HEBRON —Sean Morey turned the sharp corner on Route 119, saw the Hebron Post Office and the memories started flooding back.

“I instantly felt like I wanted to slow everything down and just go in slow motion, frame by frame because I have so many fond memories here,” Morey said.

Perhaps the greatest football player ever to come out of Hebron Academy, Morey returned to the school for the first time in 16 years this week. He will be inducted into the private school’s Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday

A skinny 18-year-old post-grad wide receiver/defensive back from Marshfield, Mass., Morey helped lead Hebron to an undefeated season and its only New England Prep School football championship in 1994.

After one year at Hebron, he went on to attend Brown, where he became one of the greatest players in the Ivy League school’s history. A seventh-round draft choice of the New England Patriots in 1999, he enjoyed a nine-year career in the NFL, becoming one of the best special teams players in the league as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals. He  played in two Super Bowls, winning one with the Steelers in 2006, and was named to the Pro Bowl as a special teams player in 2008 when he was with the Cardinals.

“When you come here, you feel like you’re a part of a community, you’re part of something bigger than yourself,” Morey said. “That’s what we felt like as a team when we showed up, because there were a lot of pg’s (post-grads) and kids that had never played football from all over, from different countries. I think Guy Coombs (Hebron’s QB in 1994) said it best, years ago, when he said we were just a group of guys that put our egos aside and wouldn’t be denied.”

Morey’s return had Hebron football coach Moose Curtis beaming at Friday’s football practice.

“He was always such a sincere individual,” said Curtis, now in his 36th year coaching the Lumberjacks. “Yeah, he was an athlete, but he worked hard to be an athlete. We had to throw him and Guy Coombs off the field at night. They were always throwing and catching.”

Morey spoke to the student body and the team on Friday. He let the players pass around his Super Bowl ring and his NFC championship ring from his Cardinals’ tenure.

“The looks on the kids faces…” Curtis said. “And of course, all of the cell phones are popping out, taking pictures of it.”

Morey has a book of quotations from coaches, including those he played for in his career. He couldn’t immediately recall a quote from Curtis, but added the coach’s impact on him went beyond words.

“Sometimes as athletes we forget what our coaches say to us, or yell at us. And sometimes that’s a good thing,” Morey said. “But you never forget the way they make you feel, and I just felt empowered as a player here. Coming here from high school to the middle of nowhere was a big transition. It’s amazing how close we were as a team. That’s what coach Moose preached, about teamwork and camaraderie.”

Curtis said Morey played a big part in building that camaraderie.

“Relationships were always important to him. People were always important to him, ” he said.

Many of Morey’s flashbacks came from memories off the field and the people he credits with help shaping him as a person as much as a player. He noted the school’s late receptionist, Edie Pierson, with whom he continued to correspond long after he graduated.

“She’s the first thing I think of, which is quite appropriate,” he said. “Edie and (husband) Bill were like a family that I got to know, as all of the students did. When I left, we kept in touch and she used to make these really beautiful hand-knit sweaters and socks for my first daughter. That’s a simple thing, but I think it speaks volumes for a community that really invests in its students.”

Morey retired from football in August, 2010 because of post-concussion syndrome. He currently serves on the NFL Players Association executive committee and was heavily involved in the negotiations with league owners during the recent lockout. Currently, he serves on a number of committees advocating player safety and welfare.

Morey is being inducted along with another former professional football player, John D. Frechette, as well as swimming star Marci Hennessey, coach and athletic director Nathaniel Harris, and hockey coach Ladd MacMillan. Ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. at the Hebron Community Baptist Church as part of this weekend’s homecoming.

“It’s a great honor, and I’m really happy to get back, just to see some friendly faces and to reminisce,” he said.

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