Brandon McManus Seals Legend Status At Former Lansdale High School
by Anita Oh
LANSDALE, Pa. (CBS) -- Brandon McManus kicked off a Super Bowl win for the Denver Broncos, but his jersey didn't always say number eight.
Long before Brandon ever stepped on that Super Bowl field, he actually spent four years playing varsity kicker for the North Penn Knights, once breaking a school record by kicking a 55-yard field goal in 2007.
Since then, he's become something of a legacy at this Lansdale high school, which recently celebrated "Brandon McManus Day."
"I thought it was cool that someone from around here was able to be successful enough to make it to the Super Bowl," student Eric Gutsche told Eyewitness News.
"He not only was a part of the team, but an integral part of the win. He kicked 3 field goals for them," student Eric Beideman said.
It's a dream McManus never lost sight of, says his former English teacher Colleen Felder.
"He said, I'm going to the NFL," Felder recalled.
His former football coach Dick Beck never doubted it. "I knew he had the talent. He's always had a strong leg," Beck said. But stronger than that, some say, is McManus's character off the field. "He went through some adversity. He wasn't drafted. But his work ethic and ability to continually do the best he can is very impressive," Bill Bartle, the school's athletic director, said. Enough to give those after him a chance to dream, too.
"It just gives us hope," said current North Penn football player Keith Earle. "The highest goal is to be in the Super Bowl. I hope to get there some day."