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Examining, ranking all ex-WVU player performances in Super Bowls

When the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs meet Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII (is anyone really that good at Roman numerals?), West Virginia University will be represented by Colton McKivitz, No. 68, who will start along the 49ers’ offensive line.

It’s always a thrill for Mountaineer fans to see one of their players on a Super Bowl roster and/or participate. By my count, McKivitz will be the 23rd to do so. There were players like Sam Huff and Ken Herock who played in NFL championships, but let’s here focus on the Super Bowl.

In a fun exercise, I went down the list of the ex-Mountaineers who got to the game and researched how they fared. Hopefully, I’m not missing any players, but I then ranked how they played, or their impact on their Super Bowl. Note there was a lot of crossover. When Jeff Hostetler led the New York Giants to a victory, for instance, Darryl Talley played opposite him for Buffalo. Also, I guess it slipped my mind that the Philadelphia Eagles once had FOUR ex-WVU players (Rasul Douglas, Shelton Gibson, Najee Goode and Wendell Smallwood) on their 2018 Super Bowl team roster – in addition to ex-Marshall standout Vinny Curry.

Anyway, after a bunch of research, let’s get to it.

  1. Chuck Howley, Dallas Cowboys (1971, loss; 1972, win) – When it comes to WVU and Super Bowls, Howley was the Man. In Super Bowl V, Dallas played Baltimore at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Warwood’s own Howley, a linebacker recently sent to the Hall of Fame, intercepted fellow Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas both in the first and fourth quarters to go along with a pair of tackles and was named the game’s MVP – perhaps because the Colts won with 5 seconds left on a field goal and voting had been completed. Nonetheless he’s still the only MVP on a losing Super Bowl team. A year later, his Dallas team, coached by Tom Landry, defeated Miami 24-3 in New Orleans. QB Roger Staubach was the MVP this time, but Howley still had a fumble recovery and 41-yard interception.
  2. Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants (1987, win; 1991, win) — If you’re comparing ex-WVU players, it’s hard to beat two-time Super Bowl champ Jeff Hostetler. Yet the tales of his two games couldn’t be more different. Yes, he was on the roster in ’87, but barely for the Giants’ 39-20 win in 1987 when Phil Simms and company defeated John Elway and Denver. Hoss was behind not only Simms, but Jeff Rutledge on the depth chart.

Everything changed, though, heading to the ’91 Super Bowl. A Week 15 foot injury to Simms gave him an opportunity and Hoss ran – and passed – with it. He led the team to two victories in the regular season then over Chicago and, in the NFC Championship, San Francisco. In Super Bowl XXV, a game most remembered for Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood’s “wide right” miss, Hoss finished with 20-of-32 passes completed for 222 yards (93.5 rating) and although back Ottis Anderson won the MVP award many (including me) argued it should have gone to Hostetler. Perhaps the most amazing play was when Hoss was tackled in the end zone for a safety by Bruce Smith but managed to hold the ball even though Smith had his wrist.

