Valley Grad and Super Bowl Champion Justin Hartwig Gets High School Hall of Fame Nod

Justin Hartwig, a 1997 graduate of Valley High School and an NFL athlete who played on the 2009 Super Bowl championship Pittsburgh Steelers team, will be among six former prep standouts who will be honored in November as a member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Football Players Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

The six men will be honored during the halftime of the Class 4A state championship football game on Nov. 16, Iowa Prep Sports reported.

After graduating from Valley, Hartwig was a three-year starter on Kansas University’s offensive line and was an All-Big 12 selection his senior year. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2002 and also played for the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was a member of the 2009 Super Bowl Championship team.

He is currently a free agent. The Steelers cut him in 2010 after effors to trade him failed.

He left the NFL in 2010.

A three-sport athlete at Valley, Hartwig also led the basketball team in rebounding. In track and field, he won the conference discus title for two consecutive year.

Other members of the 2012 Hall of Fame class include:

• Carey Bender, a 1990 graduate of Marion High School
• Chris Coffman, a 1992 graduate of Sigourney-Keota High School
• Jared DeVries, a 1994 graduate of Aplington-Parkersburg High School
• Jason Olejniczak, a 1989 graduate of Decorah High School
• Rollie Wiebers, a 1975 graduate of Denison High School