Delaware has had no shortage of football players who excelled at the high school level, sparking their teams and earning fans’ admiration.

The best of them went on to collegiate and pro success.

With the United States nearing its 250th anniversary of gaining independence, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time.

At the root of that are the high school athletes who became familiar names in their schools, communities and the state of Delaware while making headlines with their athletic exploits. The USA TODAY Network hopes to first spotlight those individuals.

Here in Delaware, we’re compiling lists of the best players in several sports. We begin with football, which has long garnered the most attention.

These are our choices for Delaware’s 10 greatest football players, listed alphabetically:

Jamie Duncan, Christiana

Duncan was a central figure in Christiana’s rise to power. He was 1992 state Defensive Player of the Year after also being first-team All-State at linebacker as a junior in 1991. He also starred as a tight end and running back. At Vanderbilt, he was a second-team All-American linebacker in 1997 and made 425 career tackles while earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Duncan then appeared in 96 NFL games with 56 starts over seven seasons.

Chris Godwin, Middletown

The wide receiver sparked Middletown to the 2011 and 2012 state titles and was a state Player of the Year honoree. He then starred at Penn State, catching 154 passes for 2,421 yards and 18 TDs. He was a third-round 2017 draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Godwin was All-Pro in 2019 and won the Super Bowl after the 2020 season. He’s caught 612 passes for 7,626 yards and 41 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons, all with the Bucs.

Duron Harmon, Caesar Rodney

Harmon was state Defensive Player of the Year while sparking the Riders to the 2008 state championship. He then played in 50 games at Rutgers, starting his last two seasons and intercepting six passes while earning All-Big East at safety. Harmon was then a key part of the New England Patriots’ secondary, spending seven of his 11 seasons there and winning three Super Bowls. He played in 168 NFL games and had 24 interceptions.

Kwame Harris, Newark

Harris was the state’s most heavily recruited high school football player ever while being a three-time first-team All-Stater and Lineman of the Year. He went to Stanford and was a three-year starter and first-team All-Pac 10 choice as a senior. Harris was a first-round draft pick, 26^th overall, by the 49ers and played 86 games with 55 starts in six NFL seasons.

Delaware Online/The News Journal has launched a new Prom of the Week contest, and we need your help choosing which prom stands out above the rest.

For years, Delaware Online has covered prom celebrations across the First State. Now, readers can vote each week for their favorite prom from those we feature.

Voting runs from Sunday through 5 p.m. Thursday.

Videographer Joseph Johnson will produce a special video feature highlighting each week’s winning prom.

Here are this week’s contenders for Prom of the Week.

So rally your school, win the spotlight, and let your night shine.

Date Posted: Saturday, April 25th, 2026

The Delaware State Police announced the recipients of the 2025 Trooper of the Year and Professional Staff of the Year Awards during a ceremony on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. To highlight the importance of the event, notable attendees included Governor Matt Meyer, Chief Deputy Attorney General Dan Logan, Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Joshua Bushweller, Colonel William D. Crotty, and Sergeant Shawn Doherty, President of the Delaware State Troopers Association, who all offered congratulatory remarks.

Trooper of the Year

The Delaware State Police Trooper of the Year is awarded annually to one sworn employee who is recognized by their peers as having outstanding character and integrity and whose actions or performance significantly exceeded expectations during that calendar year.

From the twelve nominees, Colonel Crotty and the Executive Staff selected Corporal Robert Prettyman as the 2025 Trooper of the Year for his exceptional efforts and contributions to the Division and the citizens of the State of Delaware.

Trooper of the Year Nominees

Trooper First Class Colin Osler – Troop 1

Detective Justin Adams – Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit

Trooper First Class Jonathan Lado – Troop 2 Patrol

Detective Brandon Yencer – Troop 3 Criminal Investigations Unit

Trooper First Class Jacob Pangle – Troop 3 Patrol

Detective Heidi Lingo – Troop 4 Criminal Investigations Unit

Trooper First Class Brian Nieto – Troop 4 Patrol

Corporal Robert Prettyman – Troop 5

Corporal/1 Matthew “Ty” Snook – Troop 6

Corporal/1 Ryan Nowakowski – Troop 7

Corporal Emanuel Velez – Troop 9

Detective Michael Macauley – Headquarters

Professional Staff of the Year

The Delaware State Police Professional Staff of the Year is awarded annually to one employee whose service with the Delaware State Police has been outstanding throughout the course of that calendar year.

From the eleven nominees, Colonel Crotty and the Executive Staff selected Revered Jeffrey A. Miller, Sr. as the 2025 Professional Staff of the Year.  Reverend Miller is assigned to Troop 2 and also serves as a Chaplain for the division.

Professional Staff of the Year Nominees

Ms. Mayra Cruz-Chavez – Victim Services

Ms. Ashleigh Haines – State Bureau of Identification

Ms. Sonia Jonas – Troop 3

Mr. Barry Laise – KENTCOM

Ms. Kerry-Gene Lussier – Information Technology

Reverend Jeffrey A. Miller, Sr. – Troop 2

Ms. Heather Neeld – RECOM

Ms. Donna Newth-Showell – Troop 6

Mr. Schyler Outten – SUSCOM

Ms. Nicole Sund – Delaware Information Analysis Center

Mr. Robert Zurlo – Troop 5 Transportation

Additionally, Troopers, Professional Staff, and non-divisional members received several awards for Life Saving, Exceptional Performance, the Superintendent’s Citation, and Valor.

Congratulations to all award nominees and the recipients.  Please enjoy the award ceremony highlight video below.

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