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Former Big Ten Players and Coaches Set to Compete in Super Bowl XLIV
Jan. 25, 2010
The Big Ten Conference will be well-represented on Sunday, Feb. 7, in Super Bowl XLIV with 20 former student-athletes and 13 coaches with previous conference connections on the rosters of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. The Big Ten leads all conferences with 20 players on the two Super Bowl squads, followed by the SEC (19 players), Big 12 (18), ACC (15) and Pac-10 (13). All 11 Big Ten schools will be represented on the field or on the sidelines on Super Bowl Sunday, including former players from nine different programs and both head coaches. Michigan leads the way with four former players. Ohio State ranks second with three standouts, followed by two student-athletes each from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Fighting Illini top all conference schools with four former assistant coaches set to take part in the Super Bowl, including New Orleans head coach Sean Payton. The Hawkeyes and Wildcats rate second with three former assistant coaches on the sidelines, including Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell, who played and coached at Iowa. The Colts feature 10 former Big Ten student-athletes, including six on the active roster. Standouts from six different conference schools will take the field, including Illinois defensive back Kelvin Hayden, Iowa tight end Dallas Clark, Michigan running back Mike Hart, Michigan State defensive end Ervin Baldwin, Northwestern defensive lineman John Gill and Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter. In addition, four former Big Ten players are currently on the team’s injured reserve list, including Hawkeyes defensive back Bob Sanders, Wolverines defensive back Marlin Jackson, Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi. The Saints could highlight as many as 10 former Big Ten standouts, all on the active roster. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State each boast two former players on the New Orleans roster, including the Hoosiers duo of cornerback Tracy Porter and wideout Courtney Roby, the Wolverines pair of wide receiver Adrian Arrington and center Jonathan Goodwin, and the Buckeyes tandem of cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and defensive end Will Smith. Other conference players on the roster include Illinois running back Pierre Thomas, Northwestern offensive tackle Zach Strief, Purdue quarterback Drew Brees and Wisconsin linebacker Jonathan Casillas.
Both head coaches and 11 assistant coaches that will be prowling the sidelines at Super Bowl XLIV boast Big Ten connections. Caldwell played at Iowa and was also an assistant for the Hawkeyes, Northwestern and Penn State, while Payton was an assistant coach at Illinois. The Colts staff also includes offensive coordinator Tom Moore (played at Iowa and served as an assistant at Iowa and Minnesota), defensive coordinator Larry Coyer (assistant at Iowa and Ohio State), running backs coach Gene Huey (assistant at Ohio State), special teams coach Ray Rychleski (assistant at Penn State), defensive assistant Bill Teerlinck (assistant at Indiana) and defensive line coach John Teerlinck (assistant at Illinois). The Saints staff also features special teams coach Greg McMahon (assistant at Minnesota and Illinois), running backs coach Brett Ingalls (assistant at Northwestern), offensive line coach Aaron Kromer (assistant at Northwestern), assistant special teams coach Mike Mallory (played at Michigan and served as an assistant at Indiana and Illinois) and tight ends coach Terry Malone (assistant at Michigan). The complete list of Big Ten players and coaches set to participate in Super Bowl XLIV appears below: Indianapolis Colts (10) Name, Position, School Coaches New Orleans Saints (10) Name, Position, School Coaches * Injured Reserve |
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