pennsylvania. Hill appeared in four games with the Seahawks with 7 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Dysert, Denver’s third-string quarterback behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, played in the 2008 Big 33 Classic from Ada High School in Ohio and was the Broncos’ seventh-round pick in 2013 after he started for four years at Miami (OH).
Vallos is a the six-year NFL veteran, who appeared in 15 games at center with the Broncos in the 2013. Vallos played in the 2002 Big 33 Classic as a member of Boardman High School in Ohio.
