Three Former Southern Miss Standouts Selected To Pro Bowl
12/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Three Former Southern Miss Standouts Selected To Pro Bowl HATTIESBURG, Miss.
Former Southern Miss quarterback Brett Favre, along with former Conference USA Defensive Players of the Year Patrick Surtain and Adalius Thomas were all chosen to represent their respective teams in the all-star game. There were a total of four players from Conference USA to receive 2004 Pro Bowl Honors. Along with the three Golden Eagles, Kansas City safety and former Memphis great Jerome Woods was named to the list.
Favre, the MVP quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, will be making his eighth Pro Bowl appearance. The only three-time NFL MVP in league history, Favre has thrown 341 career TD passes and needs just two more to pass Fran Tarkenton (342) for second place all-time. This season, he has completed better than 65 percent of his passes for 2,846 yards and an NFC-high 27 touchdown passes.
Favre played at Southern Miss from 1987-1990, leading the Golden Eagles to a pair of bowl games. He owns the school's career record for passing yards (7,695) and total offense (7,606) and also is tied with Lee Roberts for the record in career passing touchdowns (52). Favre is one of only two players in school history, along with Ray Guy, to have his jersey retired and is one of five players honored in the Southern Miss Legends Club for football.
Surtain, one of only two Dolphin cornerbacks to ever earn Pro Bowl honors (Sam Madison is the other), was named to the squad for the second consecutive season. He leads the AFC in interceptions with seven and has added 49 tackles and 15 pass breakups.
Surtain earned All-America honors during his senior year at Southern Miss in 1997 after leading the Golden Eagles to a Conference USA title and a victory in the AXA Liberty Bowl. He closed out his Golden Eagle career ranked second in pass breakups and third in interceptions, twice earning first team All-C-USA accolades. He was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.
Thomas was named to the squad as the AFC's Special Teams player. It is his first Pro Bowl selection. A two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year at Southern Miss in 1998 and 1999, Thomas has excelled both on defense and special teams during his five seasons with the Ravens. In the first 13 games of the 2003 season, he registered 27 tackles, along with four sacks and six pass breakups. The Ravens gunner and leading tackler on special teams, Thomas had his season cut short when he fractured his right arm vs. Cincinnati on Dec. 7. Ironically, Thomas was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday after undergoing elbow surgery, just hours prior to his Pro Bowl announcement.
In all, eight players in school history have been selected to a total of 28 Pro Bowls. Favre has been to the most Pro Bowls with eight, while NFL Hall of Famer Guy went to seven. Former standouts Jerrel Wilson and Hanford Dixon both are in third with three appearances each.
The 2004 Pro Bowl -- the 25th played in Honolulu, Hawaii - kicks off at 2:30 p.m. HT on Sunday, February 8 and will be broadcast live by ESPN and CBS Radio at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The selected players with the most votes at each position are the designated starters, and will be announced on January 3.