With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, former TCU defensive end Jared Retkofsky became the 13th Horned Frog in school history to become a Super Bowl champion.
Retkofsky adds his name to a growing list of former Frogs who have found success at the next level.
Throughout the 43-year history of the biggest game in football, past Horned Frogs have been part of 28 Super Bowl teams, winning 16 of them. That’s a little over a 57 percent winning percentage for Frogs playing in Super Bowls. That’s a pretty good clip if you ask me.
With the Super Sunday still fresh in our minds, I think it’s a good time to look back on some past Frogs who have made it to the pinnacle of professional football.
The first Frog to play in a Super Bowl was a tight end by the name of Mickey McCarty, who was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs when they won Super Bowl IV in 1970.
Norm Evans, a two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle who played 13 seasons with the Houston Oilers, Miami Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks, followed McCarty two seasons later. Evans played in Super Bowls VI, VII and VIII – winning the last two – on a talented Dolphins team.
And I can’t forget to mention Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bob Lilly, who helped the Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl in 1972. Lilly’s Cowboys beat Evans’ Dolphins 24-3 in Super Bowl VI.
Lilly is without question the one of the finest Horned Frogs, and professional players, to ever step foot on an NFL field.
But the Frog with the most Super Bowl success has to be former Cowboys defensive back Larry Brown, who won three rings with the team during the 1990s and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXX.
These are but a few of the TCU alumni who have had a taste a Super Bowl glory. Many others have reached the top, and many others fell just short.
Retkofsky became the 13th Frog to earn a ring. Will the recent success of the football program help that number to go up in the near future?
Only time will tell.
But now that both football seasons are over, we have plenty of time to remember those who have already represented the Horned Frog tradition on one of the biggest stages in sports.