We are just a few days away from Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, CA. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will battle for the privilege of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, capping off a season of hard work and sacrifice for the players and coaches. For the 25th consecutive season, the Georgia Bulldogs will be represented in the big game.
Of course, winning a Super Bowl often requires standout performances from individual players. In the history of Georgia football, there have been several former players who have shined on the biggest stage.
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The first Super Bowl MVP in Bulldogs’ history was Jake Scott, a safety and punt returner for the Miami Dolphins. He earned MVP status in Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins thanks to his two interceptions off of Washington quarterback Billy Kilmer. The Dolphins would win the game 14-7 to finish off their undefeated 14-0 season.
Other Georgia players would become staples of the Super Bowl over the next few years. Offensive lineman Guy McIntyre, a standout on those great early 1980s Georgia teams, won three Super Bowls as a lineman for the San Francisco 49ers. Six-time Pro Bowler Ray Donaldson won Super Bowl XXX as a member of the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.
When you think about all-time great Super Bowl performances from former Dawgs, however, one name stands out about the rest: Terrell Davis. The former sixth round pick of the Denver Broncos had a relatively short NFL career, but his impact has been remembered even to this day. A three-time All-Pro and the 1998 league MVP, Davis played in two Super Bowls. His best performance came in Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers. Davis had 30 carries for 157 yards and three touchdowns. His third touchdown was a go-ahead score with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Broncos would go on to defeat Brett Favre and the Packers 31-24, giving Denver its first Super Bowl title, and Davis would earn Super Bowl MVP. They would win it all the next season against the Atlanta Falcons, with Davis rushing for 102 yards in that game.
The 2000s saw former Dawgs like Richard Seymour collect multiple rings. During his career, Seymour won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots as an anchor of their defensive line. The player with the most notable Super Bowl performance of the decade is former Bulldog utility man Hines Ward. Drafted as a wide receiver. The 1998 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ward played multiple positions as a Bulldog, including receiver, running back, and even quarterback.
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Ward carved out a nice career for himself with the Steelers, earning four Pro Bowl berths and winning two Super Bowls. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks, catching five passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. All but one of his passes were throw by Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Funny enough, the one not thrown by Big Ben was a 43 yard touchdown pass from receiver Antwaan Randle-El the fourth quarter. This score would ultimately seal the 21-10 victory for Pittsburgh and help them win their fifth Super Bowl victory.
In the last few years, there have been other standout Dawgs who have made big Super Bowl plays. During the Patriots’ historic comeback against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell caught six passes for 70 yards, with five of them coming in the fourth quarter. Sony Michel was almost the entirely of New England’s offense in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, as he rushed for 94 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown. Matthew Stafford, the 2025 NFL MVP, was clutch in his first Super Bowl appearance. He threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner to Cooper Kupp with less than two minutes left in the game.
Of course, the most dramatic moment from a former Dawg in the Super Bowl occurred in the 58th game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Mecole Hardman, who was initially drafted by the Chiefs in 2019, found himself as a member of the New York Jets at the start of the 2023 season. He was traded back to the Chiefs in October of that year.
Hardman did not have a touchdown catch the entire season up until the Super Bowl, but his lone catch in the endzone will be remembered by Chief and Dawg fans forever. Trailing 22-19 in overtime, quarterback Patrick Mahomes found a wide open Hardman, who ran an excellent route, for the game winning touchdown to give the Chiefs their third Super Bowl win in five seasons.
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As we continue towards the big game on Sunday, I hope you enjoyed this look back at some former Dawgs the Super Bowl. Will we see new legends be made on Sunday? We’ have to tune in and see, and I’ll be sure to write about them next week.
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