WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With the NFL Playoffs whittled down to the final eight teams, it is assured that there will be at least one Boilermaker on a Super Bowl roster for a 16th consecutive year. Purdue has players on each of the four remaining NFC teams and on two of the four remaining AFC teams.
Defensive end Rob Ninkovich starts the Purdue quest for Phoenix, Ariz., site of the Super Bowl XLIX, on Saturday when New England hosts Baltimore at 4:35 p.m. ET. Ninkovich started all 16 regular season games for the Patriots, racking up 62 tackles, 45 solo, with 8.0 sacks, two PBUs, an interception and a fumble recovered. The Patriots went 12-4 during the regular season, clinching a first round bye and home field advantage as the top team in the AFC.
Later on Saturday, defensive end Cliff Avril and the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks will host defensive tackles Kawann Short and the NFC South Champion Carolina Panthers at 8:15 p.m. ET. Avril, who became the 12th Boilermaker in the previous 15 years to win a Super Bowl last season, started all 16 games for the Seahawks in 2014. He recorded 23 tackles, 5.0 sacks, a pair of PBUs, a fumble forced and a fumble recovered for the top team in the NFC. Short appeared in all 16 games for the Panthers, with nine starts, finishing with 40 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two PBUs, a pair of fumbles recovered and a fumble forced. He had a sack in last week's NFC Wild Card win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Sunday's matinee between Dallas and Green Bay will begin at 1:05 p.m. ET and will feature Boilermakers Anthony Spencer for the Cowboys and Mike Neal of the Packers. Defensive end Spencer appeared in 13 games for Dallas and finished the regular season with 22 tackles, an assisted sack, a PBU and fumble forced and recovered. He had three tackles with a sack in the NFC Wild Card victory over Detroit last week. Neal appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Packers, with three starts, and finished with 33 tackles and 4.5 sacks for the NFC North Champions. Rookie defensive tackle Bruce Gaston is also on the Packers' roster, but has not played.
The final game of the weekend will feature linebacker Shaun Phillips and Indianapolis Colts at the Denver Broncos at 4:40 p.m. ET. Phillips appeared in five games for the Colts after being claimed off of waivers from Tennessee on Nov. 26. He recorded five tackles for Indianapolis and 19 tackles with a pair of sacks for the Titans in 2014. Phillips was a member of the Super Bowl runner up Broncos last season.
In college football action, Brock Spack will lead Illinois State against North Dakota State for the national championship in the Football Championship Subdivision. Spack, who lettered as a linebacker at Purdue from 1980 to 1983 and was an assistant coach from 1991 to 1994 and again from 1997 to 2008, has guided the Redbirds to a 13-1 record this season as the head coach. Three of Brock's assistant coaches have Boilermaker ties: Lamar Conard, Cody Deti and Billy Dicken. Illinois State and North Dakota State will square off for the FCS title at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
12 Super Bowl Champions in the Last 15 Years
Jeff Zgonina (St. Louis Rams - XXXIV)
Rod Woodson (Baltimore Ravens - XXXV)
Matt Light and David Nugent (New England Patriots - XXXVI)
Mike Alstott (Tampa Bay Buccaneers - XXXVII)
Rosevelt Colvin, Brandon Gorin, Light and Gene Mruczkowski (New England - XXXVIII)
Colvin, Gorin, Light and Mruczkowski (New England - XXXIX)
Chukky Okobi (Pittsburgh Steelers - XL)
Gilbert Gardner and John Standeford (Indianapolis Colts - XLI)
Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints - XLIV)
Mike Neal (Green Bay Packers - XLV)
Bernard Pollard (Baltimore Ravens - XLVII)
Cliff Avril (Seattle Seahawks - XLVIII)
MVP's
Quarterback Len Dawson was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IV, while quarterback Drew Brees earned the honor for Super Bowl XLIV.
Super Scoring
Mike Alstott scored the first Super Bowl touchdown by a Purdue alum in Super Bowl XXXVII. Three former Boilermakers have thrown touchdown passes in the Super Bowl: Dawson (I and IV) Bob Griese (VII) and Brees (XLIV).
Woodson x 3
Defensive back Rod Woodson played in three Super Bowls with three teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (XXX), Baltimore Ravens (XXXV) and Oakland Raiders (XXXVII).