| Penn State alumnus Jeff Hartings became the 28th Nittany Lion to earn a Super Bowl ring when he helped the Steelers to a 21-10 victory over Seattle in Super Bowl XL. (Photo: NFL) |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 6, 2006 - Penn State product Jeff Hartings realized extra-large Super Bowl dreams as the starting center for the victorious Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Hartings and the Steelers took Super Bowl XL with a 21-10 win over Seattle, making the 11-year veteran of the league the 28th Nittany Lion to earn a Super Bowl ring. Seahawk receivers Bobby Engram and Joe Jurevicius were teammates of Hartings at Penn State and combined for 163 yards receiving in the losing effort.
The Steelers' win marks the fifth time in six years a Penn State player has left the Super Bowl victorious. In 2004 New England boasted Nittany Lion Shawn Mayer, while in 2003 Jurevicius was a winner with Tampa Bay. In 2001 safety Kim Herring and fullback Sam Gash were members of the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl winning squad.
Super Bowl XL marked the seventh-straight year at least one Nittany Lion has played for the championship. It was also the 36th time in the Super Bowl's 40-game history that at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the final two teams. Twenty-eight different Nittany Lions have earned a total of 44 Super Bowl rings.
Additionally, former Penn State players in the Super Bowl have scored a total of 68 points, which is the most of any school.
| Seahawks receiver Bobby Engram. |
Hartings began his career as a first round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in 1996. After spending five seasons playing guard in the Motor City he signed with the Steelers prior to the 2001 campaign. The starting center for the past five years in Pittsburgh, Hartings earned All-Pro honors in 2004 and '05. One of 11 Nittany Lions to be named two-time first team All-America and a three-time first team All-Big Ten pick, Hartings was instrumental this year in Pittsburgh ranking fifth in the NFL in rushing average.
Several other members of the Steelers' coaching, medical and administrative staffs also have Penn State ties including running backs coach Dick Hoak, defensive backs coach Darren Perry, strength and conditioning coach Chet Fuhrman, orthopaedic physician Dr. Jim Bradley and head trainer John Norwig.
Playing in his third Super Bowl in the last six years, Seahawk wide receiver Jurevicius had five receptions for a team-high 93 yards with his long catch of 35 yards coming late in the fourth quarter. In his eighth NFL season, Jurevicius had an outstanding first year in Seattle catching a team-high 10 touchdown passes, which was tied for second in the NFC and fourth in the NFL this season. He was second on the team with 55 receptions for 694 yards, including a season-long catch of 52 yards. Jurevicius ranks fourth all-time at Penn State with 15 touchdown catches, and is second behind Engram with nine 100-yard receiving games. A second round pick in 1998 by the New York Giants, Jurevicius played four seasons in New York even helping the Giants win the 2000 NFC title. He joined Tampa Bay in 2002 and helped the Bucs to a Super Bowl XXXVII victory.
With 70 yards, Engram was second only to Jurevicius in receiving yards for the Seahawks. The 10-year veteran had a game-high six catches with a long of 21 yards in his first Super Bowl appearance. In his fifth year with Seattle, he caught a team-high 67 passes for 778 yards with a long reception of 56 yards. The initial recipient of the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation's top wide receiver, Engram was a three-time first team All-Big Ten selection. A first-team All-American in 1994, Engram finished his historic career with 12 school records, including receptions (167), receiving yards (3,026) and receiving touchdowns (31). A second round selection of the Chicago Bears in 1996, he played five years in Chicago before joining Seattle.
The Seahawks feature two former Nittany Lion standouts on their roster and one former coach on their coaching staff.
| Seattle receiver Joe Jurevicius. |
Half of the 32 former Nittany Lions playing in the NFL during the 2005 season were members of NFL playoff teams, with a Penn Stater on the nine of the 12 squads that were in contention for Super Bowl XL.
With 32 former Lions on NFL rosters, Penn State is among the top 10 schools in the nation in producing current NFL players.
More than 300 Nittany Lions have signed NFL contracts since Joe Paterno became head coach in 1966. A total of 221 Penn State players have been NFL draft selections during the Paterno era, including 29 first round choices. In 2003, four Nittany Lions were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.