BELLVILLE, Texas -- Texas A&M; can claim the Super Bowl MVP in Broncos linebacker Von Miller, but only one Brazos Valley high school has a Super Bowl 50 champion.
From the Pasture of Pain to becoming the leading receiver in Super Bowl 50, Emmanuel Sanders continues to make his hometown of Bellville proud.
Head coach Grady Rowe said, "Bellville's excited. Emmanuel's just a great young man and he just has that charisma and a very strong work ethic. The school district and the entire community is just really proud of him and excited for him."
"It's amazing," added Mike Wheeler, Bellville's track coach and Sanders receivers coach. "You think a young man that you coached in high school has made it all the way to the league and won a Super Bowl championship. It's just amazing. I'm still excited."
Sanders starred at Bellville from 2002 to 2004, and is the fifth Brahma to play in the NFL.
"We knew he had something special. We didn't think NFL special, but we knew the second level, college. Through his hard work and dedication he just kept progressing, kept progressing to the point he is today which is a world champion," said Wheeler.
Sanders was not highly recruited, but made the most of his opportunities. Now six years into his NFL career he has 338 catches for 4,569 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Rowe said, "I think he's a great example. You look at Emmanuel he wasn't a really highly recruited player coming out of high school. He goes to SMU and gets a great opportunity there. We hear about five-star and four-star all these athletes all the time and one of the things coaches look for is size, and he was just undersized I think. He's just proven everybody wrong."
