Super Bowl Stars, NFL Players from the Shore

At ShoreBread we admittedly have a few fair-weather football fans. Some of us will wear purple in support of the Ravens, but if we are forced to watch a game, we are more likely to fall asleep than catch the biggest plays. When it comes to watching teams other than our Baltimore counterparts, we are completely lost in knowing who is on the field or why we are watching; isn’t our season over? However, we do have to admit we love a good Super Bowl game (if not only for the commercials). But another ShoreBread-worthy reason to tune in this year is for the fact that this Super Bowl has a representative from the Shore vying for the title. We decided to do a little research and check out other NFL players who also have ties to our area.

The Seattle Seahawks – current contenders for the Lombardi Trophy – have a Salisbury Alumni as part of their coaching staff. Dan Quinn, the Seahawks Defensive Coordinator, played as a defensive lineman for the Seagulls from 1990-1993. After his collegiate career, Quinn began coaching defensive players on college teams such as William and Mary and Hofstra before switching to professional teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. The coach first began working for the Seahawks in 2009 but left for the University of Florida before returning to Seattle again in 2013.

Another notable Salisbury Alumni who is present in the NFL is Baltimore’s own Steve Bisciotti. This Seagull graduated in 1982 with a degree in liberal arts and went on to start up the successful aerospace and technology company Aerotek. Although Bisciotti and his cousin Jim Davis began working out of a basement office, they produced $1.5 million in sales in their first year of business. The company grew into the Allegis Group which is currently number 37 on Forbes list of America’s largest private companies. Bisciotti himself ranks as billionaire number 260 on Forbes 400 list.

Due to his success and love of sports, the SU alum became a minority owner of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. In 2004, Bisciotti bought the remaining share of the team from former owner Art Modell and became the majority owner of the Ravens in 2004. Through his career as a team owner, Bisciotti has hired current coach John Harbaugh and helped to win the 2012 Super Bowl.

Snow Hill and Berlin also have claim to a professional football player. Running back Ben Tate currently plays for the Houston Texans but once broke rushing records on the Shore. Tate attended Stephen Decatur High School his junior year and set the Maryland state single-season rushing record with 2,886 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 221.4 yards per game.

Tate transferred to Snow Hill High his senior year and continued to be a worthy player, helping to lead his team to the state runner-up finish. Tate’s accomplishments on the field helped him to be awarded the Gatorade State Player as well as an all-state pick. He was also nationally ranked as number six among running backs and Maryland’s number five player from the state.

Tate was offered several options of colleges to attend but chose to attend Auburn University because of their history of producing strong running backs. As a freshman, Tate was selected as the All-America Honorable Mention from The Sporting News. Throughout his career at Auburn he also helped his teammates win several BCS bowl games. The running back graduated from Auburn 5th on the university’s career rushing list and with a criminology degree.

After school Tate was the 58^th pick in the second round of the NFL draft, when he was selected by the Texans. His professional career has been mostly successful but peppered by ankle and rib injuries.

Whichever team you cheer for on February 2^nd, we hope that you make sure to give a shout out to the Salisbury alumni out on the field. We at ShoreBread will be fully decked out in our SU apparel as always look for an excuse to support the Shore.