FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orange Bowl Committee
February 1, 2012
Noah Sharfman
[email protected]
305-341-4737
FOURTEEN DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL VETERANS
TO MEET IN SUPER BOWL XLVI ON FEBRUARY 5
Miami Lakes, Fla. – Fourteen players whose collegiate teams participated in the Discover Orange Bowl will meet in
Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots on February 5, 2012.
Ten of those players are active, three are on injured reserve and one is on the practice squad.
The NFC Champion Giants have five players on its roster whose collegiate team played in the Discover Orange Bowl
during their career, while the AFC Champion Patriots have nine. All 14 Orange Bowl veterans played in Orange
Bowls ranging from the 1998 National Championship between Nebraska and Tennessee to the 2010 Classic
between Iowa and Georgia Tech.
New York’s Orange Bowl veterans include: Deon Grant (Tennessee, 1998), Antrel Rolle (Miami, 2004), Tyler Sash
(Iowa, 2010) and Justin Trattou (Florida, 2009). Terrell Thomas (Southern California, 2005) is on injured reserve.
New England’s Orange Bowl veterans include: Tom Brady (Michigan, 2000), Shaun Ellis (Tennessee, 1998), Aaron
Hernandez (Florida, 2009), Brandon Spikes (Florida, 2009), Gerard Warren (Florida 1999) and Vince Wilfork (Miami,
2004). Rich Ohrnberger (Penn State, 2006) and Jeff Tarpinian (Iowa, 2010) are on injured reserve, while Mike Rivera
(Kansas, 2008) is on the practice squad.
This year’s Super Bowl is a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, which the Giants won 17-14. That game featured 10 Orange
Bowl veterans, five on each team. The only two Orange Bowl veterans to play in both Super Bowls between the
Patriots and Giants are Tom Brady and Vince Wilfork.
Orange Bowl veterans have earned Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors 10 times, the most recent being
Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1998), MVP of Super Bowl XLI. Tom Brady was named MVP of Super
Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII. Brady held the Orange Bowl record for most passing yards in a game with 369 yards until
West Virginia’s Geno Smith threw for 407 yards in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl. Brady’s passing mark stood for
11 years.
Other former Orange Bowl players to win Super Bowl MVP honors include Super Bowl I and II MVP Bart Starr
(Alabama, 1953), Super Bowl III MVP Joe Namath (Alabama, 1963, 65), Super Bowl IX MVP Franco Harris (Penn
State, 1970), Super Bowl XVII MVP John Riggins (Kansas, 1969), Super Bowl XXXV MVP Ray Lewis (Miami, 1995)
and Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson (Florida State, 1996).
###
About the Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is a 341-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the
South Florida community. The Orange Bowl Festival features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the
Discover Orange Bowl on January 1, 2013 and the Discover BCS National Championship on January 7, 2013. Other
Orange Bowl core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football
Alliance presented by Sports Authority, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, Orange Bowl Sailing
Regatta Series and Orange Bowl Paddle Championships. For more information on the 2012-13 Orange Bowl Festival
and its events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to
www.orangebowl.org.