It was another big day for Tiger Derek Stingley, Jr. ’19, verbally committed to LSU and recognized by many as the top Division 1 football recruit in the country. Representatives from the All-American Bowl presented Derek with his All-American Bowl jersey as family, coaches, classmates and faculty looked on. The jersey represents Derek’s selection as one of the nation’s 100 best senior football players invited to play in this national high school all-star game.

“It is an honor to be selected for the All-American Bowl game. I watched this game as kid growing up. I see this as my chance to showcase my abilities against the top players in the nation I am going to do my best and hope to make everyone proud,” Derek said.  

He also thanked his parents, Derek Sr. and Natasha Stingley, his coaches, teammates, family and friends for their support.  The Stingleys received the American Family Insurance Dream Champion Award for helping their son fulfill his dream.

“Many the current NFL greats once played in the All-American Bowl game. To have Derek Stingley, Jr. represent The Dunham School in this prestigious event is a great honor and well deserved for this young man,” head football coach Neil Weiner said.

Derek joins an elite group of athletes as an All-American Bowl participant. At present there have been 16 Heisman Trophy finalists, 159 NCAA All-Americans,  380 NFL draft picks, 52 Super Bowl Champions, and 159 Pro Bowl selections among All-American Bowl alumni.

The All-American Bowl presented by American Family Insurance is a celebration of high school excellence on and off the field. Formerly called the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the first game was  played on December 30, 2000, in Highlander Stadium in Dallas,Texas. Since 2002, however, the game has been played in San Antonio. Notable alumni include: Andrew Luck, Jamaal Charles, Patrick Peterson, Adrian Peterson, Odell Beckham Jr., Eric Berry, Tim Tebow, Joe Thomas, Tyron Smith, Robert Quinn, C.J. Mosley and DeMarco Murray.

The 2019 All-American Bowl will be played on Saturday, January 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Broadcast each year on NBC, the game enjoys a worldwide audience of over 5 million viewers and is the most watched high school sporting event, with more than 40,000 fans in attendance.