Spartans Brian Allen & Brian Hoyer Preparing for Super Bowl LIII
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Former Michigan State Spartans Brian Allen and Brian Hoyer are preparing for Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, Feb. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is being televised on CBS.
Allen is a rookie offensive lineman for the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams and has played in 15 games this season, including both playoff games, in a reserve role and on special teams. A fourth-round NFL Draft choice (No. 111 overall), Allen was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State from 2014-17 and started 38 games during his four seasons in East Lansing, including a team-best 28 consecutive to close out his career, as part of a total of 51 games played. A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, he earned second-team honors from the coaches and media at center in 2017, and was also a second-team All-Big Ten selection at guard as a junior (media) in 2016 and as a sophomore in 2015 (coaches and media).
"Since you've been a little kid, you've always dreamed about playing in the NFL," said Allen earlier this week at Super Bowl media day. "As you get older, you want to play varsity football, then you want to play at a big college. Now you're in the NFL, and being here and having a chance to play in the Super Bowl, it's pretty special."
In addition to his impressive on-field resume, Allen was just as successful in the classroom. He was named a semifinalist in 2017 for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is widely known as the "Academic Heisman," and also the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class. An economics major, Allen was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and was named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2018.
Hoyer, a back-up quarterback for New England, is making his second straight Super Bowl appearance and third overall with the Patriots. He also was a back-up quarterback on the Super Bowl XLVI and Super Bowl LII teams.
A 10-year NFL veteran, Hoyer played in five games with the Patriots in 2018. He has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards during his NFL career (9,902 yards) with 48 career TDs. He has completed 59 percent of his passes (838-of-1412) in 65 career games, including 37 starts. Hoyer spent his first three seasons (2009-11) in the NFL with the Patriots and returned to the franchise in November 2017. He has also played for the Steelers (2012), Cardinals (2012), Browns (2013-14), Texans (2015), Bears (2016) and 49ers (2017).
A four-year letterwinner for the Spartans from 2005-08, Hoyer started his last 27 games at MSU, compiling a 16-11 record while leading Michigan State to the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl and 2009 Capital One Bowl. He still ranks among MSU's all-time leaders in pass attempts (fourth with 896), passing yards (fifth with 6,159), pass completions (fifth with 200), total offense (sixth with 5,930 yards), passing yards per game (eighth at 157.9 ypg) and passing touchdowns (eighth with 35).
In the coaching ranks, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, a former Spartan graduate assistant under Nick Saban in 1999, is making his seventh Super Bowl appearance with the Patriots. New England is 5-1 in previous Super Bowls with McDaniels as the offensive coordinator.
Additional Spartan Super Bowl Facts & Lists:
• Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Brian Allen and New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer are two of 44 former Michigan State letterwinners to have their names listed on a Super Bowl roster. In the previous 52 Super Bowls, 41 former Spartans have seen playing time. Twenty-six former Spartans have won Super Bowl rings.
• Rams head coach Sean McVay's grandfather, John McVay, was an assistant coach at Michigan State for three years (1962-64) under Hall of Fame Coach Duffy Daugherty, MSU's all-time winningest coach.
• Former Spartan greats Herb Adderley (Green Bay: I, II; Dallas: V, VI) and Earl Morrall (Baltimore: III, V; Miami: VII, VIII) each made four Super Bowl appearances and each won three championship rings. Dixon Edwards went a perfect three-for-three with the Dallas Cowboys, winning three Super Bowl (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) championship rings.
