Family overjoyed to see Philadelphia's Corey Brown in Super Bowl 50

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Former Cardinal O'Hara product Corey Brown will be taking the field Sunday at Super Bowl 50 as a starting wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers.

His teammates call him Philly Brown.

"He's from Philadelphia and he does take pride into being from Philadelphia. He has tattoos of the Liberty Bell and the skyline," his mom Dalene told Action News.

Dalene and brother Justin, an O'Hara sophomore, will see it all in person.

"Hopefully, I won't faint. First of all, I'm going to be in California. Second of all, I'm going to watch my son play in Super Bowl 50, it's just going to be unbelievable. Unbelievable," Dalene said.

"It's just one in a million and he's the one in a million," Justin said.

It's a dream he's had for as long as his family can remember. In fact, at Hancock Elementary School in Northeast Philadelphia sits a tile Brown painted in 5th grade. The letters 'NFL' are shown in crooked 10-year-old handwriting.

His path there is just as curvy.

Brown went undrafted out of Ohio State. Who would've imagined he'd help punch Carolina's ticket to the Super Bowl with an 86-year touchdown grab in the NFC Championship game, the longest in Panthers' history?

"When he scored that 86-yard touchdown, I must've knocked everybody over that was sitting around me saying, 'That was my son!'" Dalene said.

As focused as Brown will be on the biggest game of his life, you'll have to forgive him if he has more on his mind than Super Bowl 50.

"My mom lost her longtime battle with pancreatic cancer on Saturday morning," Dalene said.

Dalene struggled with whether or not to tell Corey. She didn't want him to be distracted.

After learning the news, Corey posted a photo of his grandmother on Instagram saying, "I'm blessed that you had the opportunity to see me grow into a man."

Dalene says he'll have an angel on his shoulder on Sunday and the game will have even more meaning.

"There's going to be a ton of tears. I know it. I can't wait. They are going to win. They are going to win," Dalene said.

On the other side of the field will be another Philadelphia native and a former Temple Owl - Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus.