Gus Edwards (Tottenville High School)<\/p>\n
Edwards rushed his way to numerous Fugazzi Awards and Advance All-Star selections<\/a> as a Tottenville Pirate from 2009\u20132013, ultimately landing with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n Following his best collegiate season at Rutgers in 2017 (713 rushing yards, 6 TDs), Edwards went on to play five seasons with the Ravens from 2018\u20132023, racking up 3,395 rushing yards while playing alongside Lamar Jackson, one of the most gifted mobile QBs in NFL history.<\/p>\n Take it from Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who shared a locker room with Edwards and has seen immense talent at the position while coaching the likes of Derrick Henry.<\/p>\n \u201cGus is kind of a one-of-a-kind kind of guy, back-wise. He\u2019s a downhill guy, he covers a lot of ground, he gets his pads down, he can make cuts. He\u2019s unique; he\u2019s his own kind of guy. Every back has a different style, and Gus\u2019 style is very valuable to us,\u201d Harbaugh said<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n Still serving as an inspiration to local running backs such as Wagner College\u2019s Andre Hines Jr., it\u2019s hard to argue against Edwards\u2014who\u2019s currently an unrestricted free agent\u2014being the most talented RB the borough has ever produced.<\/p>\n Starring for the Warriors as part of their 2009 PSAL City Championship-winning squad, Easley only continued to improve while playing in 31 career games on the d-line at the University of Florida, racking up 18 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks.<\/p>\n That level of play was good enough to earn selection by the Patriots with the 29th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, making Easley the first Staten Islander chosen in the first round since Mike Siani, who was selected 21st overall by the Oakland Raiders in 1972.<\/a><\/p>\n Injuries may have significantly slowed Easley\u2019s production in the NFL, but his name is still etched into history as a member of the Pats\u2019 Super Bowl XLIX-winning team.<\/p>\n Finishing his NFL career with 6.5 sacks and even an interception to his name, Easley is still remembered by Curtis head coach Peter Gambardella as an all-time great Warrior.<\/p>\n \u201cHe emphasizes what Curtis football should be about. Somebody who puts his hand in the ground and got dirty. He did it for the love and the passion. He remains a great friend of Curtis High School and we couldn\u2019t be prouder of calling him our own,\u201d he said in 2017.<\/p>\n Blocking for the greatest quarterback of all time for five years across 76 consecutive games and winning three Super Bowl rings in the process? That\u2019ll do.<\/p>\n O-lineman Joe Andruzzi, who starred at Tottenville before becoming a two-time Division II All-American at Southern Connecticut State, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 1998. But it was in New England where he ultimately found the defining stretch of his career.<\/p>\n Andruzzi cemented himself as a key piece of the Patriots\u2019 offensive front, starting in each of their Super Bowl victories in 2001, 2003, and 2004, and helping protect Tom Brady during two Super Bowl MVP runs.<\/p>\n Head coach Bill Belichick wasn\u2019t known for handing out praise freely, but even he acknowledged Andruzzi\u2019s steady contributions along the interior line at the time:<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been able to step in there in a couple of weeks and do a good solid job. So I think that as he and Damien and Sale work together I am optimistic that those three positions will continue to improve as they have the last couple of weeks, and like I said it is the best that we have had since the beginning of training camp. Hopefully it will continue to get better,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sensing a theme here, Pirates fans?<\/p>\n Rounding out the mountaintop of borough standouts to make it to the NFL, Adewale Ogunleye went on to become one of Indiana University\u2019s all-time greats, finishing his college career with 34.5 sacks and 64 tackles for loss, earning All-Big Ten honors three times and later a place in the 2014 Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame class.<\/p>\n He began his NFL journey with the Miami Dolphins, where he broke out with a Pro Bowl selection in 2003, before later making a major impact with the Chicago Bears during their run to Super Bowl XLI in 2007.<\/p>\n![\"Who\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/24RPMYPTB5GVXEB7WUJ2IMEHS4.jpg\")
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 06: Dominique Easley #91 of the Los Angeles Rams reaches for quarterback Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter of the game at the Los Angeles Coliseum on November 6, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn\/Getty Images)Getty ImagesDominique Easley (Curtis High School)<\/p>\n![\"Who\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4Q4ZXJ62ZZFRDOWEOJJDWCAKOE.jpg\")
New England Patriots Joe Andruzzi, right, celebrates with family in the stands after their AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Jan. 27, 2002 in Pittsburgh. The Patriots take on the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2002 in New Orleans. (AP Photo\/Amy Sancetta)ASSOCIATED PRESSJoe Andruzzi (Tottenville High School)<\/p>\n![\"Who\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/G4FSLALZB5BTDFYHUQZL7EEZXA.jpg\")
FILE – Chicago Bears’ Adewale Ogunleye, accompanied by Danieal Manning (38) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (92), runs after recovering a Denver Broncos fumble during the second quarter of an NFL football game Nov. 25, 2007, in Chicago. Ogunleye, a Pro Bowl defensive end during a 10-year career, leads UBS Global Wealth Management\u2019s athletes and entertainers strategic client segment. (AP Photo\/Nam Y. Huh, File)APAdewale Ogunleye (Tottenville High School)<\/p>\n