Four-time NFL Pro-Bowl offensive guard Ed Newman, who played in three Super Bowls for the Miami Dolphins and won a championship in 1973, returned to his alma mater, Syosset High School, to present school officials with a golden Wilson football to commemorate Super Bowl 50. By accepting the football, Syosset High School holds the distinction of “Super Bowl School” by the NFL.
Newman starred on both the football and wrestling teams while attending Syosset High School in the late 1960s. Members of the current varsity football and wrestling teams were on hand in the school’s gymnasium to witness the presentation and listen to Newman’s story of growing up in Syosset, attending Duke University, being drafted by the Dolphins and becoming an NFL star. He also spoke about his pursuit of a new career once his playing days were over, first earning his law degree and later becoming an attorney and ascending to the bench as a county court judge, his current position. “I can’t tell you the debt I have to [Syosset],” said Newman, who has lived in South Florida since beginning his professional football career. “What a wonderful place for me to grow up. The lessons I learned here have brought me to where I am in life.”
Newman said he hopes his words can inspire students to pursue their goals. “I was just like many of you,” he said, describing himself as a shy student who often carried around a frayed notebook with papers flying out. “In the beginning, I really didn’t appreciate how wonderful an academic institution Syosset High School is. You have a mini-college going on here…Most of you will have serious advantages when you go to college because you will have already seen that material from your Syosset High School experience.”
A Woodbury native, Newman is also a member of the University of Miami Law School Board of Trustees, as well as the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Duke University and St. Thomas University halls of fame. Director of Physical Education and Athletics Drew Cronin presented him with a Syosset High School sweatshirt as a memento of his visit.
The Super Bowl 50 football will be displayed prominently in the Syosset High School athletic wing for students, staff and visitors to see. The game will be held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 7.
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