Former Southern Miss Wide Receiver Mike Thomas Set to Play for Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl VLI
2/11/2022 10:52:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For the third year in a row, the Super Bowl will have a Southern Miss flavor in it when the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams meet in SoFi Stadium this Sunday in Los Angeles for a 5:30 p.m. CT kick. The game will be shown on NBC.
The Southern Miss flair comes in the form of Bengals wide receiver Mike Thomas, who lettered for the Golden Eagles during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, hoping to assist his team to their first-ever Super Bowl championship.
Cincinnati appears in their third title game, having lost to San Francisco in its both previous trips for Super Bowl XVI (26-21 on Jan. 24, 1982 in Pontiac, Mich.) and Super Bowl XXIII (20-16 on Jan. 22, 1989 in Miami, Fla.).
Thomas, a sixth-year pro, who is not to be confused with teammate and safety Michael J. Thomas, adds value to the Bengals as a speedy rotational receiver, as well as on special teams. Thomas joined the Bengals in 2020 after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Rams, where in 2017 his assistant wide receivers coach was Zac Taylor, who now is the head coach of the Bengals.
The Chicago native appeared in 12 games, with one start, during the 2021 regular season and boasted five catches for 52 yards with a long of 19 yards. He added three tackles and a forced fumble on special teams. Thomas has also appeared in all three postseason contests for the Bengals, having notched one tackle on special teams.
He has the chance to become the second Golden Eagle to win the title in as many years, as Rakeem Nunez-Roches started at nose tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last year's game, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
Tarvarius Moore and Nick Mullens are the two previous Southern Miss players to be on the active roster in the NFL's championship game, dropping Super Bowl LIV to the Chiefs last season. Moore registered an interception in that contest, while Mullens did not make an appearance.
Thomas becomes the 18th former Golden Eagle to be on the official dress roster for the Super Bowl.
Former Golden Eagle punter, Jerrel Wilson, holds the distinction of being the first from the program to play in the contest as he appeared in the inaugural game. Wilson also went on to play in Super Bowl IV.
Here is a listing of Southern Miss players that were on the active rosters for their respective teams in the Super Bowl:
|
Player |
Team |
Super Bowl(s) |
|
Jerrel Wilson |
Kansas City Chiefs |
I, IV |
|
Ray Guy |
Oakland Raiders/Los Angeles Raiders |
XI, XV/XVIII |
|
Bud Brown |
Miami Dolphins |
XIX |
|
Sammy Winder |
Denver Broncos |
XXI, XXII, XXIV |
|
Brett Favre |
Green Bay Packers |
XXXI, XXXII |
|
Perry Phenix |
Tennessee Titans |
XXXIV |
|
Adalius Thomas |
Baltimore Ravens/New England Patriots |
XXXV/XLII |
|
Bobby Hamilton |
New England Patriots |
XXXVI |
|
Todd Pinkston |
Philadelphia Eagles |
XXXIX |
|
Etric Pruitt |
Seattle Seahawks |
XL |
|
Jeremy Parquet |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
XLIII |
|
Michael Boley |
New York Giants |
XLVI |
|
Chris Clark |
Denver Broncos |
XLVIII |
|
Jamie Collins |
New England Patriots |
XLIX |
|
Tarvarius Moore |
San Francisco 49ers |
LIV |
|
Nick Mullens |
San Francisco 49ers |
LIV |
|
Rakeem Nunez-Roches |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
LV |
|
Mike Thomas |
Cincinnati Bengals |
LVI |