WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Not only does Purdue Football have a rich history in the NFL, but also in the league's biggest game. That tradition continues Sunday (Feb. 11) as George Karlaftis and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Jalen Graham and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII (6:30 p.m. ET on CBS).
Graham becomes the 44th Boilermaker to play in the Super Bowl, while Karlaftis' second Super Bowl in as many NFL seasons brings the total number of appearances by Purdue Football alumni to 74. Matt Light has made the most Super Bowls by a Boilermaker, reaching the game five times with the New England Patriots. Including Sunday night's matchup, at least one Purdue Boilermaker has participated in 24 of the past 25 Super Bowls.
Keena Turner, a fellow member of the Den of Defensive Ends alongside Karlaftis, helped the San Francisco 49ers win four Super Bowls to set the standard for Pro Boilers. A Boilermaker has been on the Super Bowl-winning team 17 of the past 24 years, including Karlaftis contributing a pair of tackles to the Kansas City Chiefs' victory last season. This year's matchup is guaranteed to bump that number to 18 of the past 25, as a Boilermaker will become Super Bowl Champion for the 39th time.
Rod Woodson is one of only 11 players in NFL history to play in three Super Bowls with three teams – Pittsburgh Steelers (XXX), Baltimore Ravens (XXXV) and Oakland Raiders (XXXVII). Ricardo Allen (Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals) and Niko Koutouvides (Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots) have made Super Bowls with two different teams.
Mike Alstott scored the first Super Bowl touchdown by a Purdue alum in Super Bowl XXXVII, while three former Boilermaker quarterbacks have thrown touchdown passes in the Super Bowl – Len Dawson in Super Bowl I and IV, Bob Griese in Super Bowl VII and Drew Brees in Super Bowl XLIV. Unless either player gets a scoop-and-score or hauls in a pick-six, neither are likely to find the end zone in the Super Bowl.
Boilermakers have been a part of Super Bowl runs for both the 49ers and the Chiefs throughout history. Along with Turner helping the Niners win four Super Bowls, Raheem Mostert scored a touchdown in Super Bowl LIV and Jacob Thieneman was a teammate on that NFC Championship team. As for the Chiefs, Boilermakers Len Dawson and Hank Stram guided Kansas City to the first Super Bowl before leading the organization to a win in Super Bowl IV.
Graham and Karlaftis were two forces on the Purdue defense together for three consecutive seasons (2019-2021). Both started all 12 regular season games and recorded a combined 100 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and five turnovers in 2021. These two former teammates now face off for the biggest prize in football.
Last year, Karlaftis made NFL history by becoming the first Greek born player to win a Super Bowl. In just his second season, Karlaftis has 3.5 postseason sacks which is already the sixth-most in franchise history. With one more sack, the Pro Boiler can pass OLB Justin Houston for fifth-most postseason sacks in Chiefs history; two more, and he will pass DE Aaron Brown for fourth.
Karlaftis has been off to an outstanding start to his career after being the 30th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, he ranked third among rookies in sacks with 6.0 on the year, leading all AFC rookies. Now in his sophomore season, Karlaftis finished 16th in sacks, tied with teammate and all-pro defensive tackle Chris Jones with 10.5. Karlaftis has also played a major factor in the Chiefs' playoff run, racking up 14 total tackles, eight solo tackles, 2.5 sacks and one fumble recovery through three postseason games.
Playing in 27 games over his Purdue career, Karlaftis earned All-Big Ten honors following all three seasons as a Boilermaker. He was a second team honoree as a freshman and sophomore before becoming a consensus first team selection during his junior campaign. During the 2021 season, his final one wearing the Old Gold and Black, the hometown standout earned First Team All-America accolades from the AFCA to go along with second team honors from a variety of outlets.
After being selected by the 49ers (255th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft, Graham looks to make it back-to-back seasons that a rookie Pro Boiler has won the Super Bowl. Playing in 36 and starting in 35 games as a Boilermaker, he earned All-Big Ten honorable mentions twice. Graham recorded a pair of defensive touchdowns, a fumble recovery at Illinois (Oct. 31, 2020) and a pick-six at Nebraska (Oct. 30, 2021) while making 169 tackles, including 12.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks. He also forced three fumbles, recovered two of them and hauled in three interceptions during his tenure at Purdue.
