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The Big 33 Football Classic is an all-star American football game featuring the top high-school football players in Pennsylvania. Played since 1957, the game is often described as the "Super Bowl of High School Football."[citation needed][by whom?] Contests currently pit players from Pennsylvania against players from Maryland, but opponents in the past have also included players from Ohio and Texas. While most earlier games were held at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the game is now played at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.
No Super Bowl has ever been contested without a Big 33 alumnus.[citation needed][as of?]
While the game was originally played with the best 33 players in each state (hence its name), the organizers added a 34th player to give kickers a chance to be separate of the 33 count as to give one more non-kicker a chance to be named to the Big 33. Thus, there are 34 players from each state who are invited to play in this game on the original roster. If there are players that are selected are unable to play, the staff of the team and the Big 33 will select other players to fill their places on the roster.
In 2006, the game was moved from mid-to-late July to mid-to-late June due to the NCAA rule changes that made some coaches prohibit many players from these teams from playing in the game due to the closeness of the upcoming summer practices.
In October 2012, it was announced that Pennsylvania had dropped Ohio from the Big 33 game and replaced them with Maryland.
Big 33 matchups by year
Home
Visitor
Years
Pennsylvania
Maryland
1985–92, 2013–present
Pennsylvania
Ohio
1972–76, 1993–2012
Pennsylvania
Texas
1964–67
Pennsylvania Blue
Pennsylvania Gray
1963
East Pennsylvania
West Pennsylvania
1961–62, 1968–71, 1977–84
Pennsylvania
Nation
1957–60
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