Jan. 19, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
When the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots clash in Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, Penn State again will be represented in University of Phoenix Stadium.
A pair of former Penn State and central Pennsylvania prep standouts, Garry Gilliam and Jordan Hill, boosted Seattle to its second consecutive NFC West title and NFC Championship. The Seahawks, the defending NFL Champions, rallied on Sunday to earn a 28-22 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers.
For the 44th time in the Super Bowl's 49-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus will be a member of one of the teams (18 times in last 20 years). Thirty-seven former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 54 Super Bowl rings, most recently Hill and since-retired running back Michael Robinson with Seattle last year. A total of 105 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.
Kareem McKenzie and Jimmy Kennedy earned NFL Championship rings as members of the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLVI winning team. Tight end Andrew Quarless earned a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie in Super Bowl XLV.
Gilliam, who played tight end at Penn State before moving to offensive tackle as a senior in 2013, signed with Seattle last spring as an undrafted free agent. A tackle, Gilliam sparked the Seahawks' rally Sunday when he lined up as an eligible receiver and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from punter Jon Ryan on a fake field goal to cut Green Bay's lead to 16-7 late in the third quarter.
The former Milton Hershey High School standout played in 14 regular season games for the Seahawks, earning one start. Gilliam caught eight passes during his Nittany Lion career that was interrupted by an injury in 2010 and '11, returning to field in 2012 at tight end before shifting to tackle for his senior season.
In his second year as a defensive tackle with Seattle, Hill played in 13 regular season games in 2014. He recorded 19 tackles (15 solo), with 5.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one interception and four pass break-ups. Hill delivered all his sacks in the final six games of the campaign, as well as his first career interception in the regular season ending win over St. Louis.
The Seahawks, though, placed the former Steelton-Highspire High School standout on injured reserve on January 6. A 2012 second-team All-American and team co-captain, Hill started 24 games for the Nittany Lions in 2011-12. He was selected first-team All-Big Ten in 2012 and was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honoree during his senior season.
Ten Nittany Lions were on NFL playoff teams, with at least one Penn Stater on eight of the squads who were vying for a berth in Super Bowl XLIX.
There were 28 former Nittany Lions with NFL teams during the 2014 season, again placing Penn State in the top 20 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players. Penn State was ranked No. 2 among Big Ten teams in players on 2014 NFL rosters.
Penn State has had at least three NFL Draft picks 16 times since starting Big Ten Conference competition in 1993. A total of 335 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, including 36 in the first round.
Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions capped the 2014 season with a comeback, 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to earn at least 10 consecutive winning seasons. Franklin is among just three Penn State head coaches to win at least seven games in his first season in Happy Valley in the program's 128 years.
The Nittany Lions return 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist), and 14 additional players who have started, for the 2015 season. The Blue-White Game is April 18 in Beaver Stadium and the season opener is Sept. 5 against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field.
Penn State season ticket renewals are underway for the 2015 campaign. The Nittany Lion Club donation and season ticket payment deadline is February 1 for participation in the Beaver Stadium Virtual VenueTM Seat Selection. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for the 2015 season.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays, 10 a.m-6 p.m.
Penn State Football is on Twitter (@PennStateFball) and Facebook.