LONG BEACH, Calif. (BVM) – There might not be another high school in the state of California – or the country – with the amount of NFL alumni as Long Beach Poly. With 73 former and current players at the highest level, the Jackrabbits continue to churn out NFL-caliber talent as recent as 2017.

1600 Atlantic @LBPoly_Football to the @NFL …the road most traveled. pic.twitter.com/73VvUIpD6W

— #FUNKHOUSE🐇🏈 (@LBPoly_Football) May 9, 2020

From Super Bowl champions to All-Pros and Pro Bowlers, Long Beach Poly is the standard when it comes to producing gridiron stars. Here are the top five:

5. Jurrell Casey

Following his career at Long Beach Poly, Casey became a first team All-Pac-10 selection as a junior at USC in 2010. He was one of 26 defensive tackles to receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine before being selected in the third round (77th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans signed Casey to a four-year, $36 million contract extension just three years later and he would go on to make his first of five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2015-19. One of the best defensive tackles of the 2010s announced his retirement from the NFL in September after being traded to the Denver Broncos in March of 2020. Casey concluded his nine-year career with 507 total tackles, 51 sacks, eight forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

In honor of Jurrell Casey retiring, some of the work I did on him as a run-defender, where he was excellent. pic.twitter.com/3TiGUwXiIC

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 2, 2021

4. DeSean Jackson

Jackson led the Jackrabbits to a CIF Southern Section championship during his senior year in which he caught 60 passes for 1,075 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was voted the MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl before taking off for the University of California where he would etch himself in the record books. Jackson left Cal with the Pac-10 record for punts returned for a touchdown both in a season (four) and in a career (six), meanwhile his 2,423 career receiving yards and 22 career receiving touchdowns both rank third all-time at Cal. He was drafted in the second round (49th overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles where he would immediately become one of the league’s most feared deep threats. Jackson’s 26 career touchdowns of 60-plus yards are the most all time and his five career touchdowns of 80-plus yards are tied for the most with Jerry Rice and three others. The speed demon was a second team All-Pro in 2009 and a three-time Pro Bowler (2009, 2010, 2013). Jackson was still catching touchdowns in 2021 at 34 years old for the Los Angeles Rams.

DESEAN JACKSON.

75-YARD TD.

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/mxn2yVWR0h

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2021

3. Tony Hill

Hill played quarterback at Long Beach Poly but was converted to wide receiver at the next level where he ranks 11th in Stanford’s record books with 2,225 career receiving yards. He was selected in the third round (62nd overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and helped the franchise win Super Bowl XII as a rookie punt returner and backup wide receiver. He became a starter at wide receiver the next year and by season’s end, was selected to the Pro Bowl after catching 46 passes for 823 yards and six touchdowns. Hill helped make history in 1979 when he, Drew Pearson and Tony Dorsett helped the Cowboys become the first team in NFL history to have two 1,000-yard wide receivers and a 1,000-yard running back. His best season came in 1985 when he caught 74 passes for 1,110 receiving yards and seven scores. A three-time Pro Bowler during his 10-year career in Dallas, Hill led the team in both receptions and yardage for nine consecutive years and is a member of the Cowboys 50th Anniversary Team.

Roger Staubach connects with Tony Hill for aTD. ✭#DallasCowboys#CowboysNation#CowboysFam pic.twitter.com/GVxxnPNqma

— Sohe (@SoheCoop) July 3, 2021

2. Gene Washington

Another receiver, Washington might be the oldest name on this list, but perhaps also the most accomplished individually. The former Jackrabbit was drafted out of Stanford in the first round (16th overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Washington was named to the Pro Bowl and was a first team All-Pro selection as a rookie. He was the NFL receiving yards leader the next season (1,100) on the way to his second Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro nod. Washington’s 14 receiving touchdowns in 1972 led the NFL and that season marked his final Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro selection. He finished his 10-year career (nine with the 49ers and one with the Detroit Lions) with 385 receptions, 6,856 yards and 60 touchdowns.

Gene Washington 97 yard KOR TD #49ers pic.twitter.com/NAjxT7wZ9W

— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) June 15, 2021

1. Willie McGinest

Already a member of Poly’s Football Hall of Fame, McGinest totaled 107 tackles, 18 sacks and four blocked kicks as a high school senior. He went on to play at USC where he earned all-conference honors for three consecutive years and was a Lombardi Award – awarded to the best college football lineman of the year – finalist as a senior. The New England Patriots drafted McGinest No. 4 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and he would go on to become one of the franchise’s best ever. He was a cornerstone of New England’s Super Bowl wins in 2001, 2003 and 2004 and his 78 career sacks rank third all time for the Patriots. McGinest broke a pair of NFL postseason records in a 2005 wild card playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars: most sacks in a game (4.5) and most career postseason sacks (16), surpassing the great Bruce Smith. A member of the Patriots All-1990s and All-2000s team as well as the franchise’s Hall of Fame, McGinest finished his 15-year career with 582 tackles, 86 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and five interceptions.

The day Willie McGinest set the NFL single playoff game sack record with 4.5 😳 pic.twitter.com/9a9PvhfqZy

— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) February 14, 2021

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