Five former University of Illinois football players have a chance to win a Super Bowl ring on Sunday. Three are with the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, while two play for the Arizona Cardinals.
Kicker Neil Rackers (left) never seemed like he was that good at Illinois. Surprisingly, he's carved out a nine-year career in the NFL. You never know. The Super Bowl championship could come down to whether Rackers can make a big kick.
The Cardinals long snapper, Nathan Hodel, is also an Illinois grad. He's been with Arizona basically forever. Long snapper is a nice gig in the NFL, if you can get it.
Former Illini star and Steelers rookie Rashard Mendenhall played only four games this year before tearing up his shoulder and being placed on injured reserve.
Carey Davis was a member of the 2001 Big Ten championship team at Illinois. He now starts at fullback for the Steelers.
Long-time Illini fans might vaguely remember Pittsburgh running backs coach Kirby Wilson , who played at Illinois in 1980-81. Wilson has been an assistant coach in the NFL for 11 seasons with five different teams.
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