When Super LI kicks off this Sunday in Houston, Atlanta Flacons’ defensive end Vic Beasley and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett will become the 46th and 47th former Clemson players in history to participate in football’s biggest game.
Over the years, Clemson’s football program has been well represented in the Super Bowl. Twenty-four former Tigers have held up the Vince Lombardi Trophy at seasons end. This year’s game will mark the 33rd time at least one Clemson player participates on Super Bowl Sunday.
Teams that have had at least one Clemson player on their roster in a Super Bowl are 25-12 (.675) in those games. On three different occasions—Super Bowls XIII, XX and XXXI—former Tigers went up against each other.
From Super Bowl XII to XXIV (1977-’90) at least one Clemson player every year played in the Super Bowl. Tight end Bennie Cunningham won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers in those days, while Jeff Bostic won two titles as the starting center for the Washington Redskins. Receiver Dwight Clark and defensive tackle Jim Stuckey won two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, while defensive tackle Archie Reese won one with 49ers in 1981.
Running back Terrence Flagler won back-to-back titles in 1987-’88 as a member of the 49ers, while William Perry, Dan Benish, Terry Kinard, Andy Headen, Steve Fuller and Charlie Waters also won Super Bowl titles during that stretch.
From 1995-2001, at least one former Clemson Tiger played in a Super Bowl. Defensive tackle Trevor Pryce won back-to-back Super Bowls as a starter for the Denver Broncos in those days, while Tony Horne, Dexter McCleon, Wayne Simmons and James Trapp also won Super Bowls.
Running back Bill Mathis was the first former Clemson player to play in a Super Bowl. He was a member of the New York Jets team that downed the Baltimore Colts in what is still considered the greatest upset in Super Bowl history.
Mathis had three catches out of the backfield for 20 yards in Super Bowl III. The Jets’ win was big for a lot of reasons, but more importantly it showed the upstarts from the AFL could play and beat the NFL’s best.
Perry, believe it or not, is the only former Clemson player to score a touchdown on the winning team in a Super Bowl. The defensive tackle scored on a one-yard run in Super Bowl XX as the Chicago Bears beat up the New England Patriots, 46-10.
Beasley and Jarrett will be the seventh set of former Clemson players to team up on the same sideline in a Super Bowl. In the other six instances, those teams went 5-1 in the big game. The only loss came in Super Bowl XXX when Levon Kirkland and Brentson Buckner where members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Before Super Bowl LI, it’s been 18 years since two former Tigers played for the same team in a Super Bowl. McCleon and Horne teamed up as members of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV (1999 season) to beat the Tennessee Titans.
Of course, cornerback Byron Maxwell last played in a Super Bowl representing Clemson. He was a member of the Seattle Seahawks team that lost Super Bowl XLIX to Tom Brady’s Patriots. However, the year before he was a part of the Seahawks team that crushed Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Bostic owns more Super Bowl titles (3) than any other former Clemson player.
—Pictured above: Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Vic Beasley (44) is greeted by Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (97) after he scored on a 21-yard fumble recovery in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season. The two former Tigers will be be the seven set of former Clemson players to team up in a Super Bowl when they play the Patriots this Sunday in Super Bowl LI. (Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
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