The Super Bowl is professional football’s biggest stage, and some of the SEC’s all-time greatest players have used that stage to make names for themselves in the football world. Of the 48 Super Bowls played before this season, eight SEC alums combined to win 10 of the 48 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards, more than the combined alumni of any other conference.
The first three Super Bowl MVPs in NFL history were earned by two former Alabama quarterbacks — Bart Starr (1966-67) and Joe Namath (1968). Both Manning brothers — Peyton and Eli — combined to win three MVP awards of their own (Peyton in 2006, Eli in 2007 and 2011), and a trio of Georgia Bulldogs each won the honor once — safety Jake Scott (1972), tailback Terrell Davis (1997) and wideout Hines Ward (2005).
Former Florida Gators and Dallas Cowboys tailback Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, is the other SEC alum to earn the honor, winning the award following the Cowboys’ Super Bowl victory to close the 1993 season.
The SEC has shined brightest on football’s biggest stage, but which of those 10 MVP performances was the best? In anticipation of this year’s Super Bowl showdown between Seattle and New England, we ranked the top 5 Super Bowl showings by SEC alums through the years.
5. JOE NAMATH — NEW YORK JETS — SUPER BOWL III
Namath’s numbers in Super Bowl III (17-28 passing for 206 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions) won’t blow anyone away, but that’s not what made his performance so historic. The Jets boisterous signal caller, once the confident leader of the Alabama Crimson Tide, guaranteed a victory for New York over the powerhouse Baltimore Colts in the week leading up to the game, and most thought he was insane for doing so. Instead, Namath managed the game brilliantly, avoiding mistakes while keeping the ball out of the hands of Johnny Unitas and the Colts offense for most of the game. The Jets won their first and only Super Bowl by a score of 16-7, and although it’s not quantified in the statistics Namath’s leadership and confidence on that day is a big reason for New York’s stunning upset.
4. BART STARR — GREEN BAY PACKERS — SUPER BOWL I
Starr, another former Alabama quarterback once taken in the 17th round of the NFL Draft, led Green Bay to the NFL’s first two Super Bowl titles. His better of two MVP performances came in Super Bowl I, when he completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-10 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs. Starr was on-point for most of the game, converting on 11 of 15 third downs while controlling the time of possession battle. The win is historically significant as the first Super Bowl ever, but Starr’s performance that day left no doubt as to which franchise was the NFL’s best entering the Super Bowl era.
3. JAKE SCOTT — MIAMI DOLPHINS — SUPER BOWL VII
Scott, a former safety at the University of Georgia, is among the least heralded Super Bowl MVPs in history despite his stellar performances in the Dolphins’ 14-7 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. Scott intercepted two Billy Kilmer passes, including one in the end zone that he returned more than 50 yards into Miami territory, to help the Dolphins limit Washington to just seven points on the day. He became just the second defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP honors, and only seven more defensive players have repeated the feat in the more than 40 years since Scott won the award.
2. ELI MANNING — NEW YORK GIANTS — SUPER BOWL XLVI
Many remember Manning’s performance in his first Super Bowl victory, in which he led a thrilling late-game comeback to help the Giants take down the then-undefeated New England Patriots. However, Manning’s best Super Bowl showing came in his second appearance in the big game, which, ironically enough, also came against the New England Patriots just four years later. Manning was as sharp as he’s looked at any point in his career, completing 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Once again, he led the Giants to a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of regulation, throwing his only touchdown pass to Ahmad Bradshaw with just 57 seconds remaining to give the Giants a 21-17 victory for its fourth-ever Super Bowl win.
1. TERRELL DAVIS — DENVER BRONCOS — SUPER BOWL XXXII
Davis was considered one of the best tailbacks in the NFL when the Denver Broncos returned to the Super Bowl in 1997, still seeking the franchise’s first Super Bowl title. And although much of the attention surrounding the Denver side of that game pertained to John Elway and his pursuit of his first ring after three failed attempts in the 1980s, it was Davis who turned the dream of a championship into a reality. The star tailback and former Georgia Bulldog carried the ball 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter that gave Denver the 31-24 lead it never relinquished. Although Elway completed just 12 of 22 passes for 123 yards and an interception, Davis carried the offense to Denver’s historic victory, earning him the greatest Super Bowl performance by an SEC alum in NFL history.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
