IOWA CITY, Iowa — When he takes his first stance at right tackle Sunday afternoon, Tampa Bay rookie Tristan Wirfs will become the second-youngest Iowa player ever to play in a Super Bowl.
Wirfs, the first true freshman to start at tackle for Iowa, just turned 22 and is a shade older than when 21-year-old Bryan Bulaga opened at right tackle for the Green Bay Packers in 2011. Both players made vital but nebulous contributions to their teams on their path to the NFL’s ultimate prize. Bulaga’s Packers won the championship that year, and he remains the youngest starting lineman with a Super Bowl ring.
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Tampa Bay defensive end Anthony Nelson joins Wirfs in a group of 53 former Hawkeyes to land on a Super Bowl roster. Across from them are Kansas City linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Ben Niemann, both of whom won rings last year with the Chiefs. Niemann, Nelson and Wirfs all were members of the 2017 Iowa squad and arrived on the big stage in different ways. Hitchens, a former two-star running back/safety recruit in 2010, became an inside linebacker in his second year and one of the Big Ten’s best defenders by his senior year in 2013.
“What a thrill to be involved in a Super Bowl,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Think about all the great players that never had that opportunity in their careers and we have four guys, Tristan being the youngest, a rookie, playing in his first Super Bowl. A lot of good stories and everybody has a side story.
“Anthony (Nelson), I think about him, I don’t want to say an undersized, but a linear, skinny defensive end when he got here and what he’s developed into. Ben Niemann, you think about the family aspect, two Super Bowls in a row … that’s a neat thing.
“And Anthony Hitchens being the old guy in the group, seven-year veteran and when he came here, we weren’t sure if he was a defensive back, a running back, and he’s really carved out quite a niche and had an unbelievable NFL career. Referenced him in a meeting (Wednesday) morning. When he got here, he had a lot to learn but he was a willing learner, hard worker and obviously a very, very good football player, first-class person, so just very happy for him.”
At least one Iowa player has been a member of a Super Bowl team in 16 of the last 17 years. Many Hawkeyes were impact players along the line of scrimmage in victory like Dallas guard John Niland in Super Bowl VI, Chicago teammates guard Mark Bortz and center Jay Hilgenberg in Super Bowl XX or Baltimore guard Marshal Yanda in Super Bowl XLVII. Some were on the losing side, like Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux in Super Bowl LI, Los Angeles Rams center Austin Blythe in Super Bowl LIII or San Francisco tight end George Kittle last year.
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Some of the players were on scout teams or a few didn’t see action. Then there was linebacker Wally Hilgenberg and free safety Paul Krause who played in four Super Bowls for the Minnesota Vikings, while center James Ferentz was on a Super Bowl roster with Denver or New England three times.
Even before the Super Bowl era, several former Hawkeyes earned NFL or AFL titles. In 1939, Green Bay back Joe Laws was an All-Pro who caught a 31-yard touchdown pass and ran three times for 20 yards in the Packers’ 27-0 win against the New York Giants. Bob Smith punted six times for a 40.8-yard average in Detroit’s 17-7 win against Cleveland in 1952, and then started at defensive back in the Lions’ 17-16 championship game victory in 1953. In the 1962 AFL title game, defensive end Curt Merz started for the Dallas Texans (now Kansas City Chiefs) in a 20-17 double-overtime win against the Houston Oilers.
San Diego Chargers receiver Don Norton competed in five AFL championship games with 13 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown. His top day was in 1963 during a 51-10 win against the Boston Patriots. Norton caught two passes for 44 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown.
New York Giants defensive back Emlen Tunnell last year was named as one of the NFL’s Top 100 players of all-time, and he competed in many of the pre-Super Bowl era’s biggest championship games. He started in a 47-7 NFL title victory against Chicago in 1956, and also opened at defensive back in the 1958 championship game against Baltimore, dubbed “The NFL’s Greatest Game.” He was traded to Green Bay in 1959 when former Giants assistant Vince Lombardi took over the Packers. Tunnell opened in the Packers’ 1960 NFL title game loss to Philadelphia and played in the Packers’ 1961 championship win against the Giants.
In all, Iowa players have left a mark on their teams in the Super Bowl era. Here’s a look at the program’s 10 best Super Bowl performances:
10. Reggie Roby (Super Bowl XIX)
Perhaps the greatest punter in Big Ten history, Reggie Roby translated that skill into a 16-year NFL career. Roby, a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro, was the NFL’s punter of the decade in the 1980s. He appeared in one Super Bowl, a 38-16 loss to San Francisco in 1985. In that game, Roby punted six times for a 39.3 average with an offering of 51 yards as his best.