  1. Darryl Talley, Buffalo Bills (1990, loss; 1991, loss; 1992, loss; 1993, loss) “Spiderman” played in four – yes, four – Super Bowls, all for the Buffalo Bills. During those Super Bowl seasons, Talley, a linebacker, led the Bills in tackles three times and finished second once. Against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVIII, he had nine tackles, eight solo.
  2. Fulton Walker, Miami Dolphins (1983, loss) – The Martinsburg native helped Miami to Super Bowl XVII as a defensive back and kick returner and electrified the Rose Bowl with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the first in Super Bowl history and a record for the longest scoring play. He had four returns in the game for 190 yards, setting other records for kick return yards and highest single game yards-per-return average (47.5). John Riggins and Washington, however, won Super Bowl XVII 27-17.
  3. Jerry Porter, Oakland Raiders (2003, loss) – For a few years, Porter was looked to as the Raiders’ third receiver behind Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. He eventually fell out of favor with the team but not before recording four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown on nine targets in the Raiders’ 48-21 loss to Tampa Bay, aka the “Gruden Bowl.” Porter’s TD was 39 yards to cap an 82-yard drive with 2:14 left in the third quarter.
  4. Todd Sauerbrun, Carolina Panthers (2004, loss) – Super Bowl XXXVIII will be remembered for New England kicker Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard field goal with four seconds left to secure a 32-29 win over Carolina, but WVU’s Sauerbrun played a major part in the game as well. He punted seven times for the Panthers with a long of 51 and one inside the 20. He averaged 44.3 yards a kick.
  5. Bruce Irvin, Seattle Seahawks (2014, win; 2015, loss) – Bruce (or BRUUUUCE!) helped Seattle rout Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. He had two solo tackles. In the 2015 game, he had two solo tackles and a sack on Tom Brady in New England’s 28-24 win before adding a dubious distinction: He was the first player ever ejected from a Super Bowl in the XLIX game. He was ejected for throwing a closed-hand punch at Rob Gronkowski that incited a brawl in the next-to-last play.
  6. Mike Compton, New England Patriot (2002, win; 2003, win) – Mike started at left guard (beside center and now-ESPN personality Damien Woody) for the Pats in Super Bowl XXXVI. Tom Brady and company defeated the St. Louis Rams, led by Kurt Warner, 20-17, for the Pats’ first Super Bowl win. (Marshall product Troy Brown also started at receiver on that offense.) Compton moved from Detroit, where he blocked for Barry Sanders, to New England to taste the success. He played center, left guard, left tackle, you name it.
  7. David Grant, Cincinnati Bengals (1989, loss) – In perhaps the most underrated Super Bowl performance by a former Mountaineer, Grant, a backup lineman for Cincinnati, was thrust into the Super Bowl XXIII spotlight when starting nose tackle Tim Krumrie broke his leg in the first quarter of the game. No. 98 held up quite well throughout as his team battled San Francisco’s offense, led by Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. He clogged up the middle (the 49ers averaged a little over three yards a run) and had a sack. In the end, though, Montana led San Francisco on a 92-yard TD drive to post a 20-16 win in Miami.
  8. Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts (2010, loss) – Yep, the most famous former WVU football player (at least these days) was the Colts’ punter in Super Bowl XLIV. He only had two kicks though for 90 yards (with a long of 46) in the 31-17 New Orleans Saints’ victory.
  9. Najee Goode, Philadelphia Eagles (2018, win) – Goode had a nice NFL career and saw action in Super Bowl LII with a pair of tackles, one solo, in the Eagles’ victory. A linebacker who was drafted by Tampa Bay, he also played for Indianapolis and Jacksonville.
  10. Quinton Spain, Cincinnati Bengals (2022, loss) – Spain was a starter at left guard for QB Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who lost to Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and coach Sean McVay’s bunch by 23-20. Burrow was sacked seven times and the Cincy rushers had 79 yards.
  11. Ryan Mundy, Pittsburgh Steelers (2011, loss) – Mike Tomlin’s Steelers fell to Green Bay 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV and Mundy, a safety, played, recording a tackle. (Beckley native Doug Legursky was also on that defense.)

Also on rosters:

  • Walt Easley, San Francisco 49ers (1982, win) – A fullback (and, by the way, the first to score a touchdown at Puskar Stadium), Easley was a high school Parade All-American who carried the ball a lot for Don Nehlen at WVU before catching on with the 49ers, led by coach Bill Walsh and QB Joe Montana. They won Super Bowl XVI in 1982 over Cincinnati in Easley’s rookie season.
  • Mike Fox, New York Giants (1991, win) – Many WVU fans remember how Hostetler saved the day at QB for Bill Parcells and the Giants in Super Bowl XXV, but Fox, then 6-8, 297 pounds, was his teammate as a defensive lineman.
  • Mike Logan, Pittsburgh Steelers (2006, win) – The Steelers won 21-10 behind Hines Ward’s MVP performance over Seattle in Super Bowl XL. Logan, a defensive back, was on the team but had no tackles and retired in 2007.
  • Alvoid Mays, Washington Redskins (1992, win) – Washington and QB Mark Rypien defeated Buffalo and Jim Kelly 37-24 to win Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis and Mays, who played five years as a defensive back for the Redskins, was on the team and played but didn’t record a tackle.
  • Rasul Douglas, Philadelphia Eagles (2018, win) – Selected in the third round in 2017 by Philly, Rasul, a defensive back, has seemingly gotten better and better, currently with Buffalo. In 2018, the Eagles beat New England 41-33 in Super Bowl LII behind MVP Nick Foles but Douglas had no tackles. Side note: West Virginia hero and Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams was on the coin flip.
  • Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia Eagles (2018, win) – Smallwood was on the roster for Philly but didn’t get a carry in the Eagles’ 41-33 win over New England. His career ended after playing three games for Washington in 2021.
  • Shelton Gibson, Philadelphia Eagles (2018, win) – A wide receiver and return man, Gibson was on a roster that also included Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor, Alshon Jeffrey and Golden Tate. Philly defeated New England in Super Bowl LII 41-33.
  • John Thornton, Tennessee Titans (2000, loss) – Dick Vermeil’s St. Louis Rams defeated Jeff Fisher’s Tennessee Titans 23-16 in this one. Thornton played as a rookie that year but didn’t have any tackles in the game.

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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.

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