BRIDGTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Before he found stardom in the NFL, and played a major role at UMass, Victor Cruz played one season of football in Maine.
It was 2004 when Bridgton Academy Football Coach Rick Marcella received a call from the coaching staff at UMass. They had their eye on a player from New Jersey. They felt a year in Maine would be just what he needed to bring his grades up and hone his football skills.
It didn't take long for the coach to catch a glimpse of the kinds of plays that would eventually launch the New York Giants into the Super Bowl.
"He made probably one of the most phenomenal catches i've ever seen in front of our sidelines in a homecoming game here that just brought the whole sidelines to its feet", Coach Marcella recalled.
Victor Cruz is not the first player from Bridgton Academy to play in the Super Bowl. Tight End Jermaine Wiggins played in two. One with the Patriots and one against them when he was with the Carolina Panthers.
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