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9. Bob Jeter (Super Bowl I & II)
Bob Jeter was best known for his Rose Bowl MVP-winning performance in 1959 to help the Hawkeyes crush California 38-12. Jeter ran nine times for 194 yards, including an 81-yard dash to the end zone. When Jeter joined the Green Bay Packers in 1963, he moved to cornerback and became a three-time NFL champion. From 1965-67, he intercepted 14 passes and brought two back for scores and was an All-Pro in 1967. Jeter started in both Super Bowl I (a 35-10 win against Kansas City) and Super Bowl II (a 33-14 victory against Oakland) and recorded four tackles in each one.
8. Mark Bortz & Jay Hilgenberg (Super Bowl XX), John Niland (Super Bowl V & VI), Bryan Bulaga (Super Bowl XLV)
Collectively, Iowa’s offensive linemen have produced at the Super Bowl more than any other position group. Four stand out the most for their team’s performance. Bortz and Hilgenberg paced the Bears to 167 rushing yards and four touchdowns and another 256 through the air in a 46-10 win against New England in Super Bowl XX. Coincidentally, that game included former Iowa defensive end Andre Tippett (five tackles, one pass breakup), who used to line up on the same defensive line as Bortz, who switched from defensive tackle to guard in Chicago.
Niland started at left guard in two Super Bowls, including a 24-3 win against Miami in which the Cowboys rushed for 252 yards. Bulaga protected quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ front side against a vicious Pittsburgh defense, enabling the passing game to compile three touchdowns and no interceptions in Super Bowl XLV.
Bulaga started at right tackle in the Packers’ win against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. (Focus on Sport / Getty Images)7. Merton Hanks (Super Bowl XXIX)
San Francisco safety Merton Hanks helped form the backbone of the elite 49ers’ secondary for eight seasons and never was better than in 1994. Hanks led the 49ers with seven interceptions (one more than Deion Sanders) and brought that impact to Super Bowl XXIX. Hanks finished with two tackles and two pass breakups in a 49-26 victory against San Diego.
6. Ronnie Harmon (Super Bowl XXIX)
In San Diego’s 49-26 loss to San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIX, Chargers running back Ronnie Harmon was a weapon in his team’s futile attempt to keep up. He caught eight passes for 68 yards and rushed twice for 10 yards in his role as a third-down back.
5. Dallas Clark (Super Bowl XLI & XLIV)
Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark remains one of the most beloved former Hawkeyes, and he competed in a pair of Super Bowls. In the Colts’ 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears in 2007, Clark grabbed four passes for 36 yards. Three years later, Clark was even more impressive statistically. Clark caught seven passes for 86 yards in the Colts’ 31-17 loss to New Orleans in 2010.
3 (tie). Wally Hilgenberg & Paul Krause (Super Bowl IV, VIII, IX & XI)
Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Wally Hilgenberg and safety Paul Krause both started four Super Bowls — all losses — for the Vikings. Hilgenberg compiled a game-high nine solo tackles (13.5 total) in Super Bowl IV in a 23-7 loss to Kansas City in 1970, then led with nine solo tackles (13.5) against Miami (24-7, 1974). Hilgenberg had six solo tackles (9 total) in a 16-6 loss to Pittsburgh in 1975. In the Vikings’ final Super Bowl appearance, a 32-14 loss to Oakland in 1977, Hilgenberg registered two solo tackles.
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Krause, the NFL’s all-time interception leader with 81, was perhaps too active in some games. He picked off a pass and recorded three tackles against the Chiefs. Krause produced way too many tackles in each of the following three Super Bowl defeats to Miami (nine), Pittsburgh (nine, including a fumble recovery) and Oakland (nine) when opposing running backs chewed through the Vikings’ defense.
2. Tim Dwight (Super Bowl XXXIII)
Atlanta kick returner Tim Dwight produced the best statistical performance by a former Hawkeye in a Super Bowl. With the Falcons trailing Denver by 25 points with 11:20 remaining, Dwight returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
It was a footnote in the outcome, a 34-19 Broncos’ win, but Dwight’s 210 kickoff return yards are the second-most for a single game in Super Bowl history and the third-most in a Super Bowl career. Dwight’s average of 42.0 yards per kickoff return remain the most for any player with more than four kickoff returns.
1. Bob Sanders (Super Bowl XLI)
No defensive player meant more to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI than Bob Sanders, who played in only four regular-season games that season. The Colts allowed an NFL-worst 5.3 yards per carry and gave up at least 100 rushing yards to every opponent. When Sanders returned in the playoffs, none of the Colts’ three AFC opponents exceeded 100 rushing yards.
Sanders was instrumental in holding Chicago’s physical running game to only 111 yards in a 29-17 Colts’ win in 2007. Sanders had three tackles and forced a fumble that was recovered by a teammate at midfield in the first quarter. In his most impactful play, Sanders returned an interception off a deep pass 38 yards with 10 minutes left in the game. That helped preserve the Colts’ victory. In retrospect, it’s arguable that Sanders deserved the MVP award.
(Top photo of Bob Sanders: Jim Rogash / Getty Images)
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