Port Arthur is golden.

Port Arthur Memorial High School was awarded its eight golden footballs Friday from the NFL to commemorate the seven players and one head coach who participated in the Super Bowl. The NFL recognizes all schools in the world that had a representative in the Big Game, in honor of the Super Bowl’s 50th time being played.

The eight footballs is the most any school received from the NFL in the world. PAISD Superintendent Mark Porterie said the honor is a reflection of many generations of athletes in the city and the hard work players and coaches have put in.

“We are really happy Port Arthur is on the board for such a distinguished award to have the most players play in the Super Bowl,” Porterie said. “That is something to really be proud of. It is something wonderful for our students to see. It is a goal that is obtainable. We are looking forward to having many more play in the Super Bowl as well because we have some outstanding athletes here at Memorial High School.”

The seven honored players are Eric Alexander, Jordan Babineaux, Aaron Brown, Duriel Harris, Bobby Leopold, Tim McKyer and Joe Washington Jr. Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl wins in 1993 and 1994, was also represented with a golden football. The eight attended schools that were consolidated into the current Memorial before the start of the 2002-03 school year.

Alexander won the 2005 Super Bowl as a linebacker with the New England Patriots. Brown was a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs and lost the first Super Bowl in 1967 and won in 1970. Harris was with the Miami Dolphins in 1983 and lost that year’s Super Bowl to the Washington Redskins.

McKyer won two Super Bowls with the 49ers in 1989 and 1990 and another with the Broncos in 1998. Washington played with the Redskins who defeated Miami in the 1983 Super Bowl and lost to the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1984.

Texas schools will received a total of 326 golden footballs, second only to California’s 432. New Hampshire and Vermont are the only states that have not produced a Super Bowl participant.

Babineaux and Leopold were on hand Friday in the Memorial Gym, speaking to the student body. Leopold won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, 26-21 over Cincinnati in 1982.

Babineaux played in the 2006 Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, who were defeated 21-10 by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“This is huge,” Babineaux said. “One of the biggest things is being able to come back and being able to impact these kids in a positive way. There are many negative influences around them these days. The message for me today is for these kids to recognize what the future is ahead of them.”

One of the Memorial athletes who got a chance to speak a few minutes with Babineaux before the ceremony was running back Marcus Younger. On Wednesday Younger signed a football scholarship with Texas A&M-Kingsville.

“My dad told me about Jordan,” Younger said. “It feels good to know someone who has played in the Super Bowl.”

Babineaux gave a speech about how important college was to the students’ future. He also bragged about the city of Port Arthur.

“We have the most professional athletes who have played in the Super Bowl in the world,” Babineaux said. “If you didn’t respect authority back in our day, there was a result and a consequence.”

He asked the crowd which seniors were going to college and got a loud ovation.

“That is what I wanted to hear,” Babineaux added.

Super Bowl 50 will be played Sunday between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.