This week's Super Bowl High School Honor Roll segment will feature Super Bowl XL champion and Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis visiting Mackenzie Elementary-Middle School in Detroit, Mich., Thursday on CBS This Morning.
During Bettis' visit, he addressed students on what football meant to him, the life lessons he learned, what it meant to play in a Super Bowl and how proud he is to be a Mackenzie alumnus. To cap off the visit, Bettis presented a Wilson Golden Football to the school.
"I sat in these same seats, just like you. I went to Mackenzie," said Bettis. "So it's not impossible for you to all dream big. It's not. But you've got to work hard, because that's where the true measure of success will come."
Bettis, a graduate of Mackenzie High School, decided to honor the elementary and middle school since his high school closed in 2012. Mackenzie Elementary-Middle School is one of 13 schools in Detroit being honored in this program. Detroit will receive 24 golden footballs. The state receiving the most golden footballs is California. Top five states include: California (432); Texas (326); Florida (218); Ohio (155); and Pennsylvania (148).
Super Bowl High School Honor Roll visits will be featured on CBS This Morning every Thursday throughout the season. CBS, which will televise Super Bowl 50, also will feature visits during coverage of Thursday Night Football, and on the Network's Sunday pregame show, THE NFL TODAY. Additionally, other various assets across the CBS Corporation will feature Super Bowl High School Honor Roll visits.
Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was presented with his Hall of Fame ring at Halftime during the Steelers' Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
As part of the nationwide Super Bowl 50 celebration, the NFL launched the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll initiative recognizing schools and communities that contributed to Super Bowl history and positively impacted the game of football.
High schools across the nation, and around the world, will receive a commemorative Wilson Golden Football for every player or head coach who graduated from their school and was on an active Super Bowl roster. Nearly 3,000 players and head coaches, and more than 2,000 high schools, will be recognized. Players and coaches will also have the opportunity to personally deliver golden footballs.
The NFL Foundation will provide the schools with a new character education curriculum and 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 program will become a Super Bowl tradition starting this season. The initiative is part of the NFL's On The Fifty campaign commemorating Super Bowl 50, which will be played on Sunday, February 7, 2016 at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. Wilson has provided the Official Football of the NFL since 1941 and has been on the field for every Super Bowl.
