Of the 145 players on the active, injured and practice squad rosters of
the teams in Sunday’s Super Bowl, 13.1 percent played collegiately at
schools currently in the ACC.
Nineteen players from ACC schools
are part of the New England Patriots and New York Giants’ rosters, the
third most of any conference. Seven are starters, including six Giants.
Veteran
defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is a regular starter for the Patriots,
plus former Georgia Tech star Gary Guyton started six games at
linebacker.
Six of the Giants’ starters, however, are from ACC
schools. They include on defense, Chris Canty (Tackle), Mathias Kiwanuka
(end), and safeties Antre Rolle and Kenny Phillips, both from Miami.
Offensively, guard Chris Nee from Boston College and wide receiver
Hakeem Nicks from North Carolina combined to start 31 games this season.
Overall, six Patriots and 13 Giants played at current ACC schools.
As
for the conference breakdown, the SEC and Big ten lead the way with 23
players each on the combined rosters. Among the throng from the SEC, 10
are with the Giants and 13 are with New England. Fourteen Big Ten alums
are with the Giants while nine are with the Patriots. The Pac-12 and Big
East have 15 players each on the rosters. The Pac-12 break down is four
Giants and 11 Patriots, whole the Big East’s is 6 Giants and nine
Patriots. The Big 12 has seven (four Giants, three Patriots).
The following is a list of the 19 players from ACC school along with some notable statistics:
New England Patriots
Active roster…
Danny Aiken, R, LS, Virginia –
Ron Brace, 3rd year, DE, Boston College – 7 games, 4 tackles, 1 forced fumed
Gary Guyton, 4th year, LB, Georgia Tech – 13 games, 6 starts, 47 tackles, one interception
Vince Wilfork, 8th year, NT, Miami – Started all 16 games, 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries
Injured…
Ras-I Dowling, R, DB, Virginia – Played in two games
Dan Koppen, 9th year, C, Boston College – Played in one game
New York Giants
Active roster…
Will Blackmon, 6th year, CB, Boston College –
Chris Canty, 7th year, DT, Virginia – Started all 16 games, 47 tackles, 4 sacks, also had a safety
Mark Herzlich, R, LB, Boston College –
Mathias Kiwanuka, 6th year, DE, Boston College – 15 starts, 84 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery
Hakeem Nicks, 3rd year, WR, North Carolina – 15 starts, 76 receptions, 1,192 yards, 7 TDs,
Kenny Phillips, 4th year, S, Miami – 15 starts, 82 tackles, 4 interceptions,
Antrel Rolle, 6th year, S, Miami – 16 starts, 96 tackles, 2 interceptions,
Da’Rel Scott, R, RB, Maryland –
Chris Snee, 8th year, G, Boston College – 15 starts
Injured…
Marvin Austin, R, DT, North Carolina
Clint Sintim, 3rd year, LB, Virginia
Practice squad…
Andre Brown, 2nd year, RB, N.C. State
Dwayne Hendricks, 1 year, DT, Miami