Graham becomes the 44th Boilermaker to play in the Super Bowl, while Karlaftis' second Super Bowl in as many NFL seasons brings the total number of appearances by Purdue Football alumni to 74. Matt Light has made the most Super Bowls by a Boilermaker, reaching the game five times with the New England Patriots. Including Sunday night's matchup, at least one Purdue Boilermaker has participated in 24 of the past 25 Super Bowls.
Keena Turner, a fellow member of the Den of Defensive Ends alongside Karlaftis, helped the San Francisco 49ers win four Super Bowls to set the standard for Pro Boilers. A Boilermaker has been on the Super Bowl-winning team 17 of the past 24 years, including Karlaftis contributing a pair of tackles to the Kansas City Chiefs' victory last season. This year's matchup is guaranteed to bump that number to 18 of the past 25, as a Boilermaker will become Super Bowl Champion for the 39th time.
Rod Woodson is one of only 11 players in NFL history to play in three Super Bowls with three teams – Pittsburgh Steelers (XXX), Baltimore Ravens (XXXV) and Oakland Raiders (XXXVII). Ricardo Allen (Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals) and Niko Koutouvides (Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots) have made Super Bowls with two different teams.
Mike Alstott scored the first Super Bowl touchdown by a Purdue alum in Super Bowl XXXVII, while three former Boilermaker quarterbacks have thrown touchdown passes in the Super Bowl – Len Dawson in Super Bowl I and IV, Bob Griese in Super Bowl VII and Drew Brees in Super Bowl XLIV. Unless either player gets a scoop-and-score or hauls in a pick-six, neither are likely to find the end zone in the Super Bowl.
Boilermakers have been a part of Super Bowl runs for both the 49ers and the Chiefs throughout history. Along with Turner helping the Niners win four Super Bowls, Raheem Mostert scored a touchdown in Super Bowl LIV and Jacob Thieneman was a teammate on that NFC Championship team. As for the Chiefs, Boilermakers Len Dawson and Hank Stram guided Kansas City to the first Super Bowl before leading the organization to a win in Super Bowl IV.
Graham and Karlaftis were two forces on the Purdue defense together for three consecutive seasons (2019-2021). Both started all 12 regular season games and recorded a combined 100 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and five turnovers in 2021. These two former teammates now face off for the biggest prize in football.
Last year, Karlaftis made NFL history by becoming the first Greek born player to win a Super Bowl. In just his second season, Karlaftis has 3.5 postseason sacks which is already the sixth-most in franchise history. With one more sack, the Pro Boiler can pass OLB Justin Houston for fifth-most postseason sacks in Chiefs history; two more, and he will pass DE Aaron Brown for fourth.
Karlaftis has been off to an outstanding start to his career after being the 30th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, he ranked third among rookies in sacks with 6.0 on the year, leading all AFC rookies. Now in his sophomore season, Karlaftis finished 16th in sacks, tied with teammate and all-pro defensive tackle Chris Jones with 10.5. Karlaftis has also played a major factor in the Chiefs' playoff run, racking up 14 total tackles, eight solo tackles, 2.5 sacks and one fumble recovery through three postseason games.
Playing in 27 games over his Purdue career, Karlaftis earned All-Big Ten honors following all three seasons as a Boilermaker. He was a second team honoree as a freshman and sophomore before becoming a consensus first team selection during his junior campaign. During the 2021 season, his final one wearing the Old Gold and Black, the hometown standout earned First Team All-America accolades from the AFCA to go along with second team honors from a variety of outlets.
After being selected by the 49ers (255th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft, Graham looks to make it back-to-back seasons that a rookie Pro Boiler has won the Super Bowl. Playing in 36 and starting in 35 games as a Boilermaker, he earned All-Big Ten honorable mentions twice. Graham recorded a pair of defensive touchdowns, a fumble recovery at Illinois (Oct. 31, 2020) and a pick-six at Nebraska (Oct. 30, 2021) while making 169 tackles, including 12.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks. He also forced three fumbles, recovered two of them and hauled in three interceptions during his tenure at Purdue.