JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Super Bowl LIX has come and gone, ending with the Philadelphia Eagles winning their second championship in franchise history.
While the game included some Duval County representation on the Kansas City Chiefs side in the form of Safety Chamarri Conner, who attended Trinity Christian Academy during his time in the 904, the Eagles have had multiple players with ties to Jacksonville play for them in previous iterations of the big game.
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Harold Carmichael
Harold Carmichael, born in Jacksonville in 1949, played 14 seasons in the NFL, spending 13 of them with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before his time in Philly, he played high school football for Raines High School before attending Southern University, an HBCU in Louisiana.
According to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, he helped the Eagles to the organization’s first Super Bowl appearance in 1980.
When he retired from the NFL, Carmichael was atop the leaderboard in several categories for the Eagles, including games played, consecutive games played, touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions.
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He was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and two years later, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame as one of 10 seniors of the Centennial Slate Class of 2020.
Additionally, Carmichael, who stands at 6 feet and 8 inches tall, is believed to be the tallest wide receiver in NFL history.
Brian Dawkins
Dawkins, a Jacksonville native and Raines alum, was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft.
During his time at Raines, he played both football and basketball and actually helped the basketball team win a state championship in 1991.
Playing safety for a stout Eagles defense in the early 2000s, Dawkins, whose nickname while he was in the league was “Weapon X,” quickly became one of the best safeties in the league, and played a vital role in the team’s Super Bowl appearance against the Patriots in 2005, which was held in Jacksonville.
Over the course of his career, Dawkins accumulated over 1,000 tackles, 37 interceptions, 26 sacks, and recovered 19 fumbles. He is a member of the Exclusive NFL Defensive Club, which is comprised of players who have at least 35 interceptions and 20 sacks in their career.
He retired from the NFL in 2012 and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2018.
Lito Sheppard
Make it three Jacksonville-born athletes who attended Raines High School and played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
While attending Raines, Sheppard quickly established himself as one of the best players on the field, tallying 18 interceptions in 29 games as a junior and senior. He also helped the Vikings to an undefeated season and a state championship in 1998.
Drafted out of the University of Florida in 2002, Lito Sheppard had an impressive college career before becoming the Eagles' first cornerback to be drafted in the first round until Quinyon Mitchell was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
During his time in Philly, Sheppard totaled 18 interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns, tied for the third-most in franchise history.
His career was ultimately cut short by injuries, but Sheppard’s legacy as a game-breaking defensive back has earned him recognition as one of the greatest players in Raines and Gator history.
Jabar Gaffney
Gaffney attended Raines High School and helped the team win a state championship in 1997 by catching the game-winning touchdown.
He played for the Florida Gators during the same time as Lito Sheppard, and in his first year as a starter, posted more than 1,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, earning him a first-team All-SEC selection in 2000 and 2001.
Gaffney remains the only receiver in Florida Gator history with two seasons of 1,000 yards or more.
After being drafted by the Houston Texans with the first pick of the second round, Gaffney had a short stint with the Eagles before signing with the Patriots in 2006.
He made a Super Bowl appearance with New England in 2008 when they played against the New York Giants.
