Matt Bosher Extends Miami Hurricanes Super Bowl Appearance Record

Former Miami Hurricanes punter Matt Bosher’s appearance for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI was the 118th appearance by a Cane alum in a Superbowl, extending UM’s record.

Bosher is the 77th Hurricanes player overall to play in a Superbowl from Miami. This was Bosher’s first Superbowl appearance. He was the only player from Miami in Superbowl LI. Former Hurricanes great Vince Wilfork was a starting defensive tackle for New England in Super Bowl XLIX.

Forty-two of the Hurricanes 118 appearances have resulted in Super Bowl victories. Not a good overall record for a school used to winning. Ted Hendricks has the most Super Bowl titles for a former Hurricane. He won one with the Baltimore Colts and three with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Former Wide Miami receiver Michael Irvin and Defensive Tackle Russell Maryland won three Super Bowl titles with the Dallas Cowboys in the early nineties. The first two of those came with former Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson.

Coaches do not count towards the Super Bowl numbers. Johnson, Irvin and Maryland also won a National Championship at Miami following the 1987 season. Johnson became the first coach to win a national championship in college and the NFL.

Irvin’s third title with Dallas came with former Oklahoma coach and national champion Barry Switzer. Ironically, the 1987 Miami national championship came after an Orange Bowl victory over Switzer’s top ranked Sooners in the 1988 Orange Bowl.

Forty-one Hurricanes have lost in the Super Bowl including Bosher, Carolina Panthers Tight End Greg Olsen in Super Bowl 50 and former Buffalo Bills Quarterback Jim Kelly who lost four in a row following the 1990-93 seasons.

Courtesy of the Palm Beach Post

An amazing 64 percent of the player appearances in Super Bowl history come from the Power Five conferences as they are currently made up. Sixteen percent are from the remaining teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision and 20 percent come from the remaining schools from the Football Championship Subdivision on down.

It would likely be a small percentage, but interesting to see how many of the players come from other sports and/or did not play football in college. Jimmy Graham only played one year of football at the U and future Hall of Fame Tight End Antonio Gates only played basketball at Kent State.

Canes Warning’s sister site All for Tennessee had a post last week about the schools that have the most players to appear in a Super Bowl. Miami and the Volunteers are tied at 61 a piece.

Related Story: Tennessee Vols Tied With Miami Hurricanes for Most Players All Time in the Super Bowl

Cornerback Justin Coleman from Tennessee appeared for the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Bosher’s appearance kept Tennessee and Miami tied at 61 players to come from each school to play in a Superbowl. Amazingly the Volunteers are only seventh with 97 overall appearances by their 61 players.

The Hurricanes have had the most players play in a Superbowl from an ACC School by a wide margin. Florida State is next with 82 player appearances.

Next: Miami Hurricanes Alum Matt Bosher Excels in Super Bowl LI

Hurricanes have had a big impact on the Superbowl. Bosher had a great game for the Falcons in Super Bowl LI and Greg Olsen had four receptions for 43 yards in the Carolina Panthers loss in Super Bowl 50. Olsen has been the Panthers leading receiver for the past four seasons.