UMass Football Legend Victor Cruz Reminisces About Super Bowl Performance

Since the UMass Minutemen made the jump to FBS for the 2012 season, they have yet to recapture the magic of their time at the FCS level. That time included the

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Since the UMass Minutemen made the jump to FBS for the 2012 season, they have yet to recapture the magic of their time at the FCS level. That time included the 1998 national championship and three total appearances in the FCS Championship game.

One of the most notable talents of UMass' final FCS years was receiver Victor Cruz. Cruz was a two-time, first-team all-conference pick by the Colonial Athletic Association. In three seasons with the Minutemen, Cruz had 131 catches for 1958 yards with 11 touchdowns.

Cruz was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2010 season. It was the beginning of a productive NFL career that included Cruz playing a major role on a Super Bowl championship team.

During this week's Super Bowl LVIII festivities in Las Vegas, Cruz spent a few minutes chatting with Sports Illustrated's 5th Quarter about his playing days, including his win in Super Bowl XLVI (2012) with the Giants.

Cruz was specifically asked by Brice Butler whether or not, during his time at UMass, he thought he would one day reach a Super Bowl and be a major contributor in one.

"No way. Not even close," Cruz replied. "You always know that you're going to have a chance, right. You're a realist about who you are. Look, I'm a UMass kid, Division I-AA... I'm going to have to work my tail off, but I'm going to have an opportunity to some degree, no matter what that looks like, to have a chance. As the opportunities started to get bigger and the moments started to get bigger, I'm like 'oh, this is happening.'"

Cruz's role in the Giants offense that season consistently grew throughout that year, similar to his time in Amherst. Cruz talked about he simply tried to stay focused and execute in key moments.

"As the weeks went on and I'm scoring touchdowns...week after week of that, I'm like 'this is my moment.' I just have to make sure I'm ready when my number is called each and every time, and I got a Hall of Famer throwing me the ball, I can't let him down."

In that famous win against the Patriots, Cruz caught four passes for 25 yards and Eli Manning's only touchdown pass of the game. 

Cruz was a Pro Bowl selection in 2012, the season after the Giants' Super Bowl win. He would retire after the 2018 season.