Three former Stanford standouts will be in the Super Bowl for the Cincinnati Bengals: Defensive back Michael Thomas (2008-11), wide receiver Trenton Irwin (2015-18), and wide receivers coach Troy Walters (1996-99).
Thomas totaled 123 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 interceptions, and 1 touchdown during his Stanford career. In his junior year, Thomas helped Stanford defeat Virginia Tech 40-12 in the 2011 Orange Bowl and helped Stanford reach the 2012 Fiesta Bowl where they fell to Oklahoma State by a final score of 41-38 in overtime.
Thomas was lightly recruited out of high school, listed as a 3-star athlete by Rivals. Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Northwestern, Boise State, and Rice also offered. For him to have the college career he had alone was remarkable. He truly overachieved at Stanford and has once again overachieved in the NFL, going undrafted and yet finding a way to hang around the league for 10 years and counting.
Irwin had 152 receptions for 1738 yards and 5 touchdowns during his Stanford career. Irwin was a part of three Stanford teams that won bowl games (2016 Rose Bowl, 2016 Sun Bowl, and 2018 Sun Bowl). His most productive season was his senior season in which he had 60 receptions for 685 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Unlike Thomas, Irwin was heavily recruited out of high school, listed as a 5-star recruit by Rivals. Most of the Pac-12 offered him a scholarship and he was ranked 31st overall, 6th among all receivers, and 6th in the state of California in the 2015 recruiting class. He’s a guy who coming out of high school was projected to eventually find a home in the NFL and to his credit, he lived up to the billing by getting to the league.
Walters had 244 receptions for 3986 yards and 26 touchdowns during his Stanford career. Walters helped Stanford win the 1996 Sun Bowl 38-0 over Michigan State as a freshman and also helped Stanford reach the 2000 Rose Bowl his senior year, where they lost 17-9 to Wisconsin. Walters won the 1999 Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top wide receiver and also the 1999 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Award.
For all three players, reaching the Super Bowl is a dream come true. Very few people ever get a chance to be a part of a Super Bowl whether it be as a player or as a coach. It’s pretty cool that all three guys get to chase a Super Bowl title together while also spanning multiple different eras of Stanford football.
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