Seven former Hurricanes to play in the 2009 Pro Bowl
Feb. 8, 2009
Super Bowl XLIII concluded this past Sunday in Tampa with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23, meaning the NFL is on to its next stop: Honolulu, Hawaii. The NFL Pro Bowl has been held at Aloha Stadium on the island of Honolulu since 1980. The Pro Bowl welcomes the best AFC and NFC players to cap the season each year. The Hurricanes have an NFL-best seven graduates competing in this years Pro Bowl. Taking this into account, the school has as many or more representatives in this years’ game than three entire BCS Conferences, the Big 10 (7), Pac 10 (6), and Big East (4). Among those players are the Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the Houston Texans’ Andre Johnson, the Indianapolis Colts’ Reggie Wayne, the Carolina Panthers’ Jon Beason, the Washington Redskins’ Clinton Portis, and the New York Giants’ Jeff Feagles.
Ray Lewis (at Miami 1993-1995) received his eleventh Pro Bowl selection after leading his Baltimore Ravens team to an AFC Championship appearance. His defensive unit ranked second in overall defense at 261.1 yards per game allowed along with allowing just 15.3 points per game which ranked third in the NFL. Lewis finished with 117 tackles (85 solo) and 3.5 sacks and 3 interceptions. In his 13th season, Lewis started all 16 games at linebacker for the sixth time in his career.
Lewis’ teammate, Ed Reed (at Miami 1998-2001) received his sixth Pro Bowl selection in just his seventh year in the league after graduating from Miami. Reed, the Ravens free safety, led the NFL in interceptions this past season with nine. He also set an NFL record by returning an interception 108 yards for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, breaking his old record (and the previous NFL record) of a 106-yard interception return for a touchdown in 2004. Reed also started all 16 games at safety for the third consecutive year.
Andre Johnson (at Miami 1999-2002) of the Houston Texans received his fourth Pro Bowl selection. Johnson had a breakout season with 115 receptions and 1,575 yards and eight touchdowns. His totals in receptions and yards both were best in the NFL. Johnson recorded eight games of at least 100 yards receiving, including one game with 207 yards against a tough defensive team in the Tennessee Titans. Johnson helped his team achieve an 8-8 record in a highly competitive AFC South Division, winning five out of their last six games. The record tied the franchises’ best season since they becoming the most recent expansion team in 2002.
Reggie Wayne (at Miami 1997-2000) of the Indianapolis Colts received his fourth Pro Bowl selection as well. Wayne, who was Ed Reeds’ roommate while the two played for the Hurricanes, finished the season with 82 receptions for 1,145 yards and six touchdowns. He led his team in receptions and receiving yards for the last two seasons and has 18 total touchdowns during that span in regular season and postseason play.
Jon Beason (at Miami 2003-2006) of the Carolina Panthers received his second Pro Bowl selection in just his second year since his last season at Miami. He has finished third in the NFL in tackles both years, 138 total this year for a surprisingly stellar defensive unit of Carolina. Beason started all 16 games at linebacker and recorded double-digit tackles in six of those games.
Clinton Portis (at Miami 1999-2001) of the Washington Redskins received his third Pro Bowl selection. He finished with 1,487 rushing yards, good enough for fourth in the NFL, as well as nine touchdowns. Portis has really come around as of late, emerging as one of the top offensive options for the Redskins along with another former Hurricane, Santana Moss. During the 2008 season, he rushed for at least 120 yards a total of six times.
Jeff Feagles (at Miami 1985-1987) of the New York Giants received his third Pro Bowl selection. Feagles, a 21-year veteran punter, averaged 44 yards a punt this past season. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive games played at 336. Feagles also helped the Giants to a Super Bowl win in 2007 and a number one seed in the NFC playoffs in 2008.
Out of these seven players, four were named starters for their respective squads. Lewis, Reed, and Johnson will start for the AFC, and Feagles will start for the NFC. The 2009 Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, February 8, at 11:30 AM Hawaiian local time. The game will air on national television at 5:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.
