Best Long Beach Poly Football Players of All Time

When it comes to producing NFL players, one high school stands above all others — Long Beach Polytechnic in Long Beach, California. Long Beach Poly’s tradition of sending players to the NFL has made it one of the most respected high school football programs in the nation.

A staggering 58 players have made the NFL since the 1920s. The best of the best Long Beach Poly players have become household names and earned All-American honors, national championships and Super Bowl victories. 

These are the greatest Long Beach Poly football players in history. 

Position: Offensive tackle

Graduation year: 2002

College: USC

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles (2006-11), Indianapolis Colts (2012), Denver Broncos (2013)

Bottom line: Winston Justice didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school and became a force on the offensive line for Long Beach Poly. In his three years on the varsity, the 6-foot-6, 317-pound offensive tackle went 39-1-1 and won three CIF division titles. 

As a senior, Justice was named to every high school All-American team imaginable and signed with USC, where he started as a true freshman. He won a national championship in 2003 and blocked for three Heisman Trophy winners in quarterback Carson Palmer, quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush while earning All-Pac-10 honors three times. 

Justice played nine seasons in the NFL. 

Position: Defensive line

Graduation year: 2008

College: USC

NFL: Tennessee Titans (2011-19), Denver Broncos (2020)

Bottom line: Jurrell Casey went from being a dominant defensive lineman at Long Beach Poly to a dominant defensive lineman at USC, where he was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection before being leaving school one year early to enter the NFL draft. 

In 10 seasons in the NFL, Casey was one of the league’s more dominant, well-respected interior defensive linemen — sort of a poor man’s Aaron Donald — as he made five Pro Bowls and was named NFL All-Pro in 2013. Casey finished his career with 51 sacks. 

Position: Running back

Graduation year: 1987

College: Arizona State

NFL: New England Patriots (1991-93), Denver Broncos (1994), St. Louis Rams (1995), San Diego Chargers (1996)

Bottom line: Leonard Russell made his bones playing Pop Warner football in Long Beach, where he earned the nickname “Eight Ball” from friends and went on to become a dominant running back for Long Beach Poly, winning California Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 1986.

Russell was a perfectly built running back at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds and was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Mt. San Antonio College before transferring to Arizona State. He’s the only Long Beach Poly player on the list not to play Division I football in California. 

Russell was the No. 14 overall pick in the 1991 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, played six seasons in the NFL and was the 1991 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Position: Quarterback

Graduation year: 1999

College: Stanford

NFL Europe/AFL: Cologne Centurions (2005), San Jose Sabercats (2006)

Bottom line: Quarterback Chris Lewis remains the only Long Beach Poly player to be named Gatorade National Player of the Year, bringing home the award as a senior in 1998 after he threw for 3,170 yards and 43 touchdowns. 

Lewis, who was also named CIF Offensive Player of the Year, signed with Stanford and started multiple games for the Cardinal each of his four seasons. But he was never the full-time starter and only was named the starter heading into the season once, before his redshirt junior season.

Lewis played one season in NFL Europe and one season in the AFL.