USF players have a long history at the Super Bowl
Super Bowl 59 will be the first matchup in six straight years without a USF alumnus on the rosters.
South Florida has built a reputation in the NFL, with former Bulls having made consistent appearances in the Super Bowl.
Fifteen Bulls have made a total of 22 appearances in the “Big Game” despite the fact that USF’s debut football season was only 28 years ago.
Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling made history in last year’s Super Bowl after becoming the first Bull in Super Bowl history to score a touchdown.
His touchdown gave the Chiefs a 13-10 lead in the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl 58.
Related: Valdes-Scantling becomes first USF alumnus to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl
Valdes-Scantling played for USF from 2016 to 2017 and held the program’s single-season receiving yards record (879) before graduate wide receiver Sean Atkins broke it (1,054).
He appeared in and won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Chiefs in 2023 and 2024. Although he did not have any receptions in his first championship game, he secured three the following year and ran for 20 yards.
Valdes-Scantling was released by the Chiefs in the season following his feat and he was signed by the Buffalo Bills, before being released again shortly after. Valdes-Scantling now plays for the New Orleans Saints.
Valdes-Scantling is not the only Bull who has earned two Super Bowl rings.
USF alumnus Austin Reiter has made a record four appearances in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs from 2019-2023 and has won three, more than any other Bull in NFL history.
Reiter is not currently listed on the Chiefs’ roster ahead of the Super Bowl.
There has only been one Bull in the history of the NFL to have successfully won the Super Bowl with two teams: defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
Pierre-Paul earned his first Super Bowl victory in 2012 with the NY Giants, making two solo tackles against the New England Patriots.
He returned to Tampa as a Buccaneer in 2018 and earned his second ring two years later alongside quarterback Tom Brady. He made three solo tackles in that game.
Related: How USF alumni have impacted previous Super Bowls
Jason Pierre-Paul was drafted 15th in the 2010 NFL Draft by the NY Giants. USF Athletics Photo
Wide receiver Scott McCready and offensive lineman Kenyatta Jones made history in 2002 by becoming the first USF alumni to appear in a Super Bowl.
Both were members of USF’s first football roster in 1997 and played for the program until 2000, before being signed by the New England Patriots.
Jones was the first South Florida player to be selected in the NFL Draft.
Not only did both players make history by becoming the first former USF players to appear in the competition, but they also became the first Bulls in history to win it.
McCready also made history by becoming the first British player to win the Super Bowl.
Eleven of the last 13 Super Bowls have had at least one USF player make an appearance in one of the playing teams’ roster.
A multitude of USF players have declared for the NFL Draft this year, including Atkins and running back Kelley Joiner.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off in Super Bowl 59 at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
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