Alabama Roots: 10 stars of Super Bowl victories
Ten players with Alabama football roots are eligible to get on the field during Super Bowl LVII. Will one of them become the latest player from an Alabama high school or college to star for an NFL champion?
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in Super Bowl LVII at 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
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The players from Alabama high schools and colleges with active status for the game are:
· Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (West Limestone)
· Eagles cornerback James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford)
· Eagles guard Landon Dickerson (Alabama)
· Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll (Auburn)
· Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (Alabama)
· Eagles cornerback Josh Jobe (Alabama)
· Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (Alabama)
· Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount)
· Chiefs offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (Edgewood Academy, Auburn)
· Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens)
Over the 56 previous Super Bowls, 10 of the top performances for championship winners by players with Alabama football roots include:
Bart Starr, quarterback, Green Bay Packers
From Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery and an Alabama alumnus, Starr was the MVP of the first two Super Bowls by guiding the Packers to a pair of victories. He completed 16-of-23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I on Jan. 15, 1967, and 13-of-24 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in a 33-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II on Jan. 14, 1968.
Joe Namath, quarterback, New York Jets
Namath followed Bart Starr as former Alabama quarterbacks who won the Super Bowl MVP Award. The Jets QB guaranteed the AFL team would win Super Bowl III, even though the NFL champ had handily taken the first two Super Bowls. Then Namath completed 17-of-28 passes for 206 yards – without throwing a pass in the fourth quarter — in the Jets’ 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts on Jan. 12, 1969.
Ken Stabler, quarterback, Oakland Raiders
From Foley High School and Alabama, Stabler completed 12-of-19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown – without throwing a pass in the fourth quarter — in guiding the Raiders to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI on Jan. 9, 1977.
John Stallworth, wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
From Tuscaloosa High School and Alabama A&M, Stallworth won four Super Bowl rings with Pittsburgh. In his final two Super Bowl appearances, Stallworth caught three passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 35-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII on Jan. 21, 1979, and had three receptions for 121 yards and one TD in Pittsburgh’s 31-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV on Jan. 20, 1980.
Antowain Smith, running back, New England Patriots
The former Stanhope Elmore standout was the Patriots’ leading rusher in New England’s first two Super Bowl victories. Smith ran for 92 yards on 18 carries in a 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002, and he had 83 yards on 26 carries and scored a fourth-quarter TD in a 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1, 2004.
Justin Tuck, defensive end, New York Giants
A former Central-Coosa star, Tuck played in two Super Bowls, and he sacked Tom Brady twice in each of them. Tuck also had six tackles and forced a fumble as the Giants ended the New England Patriots’ perfect season with a 17-14 victory in Super Bowl LXII on Feb. 3, 2008, and he had three tackles and pressured Brady into an intentional-grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety in the Giants’ 21-17 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 5, 2012.
Malcolm Butler, cornerback, New England Patriots
An undrafted rookie from West Alabama, Butler saved the Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015. With Seattle at the New England 1-yard line and less than one minute to play, Butler intercepted a pass at the goal line on the Seahawks’ final snap of the game. Butler played in two more Super Bowls for New England. In the Patriots’ 34-28 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 2017, Butler had two tackles. In New England’s 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018, Butler mysteriously played only one special-teams snap after playing more snaps than any other New England defensive player during the season.
Dont’a Hightower, linebacker, New England Patriots
There’s a reason that New England coach Bill Belichick called Hightower “Mr. February.” The Alabama alumnus played in three Super Bowl victories. On the Seattle offense’s next-to-last snap of Super Bowl XLIX, Hightower brought down Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at the New England 1-yard line despite playing with a torn labrum in a 28-24 victory on Feb. 1, 2015. In Super Bowl LI, Hightower sacked Matt Ryan, causing the Falcons quarterback to fumble. The Patriots recovered the loose football at the Atlanta 25-yard line with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown and spark a comeback from a 16-point deficit that New England turned into a 34-28 overtime victory on Feb. 5, 2017. In the Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019, Hightower recorded two sacks, three quarterback hits and a pass breakup.
DeMarcus Ware, outside linebacker, Denver Broncos
In his 11th NFL season, Ware earned his first NFL championship ring in the Broncos’ 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, 2016. The former Auburn High School and Troy standout had five tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits as Denver harassed Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who’d been named the NFL Most Valuable Player for the 2015 season the previous day.
Tyreek Hill, wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
The former West Alabama standout had nine receptions for 105 yards in the Chiefs’ 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020. Trailing 20-10, Kansas City faced third-and-15 on its 35-yard line when Hill got open for a 44-yard reception from quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 7:13 to play. The Chiefs scored a touchdown to complete that series, then reached the end zone on their next two possessions, too, to win going away. Kansas City reached the NFL title game the next year, too, and Hill caught seven passes for 78 yards in Super Bowl LV. But the Chiefs lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9 on Feb. 7, 2021.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.