• Former Spartan All-American Sherman Lewis made five Super Bowl appearances as an assistant coach (San Francisco: XIX, XXIII, XXIV; Green Bay: XXXI, XXXII), winning four championship rings. Former Michigan State head coach George Perles won four Super Bowl rings (IX, X, XIII, XIV) as an assistant coach under Chuck Noll with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Former Spartan Letterwinners on All-Time Super Bowl Roster (44)
Flozell Adams, OT: Pittsburgh (XLV)
Herb Adderley, CB: Green Bay (I, II); Dallas (V, VI)
Brian Allen, OL: Los Angeles Rams (LIII)
Morten Andersen, K: Atlanta (XXXIII)
Fred Arbanas, TE: Kansas City (I, IV)
Gary Ballman, TE: Minnesota (VIII*)
Carl Banks, LB: New York Giants (XXI, XXV)
Tony Banks, QB: Baltimore (XXXV)
Myron Bell, S: Pittsburgh (XXX)
Larry Bethea, DT: Dallas (XIII)
Ed Budde, OG: Kansas City (I, IV)
Plaxico Burress, WR: New York Giants (XLII)
Garrett Celek, TE: San Francisco (XLVII)
Smiley Creswell, DE: New England (XX)
Billy Joe DuPree, TE: Dallas (X, XII, XIII)
Dixon Edwards, LB: Dallas (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)
Bennie Fowler, WR: Denver (50)
Tom Graves, LB: Pittsburgh (XIV)
Dave Herman, OT: New York Jets (III)
Brian Hoyer, QB: New England (XLVI*, LII*, LIII)
Mark Ingram, WR: New York Giants (XXV)
Bill Johnson, NT: Pittsburgh (XXX)
Clint Jones, RB: Minnesota (IV)
Greg Jones, LB: New York Giants (XLVI)
Mike Labinjo, LB: Philadelphia (XXXIX)
Ed Lothamer, DT: Kansas City (IV)
Dave Manders, C: Dallas (V, VI)
Derrick Mason, WR: Tennessee (XXXIV)
Earl Morrall, QB: Baltimore (III, V); Miami (VII, VIII)
Jim Morrissey, LB: Chicago (XX)
Muhsin Muhammad, WR: Carolina (XXXVIII), Chicago (XLI)
Ike Reese, LB: Philadelphia (XXXIX)
Jeff Richardson, OG: New York Jets (III)
Andre Rison, WR: Green Bay (XXXI)
Greg Robinson-Randall, OT: New England (XXXVI)
Paul Rochester, DT: New York Jets (III)
Butch Rolle, TE: Buffalo (XXV, XXVI)
Rich Saul, C: Los Angeles Rams (XIV)
Bubba Smith, DE: Baltimore (III, V)
Devin Thomas, WR: New York Giants (XLVI)
Matt Vanderbeek, LB/DE: Dallas (XXVIII)
Gene Washington, WR: Minnesota (IV)
Bobby Wilson, DT: Washington (XXVI)
Duane Young, TE: San Diego (XXIX)
*Did Not Play
Former Spartan Coaches in the Super Bowl (18)
Hank Bullough: Cincinnati (XVI)
Bob Casullo: Oakland (XXXVII); Seattle (XL)
Danny Crossman: Carolina (XXXVIII)
Brian Daboll: New England (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX)
Rollie Dotsch: Pittsburgh (XIII, XIV)
Sherman Lewis: San Francisco (XIX, XXIII, XXIV); Green Bay (XXXI, XXXII)
Ben McAdoo: Green Bay (XLV)
Josh McDaniels: New England (XXXIX, XLII, XLVI, XLIX, LI, LII, LIII)
Dean Pees: New England (XXXIX); Baltimore (XLVII)
Skip Peete: Oakland (XXXVII)
George Perles: Pittsburgh (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
John Polonchek: Oakland (II), New England (XX)
Pat Ruel: Seattle (XLVIII, XLIX)
Bill Sheridan: New York Giants (XLII)
Pat Shurmur: Philadelphia (XXXIX)
Jeff Stoutland: Philadelphia (LII)
Sal Sunseri: Carolina (XXXVIII)
Woody Widenhofer: Pittsburgh (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
Former Spartan Assistant Coaches on All-Time Super Bowl Roster (2)
Steve Furness, DT: Pittsburgh (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
Bill Rademacher, TE: New York Jets (III)
Want the latest breaking MSU news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Spartan Nation newsletterWHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE!Don’t miss any of the latest up to the second updates on Michigan State Sports when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
