UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Seven former Nittany Lions playing in the National Football League are on the eight remaining playoff teams, with at least one Penn Stater on six of the squads vying for the Super Bowl XLVI title.
There are a total of 33 former Nittany Lions on NFL rosters, again placing Penn State in the Top 15 nationally among schools producing current NFL players.
A total of five former Nittany Lions are on the active rosters of NFL playoff teams.
In his first season as a full-time starter, San Francisco linebacker Navorro Bowman was selected the AP All-Pro team, helping the 49ers secure the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2002. He leads the team and is seventh in the NFL in tackles with 143, headlining the 49ers’ fourth-ranked defense. San Francisco won the NFC West with a 13-3 record and is the conference’s No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
Kareem McKenzie has made 154 consecutive starts on the offensive line for the NFC East champion New York Giants. The 11-year veteran helped protect quarterback Eli Manning, as he put together a Pro Bowl season in 2011 as the trigger man of the NFL’s fifth-ranked passing offense. Tackle Jimmy Kennedy has seen action in the Giants’ defensive line rotation, making four tackles.
New Orleans Saints’ tight end John Gilmore is a part of the NFL’s most prolific offense, which averaged 467.1 yards per game in the regular season. A starter in four games, he has caught three passes for 20 yards and one touchdown.
Houston wide receiver Bryant Johnson has caught six passes for 90 yards and one touchdown and has made three special teams tackles in 2011. The AFC South champion Texans will be making their first playoff appearance in franchise history.
Former Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless (Green Bay Packers) and offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger (New England Patriots) are on injured reserve. Quarless had three catches for 36 yards and was a key contributor on special teams before his season came to end following a knee injury he suffered in the Packers’ week 13 win over the New York Giants. Ohrnberger was hurt prior to the start of the regular season, landing on injured reserve on September 3.
One former Nittany Lion, punter Jeremy Kapinos, and his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, were knocked out of the playoffs last weekend. Re-signed by the Steelers on November 5, Kapinos averaged 45.0 yards per kick in the regular season, placing 10 of his 34 attempts inside the 20-yard line, with a long of 59 yards. Kapinos was a member of the Steelers’ 2010 Super Bowl team.
In addition to the players, one former Nittany Lion football student-athlete is on the coaching staff of an NFL playoff team. Darren Perry is in his third season coaching the safeties for the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
A total of 325 Penn State football student-athletes have been drafted by NFL teams, including 10 first round draft choices in the past 11 years. A total of 26 Nittany Lions have been drafted since 2006, including 13 in the first three rounds.
Penn State has had at least one alumnus on a Super Bowl team in 40 of 45 title games. Thirty-three former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 49 Super Bowl rings, most recently Quarless with the Super Bowl XLV champion Packers.
Former Nittany Lions on rosters of 2011-12 NFL playoff teams (NFL season):
Green Bay Packers – Andrew Quarless^ (2)
Houston Texans – Bryant Johnson (9)
New England Patriots – Rich Ohrnberger^ (3)
New Orleans Saints – John Gilmore (10)
New York Giants – Jimmy Kennedy (9), Kareem McKenzie (11)
Pittsburgh Steelers – Jeremy Kapinos (5)
San Francisco 49ers – Navorro Bowman (2)
^ on injured reserve