2024 Fabulous 22

November 28, 2024

Opening day rosters for NFL teams this season had 11 players who were former members of the Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 all-star team. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise because from 1980 through 2018, the Fabulous 22 has had at least one future NFL player every year except two (1997 and 2017).

Like turkey and stuffing, the Fab 22 is a Thanksgiving tradition in Western Pennsylvania high school sports, first published in 1980. The team is picked by the Post-Gazette scholastic sports staff, with help from district coaches, and is made up of the top 22 players in the WPIAL and City League, regardless of position.

If the past is any indication, some of the players on this year’s team are destined for big things. Many have gone on to play at major colleges and in the NFL. Nine former Fab 22 picks have been NFL first-round draft picks, a few are in the College Football Hall of Fame and three — Allderdice’s Curtis Martin and Aliquippa’s Ty Law and Darrelle Revis — are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.