🏈 @AllenIverson's Bethel H.S. Football Jersey Retired #Hampton #Virginia
HAMPTON, VA — 🏈 FOOTBALL? YES FOOTBALL! At Darling Stadium in Hampton, basketball (AND football…) superstar Allen Iverson was honored once again by the community he grew up in. Iverson’s #10 football jersey he wore as quarterback at Bethel High School in Hampton was officially retired.
🏀 Though most people think of basketball when they hear Iverson’s name, the 11-time NBA all-star was a standout in high school football as well. Many thought Iverson was better at football than basketball — though it’s hard to imagine. In 1996, Iverson entered the NBA, after playing at Georgetown University from 1994 to 1996. He played in the NBA for 14 seasons and was featured in many you-won’t-believe-this style clip reels along the way.
Iverson is arguably the most accomplished and talented athlete in Virginia’s history. The Commonwealth has several notable sports stars including Arthur Ashe and Michael Vick. But the length of Iverson’s career and the records he holds, along with his dazzling play on the court has lasted in the memories of many sports fans not just in Virginia but throughout the U.S.
Iverson played quarterback for Bethel H.S. and was a dual-sport standout earning the Associated Press High School Player of the Year honor in both football and basketball. Iverson led Bethel’s basketball and football teams to state championships.
Long known as someone who has never forgotten his roots and the Hampton community he grew up in, Iverson, 47, referenced community as he spoke after his number ten jersey was unveiled in a frame from behind a black cover.
”I love representing y’all. I love being from Virginia,” Iverson said as he was celebrated.
👊🏽 Looking on nearby were Iverson’s teammates from the 1992 championship team he quarterbacked. The half-time honors were a draw that created a long line for tickets as the game began and into the first quarter. The weather was perfect and the parking lot was impossible to find a space in before the second quarter started.
“I’ve been around the world and back over and over again. There ain’t nothing like home. You all made me and raised me to be the man that I am today,” Iverson added.
The jersey presentations were made at halftime as the Bethel Bruins challenged Nansemond River. Under the Friday night lights, the crowd watched at halftime as Iverson stood alongside elected officials and High School Administrators. One jersey was presented to Iverson as a gift to take home and the other will hang in the Bethel High School gymnasium.
In 2019, Bethel H.S. named the school gymnasium after the superstar.
Congressman Bobby Scott presented Iverson with a copy of the congressional record commemorating the retirement of his high school football jersey.
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