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Hurricanes

ALUMNI

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ALUMNI

NOTABLE ALUMNI

Robbie Stevenson

 

Stevenson was born and raised in Bradenton and played on the varsity football team when he attended Manatee. He wanted to be quarterback, but the team was in need of a kicker, and the former soccer player was the perfect choice. He was named an All-American by USA Today and held the Manatee record for longest field goal until Nov. 4, when senior Nick Tankersley beat the record. Stevenson went on to the University of Florida, where he was starting kicker as a freshman. He helped the Gators win several championships, but eventually came back to Bradenton, where he is currently a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

Tommie Frazier

 

Frazier grew up in Bradenton and attended Manatee, where he was quarterback on the varsity football team. In 1992, having graduated from Manatee, Frazier became the backup to the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ quarterback Mike Grant. After an early season loss to Washington, he was able to take over at starting quarterback. He won his first start and went on to win several more. That year he threw only one interception.Frazier went on to have three more successful years with the Cornhuskers, though he played less his third year due to a blood clot in his left leg. He was back in 1995 to lead the Cornhuskers and dominate college football.Frazier was recruited by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, but, after being hospitalized with pneumonia, he soon decided to give up his football career to pursue other paths.Frazier later became an assistant coach at Baylor University, assistant director of athletic development at Nebraska and head coach at Doane College in Nebraska. He won two national championships and four Big Eight Conference championships. He had the record for the longest touchdown run in a bowl game as well as several Nebraska team records. Frazier received two consecutive Orange Bowl MVPs, one Fiesta Bowl MVP, the 1995 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and was named the 1996 Top NCAA QB. He was an All-American, won ESPY’s College Football Play of the Year for his scramble in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl with Nebraska, and was part of the Nebraska 1995 team that was voted the best college football team in history on ESPN.com.

Ace Sanders

 

Though Ace is the most recent graduate on this list, having graduated in 2010, it seems promising that he will be one of our most notable alumni. He was a starting wide receiver for Manatee and ranked 151st the nation and 14th in the state his senior year. Coach Joe Kinnan wrote for Sanders’ MaxPreps profile, “He seems to be able to do it all ... He is a very disciplined route runner with good body control who can adjust to poorly thrown balls and has proven he can gain yardage after the catch.”Ace attended the University of South Carolina, and played in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Robert Edward "Eddie" Culpepper

 

MCHS Class of 1951 is a former defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played two seasons with the Chicago Cardinals before moving with the team to St. Louis, Missouri before the 1960 NFL season. Culpepper was later selected in the 1961 NFL Expansion Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and would play with the team during the 1961 NFL season. He would play his final two professional seasons with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. 

 

Walter William "Bill" Anderson

 

- MCHS Class of 1954 is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the University of Tennessee. He was drafted in the third round of the 1958 NFL Draft.Bill retired from football in 1963 and joined the Tennessee staff as an assistant coach. Bill put his retirement plans on hold and signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1965. He played 24 games with Green Bay from 1965–1966 and averaged 11.9 yards per catch. The comeback was a good thing for Bill as he earned a Super Bowl ring when the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl I on January 15, 1967. For 31 seasons Anderson served as a color analyst on radio broadcasts of Tennessee football games, teaming with play-by-play announcer John Ward to form the longest-running broadcast partnership in college football.

 

Henry Lawrence

 

MHS Class of 1970 is a former professional American football player. A two-time Pro Bowler, he played in the National Football League for 13 seasons as an offensive tackle with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.[1] He played in Super Bowl XI and was a starter in Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII for the Raiders earning three Super Bowl Championship Rings. Henry is the recipient of the Jesse Owens Achievement Award for his athletic excellence.

 

Upton Tyrone Williams, A.K.A. Tyrone Williams

 

(born May 31, 1973 in Bradenton, Florida) is a retired American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played with the Green Bay Packers from 1996 to 2002, the Atlanta Falcons in 2003 and the Dallas Cowboys in 2004. He played college football at the University of Nebraska. He started for the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.

 

Alvoid Wilson Mays 

 

(born July 10, 1966 in Palmetto, Florida) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Valdosta State College and West Virginia University and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1989 NFL Draft

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