Super Bowl Honors for Newberry High School and Ricky Nattiel

KRISTINA ORREGO/Alachua County Today

Ricky Nattiel, center, accepted the NFL's commemorative Super Bowl 50th Anniversary golden football on behalf of Newberry High School. A Newberry High School graduate, Nattiel went to UF on a a full football scholarship and played professionally for the Denver Broncos, playing in two Super Bowls.

NEWBERRY – It's not often that the NFL commemorates a smalltown high school like Newberry's.

A golden football sent by the NFL was presented to Newberry High School Wednesday, Feb. 24 during a Super Bowl Honor Roll ceremony honoring the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary.

Newberry earned the distinction because an alumnus, former Denver Broncos' wide receiver Ricky Nattiel, played in at least one Super Bowl, qualifying the high school for a grant from the NFL that could include up to $5,000 for the Panther football program.

Nattiel returned to his high school alma mater for the ceremony in front of family, friends, coaches and more than 70 Newberry High School students.

Nattiel was a wide receiver his high school freshman year, a position he would play again as a star at the University of Florida and in the NFL.

Former Newberry Coach Terrell Bass, however, noticed Nattiel’s speed and suggested he switch to quarterback.

Twenty-one wins against a mere four losses later, Bass said it was one of the smartest moves he ever made.

Nattiel later attended UF on a full football scholarship. In 1984, he famously dashed 96 yards for a touchdown when the Gators played the Georgia Bulldogs, which earned him the nickname “Ricky the Rocket.”

He graduated from UF with a degree in public health, along with 117 receptions for 2,086 yards and 18 touchdowns.

The Denver Broncos selected him in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft, and he went on to play in the NFL for six seasons, including in eight playoff games and two Super Bowls.

Bass, Newberry’s football coach from 1979 to 1989, took the stage before Nattiel to honor him and remember some of his experiences coaching him.

He said Nattiel’s mother, who was sitting next to her son on stage, wasn’t too keen on the idea of her son becoming quarterback at first.

“But we convinced him to do it,” Baths said. “He was reluctant to begin with, but Ricky was always up for a new challenge… and really the rest of it is history.”

Baths then commended Nattiel’s dedication to being a good student as well as an athlete.

“His mama made sure of that because she would come up here and make sure Ricky was in line,” he said. “And that’s the kind of parents we need in the school system here today.”

Nattiel thanked the faculty and acknowledged the efforts of his mother and late father, who passed away last year, for his success.

“Most importantly, God has blessed me with good people, including this young lady right here, my mom,” he said.

Nattiel shared advice with the students, encouraging them to work hard even when no one is watching and give full effort in everything they do so they don't have regrets later in life.

“Get in the classroom and [listen] to the teachers [and] to the principals,” he said. “If those teachers see you get your butt in that classroom [and] you’re engaged [when] class is over, you stay five minutes late. I promise you, they notice. Every little thing, guys, people watch.”

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