The pipeline from Long Beach Poly to the NFL doesn’t slow down. It just reloads. And on Super Bowl Sunday, under the brightest lights the sport has to offer, Alex Austin becomes the next Jackrabbit to carry that legacy onto the field.
Austin, the Patriots cornerback and Long Beach Poly alum, will play in Super Bowl 60 against the Seahawks, extending one of the most absurd, almost mythical high school-to-pro stats in NFL history. Fifteen of the 60 Super Bowls in history have featured a Poly alum. That’s 25 percent of Super Bowl history tied to one public high school tucked into the heart of Long Beach.
“For me, to have this opportunity is a blessing,” Austin said. “It’s so cool and a dream come true.”
Austin was the Moore League Player of the Year at Poly, then left Oregon State early to chase the NFL. He was drafted in the seventh round by Buffalo, released, claimed by Houston, buried on a practice squad, then finally found a football home in New England. Three seasons later, he’s an integral part of the Patriots’ defensive success under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
Austin played in 12 games this year, started two, and recorded 25 tackles for the Patriots this season.
Austin joins a long list of Poly’s Super Bowl alumni that reads like a roll call of great NFL eras.
Willie McGinest. DeSean Jackson. Jack Jones. Marcedes Lewis. Jurrell Casey. JuJu Smith-Schuster. Names that span generations, positions, franchises — and championships.
McGinest, a Patriots legend with four Super Bowl appearances and three rings, still checks in regularly. “He’s a mentor for me. He’s like my uncle.” Austin said.
Smith-Schuster, who played in the Super Bowl last year with the Chiefs, also reached out to Austin immediately, after the Patriots defeated the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
“He told me to bring back the trophy and win for the city,” Austin said.
If the Patriots win Sunday, it would mark the ninth Super Bowl title won by a team featuring a Poly alum.
The math keeps favoring Long Beach because the culture does. Hunger. Edge. Survival. Austin put it plainly: “Long Beach has a lot of kids that are hungry and have a lot of talent and just need the right place to go.”
Austin also carries a deeper lineage.
His father, Al Austin, served on the Long Beach City Council. His mother, Daysha, is a political leader and a fixture in youth football circles. This isn’t just football bloodlines — it’s community roots.
So when Austin lines up in Santa Clara, he won’t just be covering receivers. He’ll be carrying Poly.
