ALTOONA, Pa. -- Franco Harris. Miles Sanders. That's it. That's the list.
Or at least, that will be the list in a couple of weeks.
Until now, there has only been one Penn State player ever to start at tailback (ie primary running back if we’re splitting hairs on position titles) in the Super Bowl. And only one Penn State player ever to carry the ball from that position in the Super Bowl.
That player, of course, was Harris, who played on the Steelers' four Super Bowl championship teams in the 1970s.
But when the Philadelphia Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, Sanders' name will be added to the list.
Sanders is Philly's starting tailback and leading rusher, so he is sure to be a factor in the game. He was the NFL's fifth-leading rusher during the regular season with 1,269 yards.
Penn State has had a bunch of outstanding running backs throughout its storied tradition, names such as Ki-Jana Carter, Curt Warner, Blair Thomas, Curtis Enis, Larry Johnson, Lydell Mitchell, Saquon Barkley and more.
But ...
When it comes to Super Bowls, the Nittany Lions have no tradition whatsoever at the tailback position, outside of Harris.
Again -- in a note that's kind of hard to believe -- not a single Penn State product other than Harris has ever carried the ball as a designated tailback in the Super Bowl.
When you include fullback -- a staple of Penn State's for many years, until the modern era anyway -- there is another name you can add.
Matt Suhey was the fullback and Walter Payton's lead blocker for the Chicago Bears during their storied 1985 season. Suhey played fullback in Super Bowl XX and carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards with one TD, plus he had one catch for 24 yards.
Now, to be clear, I did not go back and watch every play of Super Bowl XX, so it is possible that Suhey might have lined up as the lone running back -- ie the tailback -- for at least one of his carries in the game. Still, his position was listed as fullback, which makes us safe in saying Harris is alone on the tailback list -- for now anyway, until Sanders joins him.
There are two other notes in this discussion with regards to Penn State fullbacks.
Sam Gash started at fullback for the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants, but he had no carries or catches.
Michael Robinson played fullback for the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos. He did not have any carries, but did catch one pass for 7 yards.
That's all. No other Penn State runner has ever played in the backfield during a Super Bowl. There have been some running backs who were members of a Super Bowl team, but they didn't appear in the game, such as Bob Torrey (Eagles XV) and Mike Archie (XXXIV).
Harris was the Steelers' primary tailback in all four of their Super Bowl wins in the 1970s. Here's a look at how he fared in those games:
Super Bowl IX: 34 carries for 158 yards and one TD
Super Bowl X: 27 carries for 82 yards; one catch for 26 yards
Super Bowl XIII: 20 carries for 68 yards and one TD; one catch for 22 yards
Super Bowl XIV: 20 carries for 46 yards and two TDs; three catches for 66 yards
So, Harris' career Super Bowl totals: 101 carries for 354 yards and four TDs; five catches for 114 yards.
