College Football

Looking back at the former Georgia Bulldogs who were named Super Bowl MVP

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:59 p.m. ET

Fansided, Kyle Funderburk/FanSided via Dawn of the Dawg

Feb 2, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; A view of the Super Bowl LI logo on the George R. Brown Convention Center before Super Bowl LI. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Super Bowl Sunday is tomorrow and two former Georgia Bulldogs will be on the field.

Georgia has long been seen as one of the best factories for NFL players in college football and that’s been apparent on the NFL’s biggest stage numerous times. Three different Bulldogs have been named Super Bowl MVP, but each of them were also big parts of other Super Bowl’s that their teams played in.

Here’s a look at the the performances of the three MVP’s as well as what they did in other Super Bowl’s

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Hines Ward introduced by Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Hines Ward: Super Bowl XL

11 years ago, Hines Ward became the third former Bulldog to be named Super Bowl MVP when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. Hard caught five passes for 123 yards that day including the game clinching, 43-yard pass from fellow receiver Antwan Randle-El.

Ward was already a modern Pittsburgh Steeler legend before the Super Bowl. He was in his eighth season with 7,000 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns going into the 2005 season. Him leading the Steelers to their record tying fifth Super Bowl win cemented his status as an all-time great.

But that wasn’t Ward’s last great performance. he played with a sprained MCL in Super Bowl XLIII and still had 43 yards on two catches to help lead the Steelers to their sixth Super Bowl victory. Ward and the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl two years later but lost to the Green Bay Packers. However, Ward had seven catches for 78 yards with one touchdown.

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Terrell Davis introduced before Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Terrell Davis: Super Bowl XXXII

The second former Bulldog to become a Super Bowl MVP was the final piece of the puzzle that was the Denver Broncos offense. John Elway had led Denver three Super Bowl’s earlier in his career but they were blown out in each of them.

Denver never had a run game that could support Elway’s passing game against the great defenses of the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. And in Super Bowl XXXII the Broncos lined up against a great Green Bay Packer defense who came in as defending Super Bowl champions.

But this time, the Broncos had Terrell Davis. After rushing for 1,117 yards as a rookie in 1995 and 1,538 yards in 1996, he had 1,750 yards in 1997 to help lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl.

In the Super Bowl, Davis only played three quarters because he had a migraine in the second quarter. But in those three quarters he had 157 yards and a Super Bowl record three rushing touchdowns. He was often used as an effective decoy when he couldn’t run because of his migraines. The Broncos won 31-24 to win their first Super Bowl and Davis was named MVP.

But Davis was not done with great Super Bowl performances. He rushed for 2,008 yards in 1998 to lead the Broncos to Super Bowl XXXIII against the Atlanta Falcons. He didn’t break 100 rushing yards that day but he had 91 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards. The Broncos won 34-19.

Davis will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August.

Jan 2, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs mascot Uga stands on the field in the second quarter during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Scott: Super Bowl VII

More from Dawn of the Dawg

The oldest player and Super Bowl on this list is for Georgia’s first Super Bowl MVP. Scott was a member of the Miami Dolphins for their wins in Super Bowl’s VII and VIII as well as the loss in Super Bowl VI. But he was named MVP of Super Bowl VII.

In his MVP game, Scott intercepted two passes including one in the fourth quarter to help clinch a 14-7 win for the Dolphins over the Redskins. A year later Scott said two Super Bowl records that still stand. He recovered two fumbles which is tied with 12 other players. He is also the only player to recover a fumble by an opposing player and by a teammate.

Scott and other members of the Miami Dolphins defense are often overlooked because the defense was nicknamed the “No Name Defense”. But Scott retired with 49 interceptions in nine years including 35 as a Dolphin which is a franchise record.