When New York Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce arrived on Wednesday, Paramount High School was ready to welcome him.

The high school marching band played and cheerleaders wearing his name and number on their shirts waved their pom-poms as Pierce slowly made his way to the gymnasium, where a screaming audience awaited him.

"What a way to come back to high school," Pierce told the crowd, which included the City Council and Paramount Unified School District board members, all clad in replica Giants jerseys bearing Pierce's name and uniform number.

Civic and school officials, coaches and more than 1,300 students crammed the gymnasium to welcome back the former Paramount High School student.

"It's a little overwhelming," said Pierce, 29. "I don't think I ever got that kind of welcoming when I was here."

Mayor Gene Daniels called Pierce "an inspiration for everyone in the city."

"It shows that (through) hard work and dedicating yourself to a goal you can make it to the top," he said.

His work as captain of the Giants defence helped quash the New England Patriots' perfect season dreams and earned his team a Super Bowl championship last month, a feat many sports pundits never predicted.

Even Daniels had his doubts about the Giants.

"I have a confession I have to make," the mayor said to Pierce. "I had New England even (as a bet) for dinner. I'll have you know you cost me dinner, but I won't hold that against you."

"My favourite number used to be three. Now it's 58," Paramount school board president Vivian Hansen said, pointing at the Antonio Pierce jersey she was wearing.

Hansen praised Pierce's leadership and determination.

"Antonio comes from the same surroundings and neighbourhoods that each of you do," she told the students. "We're proud of Antonio, his accomplishments and his representation of Paramount High School."

Cheers erupted from the student body when the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Pierce squeezed into his old high school football jersey.

Pierce reflected on construction of his high school's stadium, now underway, remembering rainy days that turned the field he played on into a "mud bowl."

He spoke about struggling with school and making bad choices in his life and said his coaches helped him stay focused on his future.

"I used everything I did here to better myself," he said.

Playing at Mt. San Antonio College earned him a full scholarship to the University of Arizona, where he recorded 77 tackles, three sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

Still, the road to the NFL was a difficult one for Pierce, who signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2001.

"I didn't get drafted. I didn't come into the league making millions of dollars," he said. "I worked for everything I got."

He sat on the bench to make way for higher-paying players before then-coach Joe Gibbs gave him a chance to play in 2004.

"And this time, I wasn't going to let the opportunity slip . . . I was going to make the most out of an opportunity."

His playing attracted the Giants, who signed him as an unrestricted free agent in 2005.

After the rally, Pierce stayed to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

"I got a hug!" one student squealed. "High five!"

"He is an inspiration to us and the students," said junior Audrey Malone, 17. "It shows us that someone can actually make it from Paramount."