Alma Mater: Aliquippa, 2004 | Sport: Football
Tales are told about the December day in 2003 when Darrelle Revis showed the football world that he was special, long before the future Pitt star and NFL All-Pro established Revis Island. As a senior at Aliquippa, Revis scored five touchdowns in the PIAA Class AA final at Hersheypark Stadium and the Quips defeated Northern Lehigh, 32-27, for a come-from-behind win that ranks among the best individual performances in state championship history. Revis rushed for three touchdowns, returned a punt 89 yards for another and scored on a 69-yard blocked field goal return in the state championship game, while also catching a pass, completing a pass, intercepting a pass and making five tackles. One of the most versatile athletes in WPIAL history, Revis saw time that season at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, cornerback and kick returner. Two days after the state championship, Revis dazzled the WPIAL once again when he scored 35 points on the basketball court as Aliquippa defeated rival Beaver Falls, 86-82, in overtime. Revis was the Associated Press Pennsylvania Class 2A Football Player of the Year as a senior after totaling 1,637 yards for the 14-1 Quips, and averaged 22.8 points that school year in basketball. He scored 1,722 points in three basketball seasons at Aliquippa. The multi-sport star also was part of a 400-meter relay team that won WPIAL gold and placed third in the state. Revis carried that success to Pitt and later the NFL, where he played 11 seasons, earned All-Pro honors four times, was selected for the Pro Bowl seven times and celebrated a Super Bowl XLIX victory with the New England Patriots. Revis played 145 games in the NFL for the New York Jets, Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. The cornerback had 29 career interceptions, and his position on the field was nicknamed “Revis Island” because of his ability to isolate an opponent’s top receiver. At Pitt, Revis drew Freshman All-American honors from The Sporting News, and later earned first-team All-Big East honors as a sophomore and junior. ESPN selected his 73-yard punt return against West Virginia as the 2006 College Football Play of the Year.