PSU Super Bowl Rings

Nittany Super Bowl Notes—

Longest TD play involving a Nittany Lion—Jimmy Cefalo’s 76-yard TD reception from David Woodley for the Dolphins in their loss to the Redskins in SB XVII at the Rose Bowl stadium

Longest rushing TD by a Nittany Lion—Franco Harris’ 22-yarder in the 4th quarter of the Steelers SB XIII win over the Cowboys in the Orange Bowl stadium (Franco’s 2 TD runs vs. the LA Rams in SB XIV is also a PSU best)

Longest FG by a Nittany Lion—Chris Bahr’s 46-yarder for the Oakland Raiders in their SB XV win over the Eagles at the Superdome (Bahr scored 9 points in the game on 2 FGs & 3 PATs)

Longest punt return by a Nittany Lion—Jordan Norwood’s 61-yarder in the Broncos SB 50 win over the Panthers in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA—It was, at the time, the NFL record for a Super Bowl punt return

First Super Bowl INT by a Nittany Lion—In SB XXXV, Kim Herring of the Ravens picks off his former PSU teammate Kerry Collins in the 3rd quarter of Baltimore’s win over the Giants in the first ever Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa—Kerry Collins struggled in the game, throwing 4 INTs to tie the then Super Bowl record—Collins also gave up the first pick-6 by a Penn State QB in a Super Bowl when Duane Starks took one of his passes back for 49 yards and the score—FYI, the only other INT by a former Nittany Lion came in SB LVIII when Ji’Ayir Brown picked off Patrick Mahomes in the 49ers loss to the Chiefs

First to both play in a Super Bowl and later officiate in one—Terry Killens (PSU LB/DE 1992-95) played a reserve LB role and recorded 1 tackle in SB XXXIV with the Tennessee Titans in their loss to the St. Louis Rams (former PSU RB Mike Archie was his Titans teammate)—He became a college ref in 2013 and an NFL ref in 2019—He appeared as the Umpire on the 8-man officiating crew for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas between the 49ers and the Chiefs—KC won 25-22 in OT—Three former Nittany Lions played in this game: Donovan Smith LT of the Chiefs with Ji’Ayir Brown S & Kevin Givens DT of the Niners

First former Penn State player to officiate a Super Bowl—Lou Palazzi (PS C/LB walk-on/Lettered 1941 & 1942/PS Captain 1942) was umpire for Super Bowl IV (the last between the AFL & NFL) and later Super Bowls VII & XI. Lou was also the umpire for the legendary 1958 NFL Championship game between the Colts and the Giants.

First former Nittany Lion to appear on the roster of a losing Super Bowl team and an AFL team—Harrison “Hatch” Rosdahl (PSU T/G 1960-63) was reserve guard (did not play) with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game (later called Super Bowl I)—Rosdahl was a PSU teammate of Green Bay LB Dave Robinson (PSU End 1960-62) who would become the Nittany Lions first Super Bowl ring-winner and the first multiple ring winner

Note: Hatch Rosdahl (KC Chiefs 1966) was one of 4 former Penn Staters to play for AFL Championship teams (1960-69) along with: Bob Mitinger LB 1963 San Diego Chargers, Stew Barber OT 1964 & 1965 Buffalo Bills, and Ralph Baker LB 1968 New York Jets

Franco Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers, MVP of Super Bowl IX—

Franco Harris is the lone former Penn State player to be named the MVP of a Super Bowl.

Super Bowl IX saw the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Minnesota Vikings at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on Jan. 12, 1975. The game was originally scheduled to be the first Super Bowl at the Superdome, but construction was not complete on time, so the game was shifted to Tulane University’s stadium for its third and final Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh won 16-6 for their first ever Super Bowl Championship on a chilly day with a slick field following overnight rain in New Orleans. It was a defensive struggle that saw the Super Bowl’s first ever safety scored, as the Steelers led 2-0 at the half. Franco Harris’ 9-yard TD run in the 3rd quarter put the Steelers up to stay, 9-0. The lone Vikings score came on a blocked punt and the Steelers added one more TD to ice it. With Terry Bradshaw only throwing 14 passes the entire game, the offense featured Franco who carried the ball 34 times for a then Super Bowl record 158 yards to earn the MVP honors. Franco’s yardage record stood until Super Bowl XVII when John Riggins of the Washington Redskins rushed for 166.

At the time of his death in Dec. 2022, Franco’s Super Bowl career record of 354 rushing yards on a record 101 carries across all four Super Bowls he played in, still stood after nearly five decades. Both records are still standing through Super Bowl LX in Feb. 2026.

Franco also has 4 career rushing TDs in the Super Bowl (tied for 2nd all-time). His 4 TD runs (1 in SB IX, 1 in SB XIII, and 2 in SB XIV) account for 24 points scored which is the best among all Penn Staters who have scored in the Super Bowl (through SB LX). The only other PSU player to rush for a TD in a Super Bowl was Matt Suhey of the Bears (1 in SB XX). Two other PSU players (Jimmy Cefalo of the Dolphins in SB XVII & Chris Hogan* of the Patriots in SB LII) have made single TD receptions in a Super Bowl game. All other Nittany Lions to score in Super Bowls were kickers (Chris Bahr, Matt Bahr, & Robbie Gould).