Ezekiel Elliott is one of three former Ohio State players on the Dallas Cowboys roster. All of them were on the Buckeyes' 2014 national championship team.
Elliott, along with receiver Noah Brown and fullback Rod Smith, were teammates at Ohio State for that one season. Smith was a fifth-year senior while Elliott was a sophomore and Brown a freshman. Though Elliott was the only player to appear in the national championship win over Oregon, they all still won the title, something they're trying to do again in the NFL.
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If the Cowboys win the Super Bowl with the three Buckeye alumni on the roster, it will be the 12th time teammates have won a national championship and Super Bowl together since the 2000 NFL season, and the first time three teammates have accomplished the feat since a 2001 Miami (FL) trio did so with the Saints in 2009. They would also be the first Ohio State alums to win a Super Bowl together since A.J. Hawk and Matt Wilhelm did so with the Packers in 2010.
Here are the 11 instances since 2000.
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Stevan Ridley and Brandon LaFell
National Championship: LSU – 2007
Super Bowl: Patriots – 2014
One of four times former LSU teammates have doubled up on championships, Stevan Ridley and Brandon LaFell reunited with the Patriots in 2014 and won Super Bowl XLIX.
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Courtney Upshaw and Terrence Cody
National Championship: Alabama – 2009
Super Bowl: Ravens – 2012
Courtney Upshaw and Terrence Cody helped win Alabama's first national championship since 1992. They combined for four tackles in the BCS title game win over Texas.
Upshaw had four tackles against the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
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Corey Webster and Michael Clayton
National Championship: LSU – 2003
Super Bowl: Giants – 2011
Corey Webster (seven interceptions) and Michael Clayton (10 touchdowns) were studs on LSU's 2003 championship team. They helped the Giants win their second title in five seasons.
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Matt Flynn and Quinn Johnson
National Championship: LSU – 2007
Super Bowl: Packers – 2010
Three years after Matt Johnson and Quinn were teammates of Stevan Ridley and Brandon LaFell at LSU in 2007, they were reserves on the Packers' Super Bowl team.
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A.J. Hawk and Matt Wilhelm
National Championship: Ohio State – 2002
Super Bowl: Packers – 2010
A.J. Hawk and Matt Wilhem combined for 147 tackles, 3.5 sacks and four interceptions at Ohio State in 2002. Though Wilhelm wasn't a key member of the Packers in 2010, he and Hawk still won a second crown together.
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Jonathan Vilma, Jeremy Shockey and Buck Ortega
National Championship: Miami (FL) – 2001
Super Bowl: Saints – 2009
Jonathan Vilma and Jeremy Shockey are well-known former 'Canes who played together in the NFL. The third player, however, hadn't been a household name since he was a a top recruit two decades ago. Buck Ortega was a little-known member of the Saints' Super Bowl team.
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Reggie Bush and Sedrick Ellis
National Championship: USC – 2004
Super Bowl: Saints – 2009
Sedrick Ellis didn't record any stats as a freshman at USC in 2004 but Reggie Bush averaged 6.4 yards per carry and racked up 1,417 total yards. Five years later, the pair were on the first-ever Saints' Super Bowl-winning team.
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Jeremy Shockey and Sinorice Moss
National Championship: Miami (FL) – 2001
Super Bowl: Giants – 2007
Jeremy Shockey's first Super Bowl was won alongside former Miami receiver Sinorice Moss. As Shockey had 40 receptions for 519 yards and seven touchdowns in 2001, Moss was taking a redshirt as a true freshman.
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Manuel Wright and Steve Smith
National Championship: USC – 2004
Super Bowl: Giants – 2007
Manuel Wright and Steve Smith were also on the 2004 USC team, though both played small roles. Smith had just eight catches while Wright had 23 total tackles.
They had similarly small roles in 2007 with the Giants, when Smith again had eight catches and Wright just one tackle.
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Marquise Hill, Randall Gay and Eric Alexander
National Championship: LSU – 2003
Super Bowl: Patriots – 2004
The Patriots selected Marquise Hill in the second round of the 2004 draft and signed his former teammates, Randall Gay and Eric Alexander, as undrafted free agents.
Gay had the biggest role in 2004, appearing in 15 games (nine starts) and recording two interceptions and six passes defended.
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Travis Stephens and Cosey Coleman
National Championship: Tennessee – 1998
Super Bowl: Buccaneers – 2002
Travis Stephens and Cosey Coleman were teammates on the last Tennessee team to win a national championship. Coleman, a guard, was drafted by the Bucs in the second round in 2000 and joined two years later by Stephens (fourth round), a running back, two years later.
