Schuylkill County native Gavin Bartholomew recorded his first reception in a regular season NFL game on Sunday.
Bartholomew hauled in a 4-yard pass from quarterback Kyler Murray during an early second quarter drive that led to a Minnesota Vikings field goal.
The Vikings defeated the Miami Dolphins, 15-10, to remain undefeated on the season.
This was Bartholomew’s first catch of the 2026 season. Prior to Sunday’s game, Bartholomew has been used mostly on special teams but did appear in four offensive plays last week. He’s been in on 11, 10, and 21 special teams snaps in the first three weeks, respectively.
Bartholomew, the 2021 Blue Mountain High School grad, is the first Schuylkill County native to gain positive yards in the NFL since 1998, when John Flannery, playing as a center for the St. Louis Rams, caught a batted Tony Banks pass in the first quarter of a Week 7 game, which also happened against the Dolphins.
The all-time leader in yards gained for a Schuylkill County native in the NFL is the late Jack Dolbin, of Pottsville, who spent 5 seasons with the Denver Broncos from 1975-1979, including a trip to Super Bowl XII, where he had 2 catches for 24 yards.
Dolbin caught 101 passes for 1,711 yards and 8 touchdowns in his career (including postseason). He also had 89 rushing yards on 9 carries
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