Elementary school teacher uses NFL in curriculum; Eagles show support

Mary Crippen is a third-grade teacher in Miami. Her mother, a retired teacher, used to incorporate the NFL into her lesson plans decades ago.

Crippen, taking notice of her students' interests, thought she could mimic what her mother did and see if the students enjoyed it. What started as tracking the Miami Dolphins' wins and losses turned into an entire curriculum Crippen has named "NFeLementary."

"Over this past summer, I really sat down and took my mom's curriculum, lined up everything I teach in third grade, and was like, 'ok how can I turn this into something that's not just random tracking the NFL, it's actually applicable. It's going to be useful to what they're learning," Crippen said.

She started recording videos of her lessons and posting them on social media. The videos went viral on TikTok, and NFL teams took notice. She received so much support from the league that teams began sending gift boxes to her classroom.

"What they don't realize is these little things that they're doing, this changed their life," Crippen reflected. "It changed so many of their lives for the better."

At the start of the school year, Crippen hosted an "NFL Draft." Each student selected their own team for the season. One of them, Alex, drafted the Philadelphia Eagles. Little did he know they would become the Super Bowl Champions.

Even more of a coincidence, Alex's birthday fell on Super Bowl Sunday, sharing a birthday with Eagles' running back Saquon Barkley and defensive back Cooper DeJean. The organization wanted to show support, so they sent Alex a signed football from Barkley and DeJean, along with a video message.

"I remember sitting on my couch," Crippen recalls. "It must have been a Wednesday night. I was watching TV with my husband, and I got an email from the Eagles' PR, and it was a video. I open it, and it's Saquon's face."

Crippen was in disbelief.

"I'm watching it all unfold here. Their lives could have gone one way, but they are now on a different path because of what's happened in here," Crippen remarks.

Crippen believes football goes beyond the gridiron, and she's committed to making learning fun, using football as the vessel to change her students' lives.