November 27, 2025
This is the 45-year anniversary of a Western Pennsylvania high school sports tradition that is as much a part of Thanksgiving Day as turkey and stuffing. On Thanksgiving in 1980, the Post-Gazette published the Fabulous 22 football all-star team, made up of the top 22 players in the WPIAL and City League, regardless of position. The team is picked by the Post-Gazette scholastic sports staff, with input from many high school coaches.
If the past is any indication, some players on this year’s Fab 22 will continue to make a name for themselves after high school. Nine former Fab 22 players have been first-round NFL picks, numerous players have been college All-Americans, a few are in the College Football Hall of Fame and three are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From 1980 through 2020, the Fabulous 22 has had at least one future NFL player every year except three (1997, 2017 and 2019).
This year’s Fab 22 features a record-setting quarterback, the No. 1 junior running back in the country, one of the best big-play artists in WPIAL history and one of the leading passers in WPIAL history. This year’s team will be honored at a celebration of the Fab 22 at the Dave & Buster’s in Homestead on Nov. 30.