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CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — In late August, before the school year started, Cheyenne Central athletic director Chad Whitworth received a voicemail from Boyd Dowler.
Whitworth listened to the message on his cellphone.
Dowler told him the NFL would be calling in about 20 minutes.
Sure enough, Whitworth soon received a call from an NFL spokesperson. They were calling to inform him about a Super Bowl Honor Roll visit as part of the NFL's nationwide Super Bowl 50 celebration.
Whitworth hadn't heard about the program until those two phone calls, but was excited about the news that Dowler was planning to return to Cheyenne.
A few weeks later, Dowler arrived at Cheyenne Central to address the football team, students and faculty, and present the school with a golden football commemorating his participation in the NFL's first two Super Bowls.
This season not only marks the 50th Super Bowl, but also a celebration of every player and coach who has ever participated in football's biggest game.
Forty-nine years ago, Wyoming had its first champion.
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Although Wyoming's Super Bowl history isn't as rich as other states — only Alaska, Maine and both Dakotas have had fewer players on active rosters — it dates back to the beginning.
A Wyoming high school alumnus suited up for four of the first five Super Bowls. Dowler played for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I and II and Lingle alumnus Jerry Hill played for the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III and V.
Dowler, a wide receiver, played under the tutelage of coach Vince Lombardi, whose name is on the trophy teams receive today.
Current students weren't familiar with Dowler, who graduated from what was then called Cheyenne High School in 1955, but Lombardi is a household name.
"Central is not that big of a school, well I guess it is for Wyoming," Central senior Jake Brownwell said, "but this tiny school had some All-Star who was amazing and went to play for Vince Lombardi, like the coolest coach ever. It's amazing."
Brownwell, a center on the football team, was in awe learning about someone who once played for the same team. His coach Drew Severn shared similar sentiments.
"I've always been a Vince Lombardi fan because he never believed in much hype," Severn said. "He was a straightforward coach. He asked for everything out of his players and he asked for physicality and he wanted one thing, which is a win.
"To actually meet somebody who was coached by Vince Lombardi, there's not a lot of people like that anymore."
The NFL requests that every head coach or player who has been on an active roster for a Super Bowl deliver a commemorative gold football to their alma mater. There are more than more than 2,000 high schools and about 3,000 players and coaches being recognized this season.
Only four are from Wyoming: Dowler, Hill, John Burrough and Brett Keisel.
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Dowler was born in Rock Springs and also lived in Casper, but moved to Cheyenne in sixth grade.
He was the quarterback for his high school team and played the same position at the University of Colorado. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1958 and remained a quarterback.
That changed when Lombardi took over as coach in 1959. Dowler moved to wide receiver.
Dowler spoke to the Central football team about how Lombardi influenced his career. The legendary coach expected 100 percent effort, whether it was in practice or a game. Dowler, 77, said his coach always held him accountable, as did his teammates.
His speech has already made an impact on the Central players.
"I feel like our team got closer," Severn said, "kind of unified around a Central High School alum and they got to see somebody who has made it all the way to the top level."
Dowler was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1959. He made two Pro Bowls and, ultimately, won five championships, having won three NFL titles before the conception of the Super Bowl.
He led the Packers in receptions for seven seasons, compiled more than 6,000 yards and caught 50 touchdowns.
Severn said anyone who wears the Central logo on a uniform is more proud to wear it, because they're representing Dowler.
During the ceremony, Dowler answered questions from the audience. Many were about how the game has changed. He told the players it doesn't matter what schemes they play, it's about the effort they put in.
Returning to his alma mater brought everything full circle for Dowler and was a history lesson for the players.
"I'm glad (the NFL) did because high school is what shapes your basic mind as a player," Brownwell said. "I'm glad the NFL realizes that and gives us recognition still."
Whitworth plans to buy a No. 86 Packers jersey with Dowler's name on the back and house it with the golden ball in a special, wooden trophy case the school is going to build.
It'll have information about Dowler and what the ball means.
"I almost want to put a play button next to the football and push it and actually have his speech," Severn said.
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While Dowler is the first Super Bowl alumnus to return to his alma mater, others are making plans to do the same.
The same weekend Dowler presented Central its gold football, Keisel made his own trip to Wyoming. The purpose of the vacation, however, was for elk hunting.
He's in the process of setting a date to meet with his alma mater Greybull. Still, Keisel stopped by the high school to visit his nephews Zack Keisel, a freshman, and Gabe Keisel, a junior.
"That was the first time I had been on that field for a Greybull High School football game in 19 years," he said. "That was kind of surreal to be standing there and watching those kids play out on the same field I played on and having fun with their teammates just like I did."
The varsity team practiced before the junior varsity played and Keisel was able to spend some time with the players, while watching his nephew's game.
He said, for lack of a better term, some of the players had "doe eyes" to talk to him. Keisel played in Super Bowl XL, XLIII and XLV with the Pittsburgh Steelers, two of which his team won.
To be at the field where his career started was special for Keisel. He said most of the reason professionals have their passion for football is because of the relationships they formed while playing in middle school and high school.
He's hopeful to make another trip before the season ends to meet with the team and talk to them about what they're doing, their preparation and how lucky they are to be "playing this great game they get to play every week."
Keisel said it's hard to believe it's been almost two decades since he graduated from Greybull in 1997, but is glad the NFL is finding a way to give back to the roots of so many players' careers.
"I'll be honest, I don't think about it too much because when I do it kind of slaps me in my face about how fortunate I've been," he said. "For me, growing up in Greybull and having the people around me that I did, it really helped make me the man I am today."
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Burrough received his letter from the NFL about delivering a ball to his alma mater Pinedale, but doesn't know if he can make the trip to do it in person.
He plans on sending the ball, along with a letter, but his hectic travel schedule for work may not allow him to present it.
Burrough is a director of short-term trips for North Point Ministries, a church in the Atlanta area.
For his first 13 years after retiring from the NFL, he ran his own businesses. He was in charge of a construction company that built high-end custom homes in the Atlanta area and started a private equity holding company.
Lately, he's been overseeing 80 teams that travel to nations around the world to help with clean water, medical and health initiatives, among other services. He served orphans in Cambodia and traveled to Nepal to help with earthquake relief.
Before all that, he played seven seasons in the NFL and was on the roster with the Atlanta Falcons for Super Bowl XXXIII.
He said he was blessed to play in football's biggest game. To see KISS perform the pregame show. To listen to Cher sing the national anthem.
But in the end, he said the moment was fleeting. That there are so many things more important in life than 60 minutes of football.
"When the final whistle was over, the game was done and you're kind of left with a feeling 'Is that it?'" he said. "That's the pinnacle of what I've worked for and dreamed for from a football standpoint and fortunately enough I've been given some great perspective in life about what truly matters and what I value."
Being granted the opportunity to honor Pinedale, where he graduated from in 1990, brings back better memories.
"Some of my teammates that I had back there, that's what it brings back," Burrough said. "Whether you win or lose, what records you had, that kind of stuff doesn't mean a lot now. What you remember is the relationships."
In the years shortly after his retirement he returned to Pinedale and ran football camps, but as his life after football has evolved, he's had fewer opportunities.
Now, he's making journeys bigger than football. Wyoming, however, will always be where his first began.
"Wyoming was a fantastic, wonderful place to grow up," Burrough said. "I love the values my family instilled in me. I love the values of the people in Wyoming, the independent nature of the state we grew up.
"I love the athletic programs, the six-hour bus rides to go play against a rival. There's so many special things about Wyoming that I enjoy, so I'm excited there are a handful of us to play in a Super Bowl."
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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
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