757 in the Super Bowl: Green Run’s Keith Goganious played for the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII
Keith Goganious was a standout at Green Run High in Virginia Beach and played college football at Penn State. He was a third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1992, played three seasons with the Bills, appearing in Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII.
He recovered a fumble on a kickoff in Super Bowl XXVII, and made a tackle - a 3-yard loss for Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer running Emmitt Smith in Super Bowl XXVIII.
Goganious is among 16 South Hampton Roads players to appear in the last 21 Super Bowl, and former Ocean Lakes standout Derrick Nnadi will play in his second consecutive Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
And of the 55 Super Bowls overall, South Hampton Roads players will have played in 28. Another 14 players from the Peninsula have played in the big game, beginning with former Warwick star Henry Jordan in the first and second Super Bowls with Green Bay.
This is the second of three Q&A sessions leading up to the big game from former players talking about their experiences in the Super Bowl.
When you hear South Hampton Roads athletes will have played in 28 of 55 Super Bowls and you were part of that, what does that mean to you?
Goganious: “Being from there and having an opportunity that very few guys have to play in the Super Bowl makes me feel good and you take great pride in it. Going to Green Run High and knowing that there are three guys from our school that played in a Super Bowl with Matt Darby (Buffalo Bills XXVII, XXVIII), Plaxico Burress (XLII) and myself is special. Hopefully, there will be more.”
What memories do you have from the Super Bowls you played in?
Goganious: “The one thing I’ll never forget was just the fact this was the third time the Bills were going back to the Super Bowl, and my first time. It’s the one game that you always talk about when you’re a kid. I was making sure I was going to bed on time and I listened to players like Bruce Smith (Booker T. Washington), Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley about what to do. You want to make sure you’re productive and ready to play that game. And then there’s the awe that came before the kickoff. When you’re standing there looking around and the jets come flying above. Then you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, we’re in the Super Bowl.’ But once the game got going, it was a regular game. I was just blessed to be in that situation. And to be playing in that game with Matt Darby was special. We go all the way back to Brandon Middle School.”
Is there one play that sticks out in your mind?
Goganious: “I was playing a lot of special teams at that time, and for me it was recovering the kickoff. That was it for me ... When you’re in the game, you’re just trying to focus on your job.”
Do you feel like you got a chance to enjoy the moment?
Goganious: “More the second time. My parents came to the second one, so I got to do some things with them. After the first one when we lost, then we go to Atlanta and we really wanted to get that one. We had a really good team that worked well together, played well together and played for each other ... I was just focused on trying to get the win. That was the mentality of the guys that were there. Just to be part of that membership of playing in the Super Bowl, is probably one of my the greatest accomplishments, even though we didn’t win. People don’t know how special that is.”
What was it like playing with Bruce Smith?
Goganious: “Bruce is one of the greatest of all time. He’s like a brother to me. He’s probably the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen, I mean phenomenal. And to know we’re all from the same area. We can talk about Military Circle. We can talk about getting some fried crabs or going to the McDonald’s that used to be across from Booker T. Washington. It made it special.”
Who will you be rooting for on Sunday?
Goganious: “I have to take the underdog (Tampa Bay).”
From the 757 to the Super Bowl
Here’s a look at South Hampton Roads players who have played in a Super Bowl:
Super Bowl III (1969) – Charlie Stukes, Baltimore Colts/Crestwood; Cornell Gordon, New York Jets/Booker T. Washington
V (1971) – Charlie Stukes, Baltimore Colts/Crestwood
X (1976) – Herb Scott, Dallas Cowboys/Kellam
XII (1978) – Herb Scott, Dallas Cowboys/Kellam
XIII (1979) – Herb Scott, Dallas Cowboys/Kellam
XIV (1980) – Tom Graves, Pittsburgh Steelers/Lake Taylor
XVI (1982) – Amos Lawrence, San Francisco 49ers/Lake Taylor
XXV (1991) – Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills/Booker T. Washington
XXVI (1992) – Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills/Booker T. Washington
XXVII (1993) – Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills/Booker T. Washington; Keith Goganious, Buffalo Bills/Green Run; Matt Darby, Buffalo Bills/Green Run
XXVIII (1994) – Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills/Booker T. Washington; Keith Goganious, Buffalo Bills/Green Run; Matt Darby, Buffalo Bills/Green Run
XXX (1996) – Darren Perry, Pittsburgh Steelers/Deep Creek
XXXIV (2000) – Dre Bly, St. Louis/Western Branch
XXXVI (2002) – Dre Bly, St. Louis/Western Branch
XXXVIII (2004) – Jamin Elliott, New England/Churchland
XXXIX (2005) – Dexter Reid, New England/Granby
XLI (2007) – Dexter Reid, Indianapolis/Granby
XLII (2008) – Plaxico Burress, New York Giants/Green Run
XLIII (2009) – Levi Brown, Arizona/Granby
XLIV (2010) – Marvin Mitchell, New Orleans/Lake Taylor
XLVI (2012) – Ras-I Dowling, New England/Deep Creek
XLVIII (2014) – Kam Chancellor, Seattle/Maury; Percy Harvin, Seattle/Landstown; Vinston Painter, Denver/Maury
XLIX (2015) – Kam Chancellor, Seattle/Maury; Chandler Fenner, Seattle/Cox
L (2016) – Ras-I Dowling, Carolina/Deep Creek
LI (2017) – LaRoy Reynolds, Atlanta/Maury
LII (2018) – Deatrich Wise, Jr, New England/Suffolk
LIII (2019) – Deatrich Wise, Jr, New England/Suffolk
LIV (2020) – Derrick Nnadi, Kansas City/Ocean Lakes
LV (2021) – Derrick Nnadi, Kansas City/Ocean Lakes
Here’s a look at Peninsula area players who have played in a Super Bowl:
I (1967) – Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers/Warwick.
II (1968) – Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers/Warwick.
IX (1975) – Dwight White, Pittsburgh Steelers/born in Hampton.
X (1976) – Dwight White, Pittsburgh Steelers/born in Hampton.
XIII (1979) – Dwight White, Pittsburgh Steelers/born in Hampton.
XIV (1980) – Dwight White, Pittsburgh Steelers/born in Hampton.
XVII (1983) – Stuart Anderson, Washington/Mathews.
XVIII (1984) – Stuart Anderson, Washington/Mathews; Reggie Evans, Washington/York.
XX (1986) – Shaun Gayle, Chicago Bears/Bethel.
XXI (1987) – Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants/Lafayette.
XXV (1991) – Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants/Lafayette.
XXIX (1995) – Todd Kelly, San Francisco 49ers/Bethel.
XXXI (1997) – Chris Slade, New England Patriots/Tabb.
XXXVII (2003) – Terry Kirby, Oakland Raiders/Tabb.
XLI (2007) – Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis Colts/Denbigh
XLIII (2009) – Elton Brown, Arizona Cardinals/Heritage and Hampton High; Coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers/Denbigh.
XLIV (2010) – Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis Colts/Denbigh.
XLV (2011) – Coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers/Denbigh.
XLVI (2012) – Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots/Kecoughtan.
XLVII (2013) – Tyrod Taylor, Baltimore Ravens/Hampton High.
XLIX (2015) – Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots/Kecoughtan.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
