Even throughout this system’s down years within the 2000s, Pitt soccer has been recognized to provide high quality NFL expertise. With many alumni happening to search out NFL success it shouldn’t come as an entire shock that this 12 months would be the ninth straight season that Pitt could have an alumnus within the Tremendous Bowl.

Avonte Maddox of the Philadelphia Eagles will go well with up towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in State Farm Stadium at Glendale, Arizona when the 2 convention winners meet in Tremendous Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12 at 6:30 p.m. EST. This got here after the Eagles thrashing of the San Francisco 49ers this previous Sunday, 31-7.

Maddox appeared within the NFC Championship recreation after lacking the earlier three weeks attributable to a toe harm. He had three tackles within the recreation and wasn’t wanted an excessive amount of after the 49ers noticed accidents to 2 of their quarterbacks, with rookie starter Brock Purdy coming again into the sport out of necessity regardless of struggling an harm within the first quarter.

Whatever the 49ers being restricted passing smart within the NFC Championship, Maddox has been a key participant within the Eagles’ secondary since being drafted by them within the fourth spherical of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Earlier in his profession, the Eagles bounced him across the secondary earlier than making him their nickel nook final season. He’s since thrived in that function, being rated the No. 9 general cornerback within the NFL by ProFootballFocus final 12 months and will be argued as one of many recreation’s greatest slot cornerbacks at the moment.

Maddox was injured for a lot of this season and solely appeared in 9 common season video games, making eight begins. His affect has been felt in these video games as he’s compelled three fumbles, caught an interception, registered a sack and made 43 tackles this previous season.

And now he’ll have an opportunity to make an affect within the Tremendous Bowl, like so many different Pitt gamers have completed earlier than him.

The latest instance, in fact, is Los Angeles Rams star defensive sort out Aaron Donald, who received the Tremendous Bowl final 12 months by sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on the sport’s remaining play. Donald went up towards huge receiver Tyler Boyd in that recreation, additionally from Pitt.

Donald’s win although marked three consecutive seasons wherein a Pitt participant had been part of the NFL’s Tremendous Bowl profitable workforce, though the previous three seasons Pitt had at the least one participant on every workforce so a win, and a loss, was assured.

Of the earlier eight Tremendous Bowls at the least one Pitt participant has been on 5 of the profitable groups and 6 of the shedding groups with Pitt gamers going through off in three of these video games.

Together with Maddox this 12 months, there has now been 12 totally different Pitt gamers to have made, at the least, one of many final 9 Tremendous Bowls with three – Donald (2019, 2022), LeSean McCoy (2020, 2021) and Dion Lewis (2017, 2018) – showing in a number of Tremendous Bowls over that timeframe.

The total record of latest Pitt Tremendous Bowl individuals is discovered beneath with winners in daring:

2022 – Tyler Boyd (Cincinnati), Aaron Donald (Los Angeles)

2021 – Maurice Ffrench (Kansas Metropolis), LeSean McCoy (Tampa Bay), Jordan Whitehead (Tampa Bay)

2020 – LeSean McCoy (Kansas Metropolis), Ok’Waun Williams (San Francisco)

2019 – Aaron Donald (Los Angeles)

2018 – Nicholas Grigsby (Atlanta), Dion Lewis (Atlanta)

2017 – Jabaal Sheard (Denver), Dion Lewis (Denver)

2016 – Chas Alecxih (Seattle)

2015 – Darrell Revis (New England)