College Football: Evaluating where Super Bowl quarterbacks played in college
By Zach Bigalke
Top schools represented by quarterbacks in the Super Bowl
Tom Brady is the most successful individual quarterback in the modern era of the NFL. Brady has led the New England Patriots to five Super Bowl victories since taking over for Drew Bledsoe in 2001. After passing Joe Montana atop the list of the most Super Bowls won by a quarterback last year, he could expand that record to six this season.
What is almost even more impressive is that Brady singlehandedly has Michigan tied with Notre Dame in terms of both Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl appearances by school. Both schools have seen their quarterbacks win five Super Bowls and appear in seven editions apiece. Three different Fighting Irish quarterbacks appeared in the big game. Daryle Lamonica lost the second edition of the big game with the Oakland Raiders, Joe Thiesmann went 1-1 in two appearances, and Montana sealed up four titles.
Stanford has also seen its quarterbacks play in seven NFL championship games. Between Heisman winner Jim Plunkett and five-time Super Bowl participant John Elway, the Cardinal saw its former stars win two titles each. Plunkett claimed Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII with the Raiders, while Elway starred with the Denver Broncos.
Which other schools have been represented over the past half-century?
Over the first 51 years of Super Bowl history, 43 schools have sent representatives to the game. Notre Dame, Michigan, and Stanford top the list. Louisiana Tech features prominently thanks to Terry Bradshaw’s four titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers. California and UCLA are both high on the list, thanks in part to transfer quarterbacks.
Likewise, Alabama has been the most successful college football team of the nascent College Football Playoff era. The school also had early success in the Super Bowl era, with the school’s former passers winning the first three editions of what was then the AFL-NFL championship game. Bart Star won Super Bowls I and II as the leader of the Green Bay Packers. Joe Namath won Super Bowl III with the New York Jets. The Crimson Tide could also take pride in Ken Stabler‘s Super Bowl XI victory with the Raiders.
And, thanks to Troy Aikman, both Oklahoma and UCLA can lay some claim to three Super Bowl victories by its former star. Aikman, of course, transferred after ceding his spot atop the Sooners depth chart to Jamelle Holieway via injury.
Full chart of colleges represented by quarterbacks in Super Bowl
| W | L | TOT | |
| Notre Dame | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Michigan | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Stanford | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| California | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Louisiana Tech | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| UCLA | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Navy | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Alabama | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Miami (FL) | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Miami (OH) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Northern Iowa | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Georgia | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| BYU | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| NC State | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Southern Mississippi | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Washington State | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Boston College | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Maryland | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Florida State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fresno State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Grambling | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Morehead State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Louisville | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Illinois | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| NE Louisiana | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nevada | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Penn State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nebraska | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Alcorn State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Augustana (IL) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Louisiana State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Youngstown State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Washington | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Florida | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Auburn | 0 | 1 | 1 |