Local twins play in Super Bowl together

NEW JERSEY (FOX 5 NY) - 31-years ago, twin boys were born in Nyack, New York. On Sunday, Devin and Jason McCourty will become the first twins to play in the Super Bowl together on the same team. They are starters in the New England Patriots defensive backfield.

Their mother is Phyllis Harrell.

"It's fantastic. It's a dream come true. They always wanted to...they used to talk about this happening," Harrell says. "We never thought it would really happen."

Harrell reflected on her sons' journey from her home in New Jersey. She lives not far from where the McCourty twins played high school football at St. Joseph's Regional in Montvale.

"I didn't allow fighting...them to fight each other," Harrell says. "But they got along, and they always pushed each other even as kids."

Their father, Calvin McCourty, died of a heart attack at the age of 36, when the twins were young. But he left an enormous impact.

"Their dad was a basketball player he played basketball in high school, so early on, by the time before he passed away at three years old, they were already bouncing a basketball," Harrell says.

A few years later, their older brother introduced them to football. And then, the twins made a pact, they would earn a college scholarship to take the financial burden off of their mother.

"I remember them saying to me, 'well mommy, don't worry, we're gonna do great, we going to go to St. Joe's ...you're not gonna have to pay for college.' So I'd say, 'okay!'," Harrell says. "But it happened!"

With full scholarships to Rutgers, their play led the McCourty's to the NFL. Devin has played his entire 9-year career with the Patriots and has won two Super Bowls. But Jason never even played in the post season until he was traded to the Patriots this past season.

"He's so happy," Harrell says. "Because every Super Bowl Devin has been at Jason has been there."

Harrell is now in Atlanta going to events with her daughter-in-laws and several grandchildren.

Devin McCourty says if the Patriots win the Super Bowl, he'll consider retiring. He said he didn't know what could top winning a third Super Bowl with his brother as his teammate.