Feb. 8, 2010

For the second straight year and the fourth time in the last nine seasons, a former Big Ten standout claimed Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors. Former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees was named Super Bowl XLIV MVP after leading New Orleans to its first championship. Brees was one of 10 former Big Ten student-athletes to earn a Super Bowl ring with the Saints, while 10 past conference standouts were on the opposite sideline with the Indianapolis Colts. The Big Ten led 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).

Brees, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (1998 and 2000), won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player and was named the Academic All-America of the Year following the 2000 season. The two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection matched a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, connecting on 32-of-39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He is the second straight Big Ten student-athlete to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, after Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes helped Pittsburgh win the title last year. Former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady also earned MVP accolades in 2002 and 2004 after leading New England to Super Bowl triumphs.
 
Brees was one of many former Big Ten standouts to have an impact on Super Bowl XLIV. His first touchdown pass went to former Illinois running back Pierre Thomas, who rushed nine times and caught six passes for a combined 85 yards. Former Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter picked off Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown to secure the 31-17 victory with 3:12 left in the game. Porter collected four tackles in the game, while former Ohio State defensive back Malcolm Jenkins amassed five tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass deflection. Fellow Hoosier Courtney Roby returned four kickoffs for 102 yards. For Indianapolis, former Iowa tight end Dallas Clark led all players with 86 receiving yards and tied for the game-high with seven receptions. Former Illinois defensive back Kelvin Hayden tied for second among the Colts with six tackles.

All 11 Big Ten schools were represented on the field or on the sidelines on Super Bowl Sunday, including former players from nine different programs and both head coaches. Michigan led the way with four former players. Ohio State ranked second with three standouts, followed by two student-athletes each from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Fighting Illini topped all conference schools with four former assistant coaches in the Super Bowl, including New Orleans head coach Sean Payton. The Hawkeyes and Wildcats rated second with three former assistant coaches on the sidelines, including Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell, who played and coached at Iowa.

The Colts featured 10 former Big Ten student-athletes, including six on the active roster. Standouts from six different conference schools took the field, including Illinois’ Hayden, Iowa’s 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 were 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 highlighted 10 former Big Ten standouts, all on the active roster. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State each boasted two former players on the New Orleans roster, including the Hoosiers duo of Porter and Roby, the Wolverines pair of wide receiver Adrian Arrington and center Jonathan Goodwin, and the Buckeyes tandem of Jenkins and defensive end Will Smith. Other conference players on the roster included Illinois’ Thomas, Northwestern offensive tackle Zach Strief, Purdue’s Brees and Wisconsin linebacker Jonathan Casillas.

Both head coaches and 11 assistant coaches that prowled 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 included 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 featured 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).

Big Ten Football

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