University of Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Jayhawk cornerbacks Chris Harris, Jr., and Aqib Talib added another ring to their collections as they helped lead the Denver Broncos to a win in Super Bowl XLIX Sunday evening. Harris and Talib were starters for a Broncos defense that held the Carolina Panthers high-octane offense in check as Denver posted a 24-10 win at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Harris and Talib became the first Jayhawks to earn a Super Bowl title since Justin Hartwig took home a ring from Super Bowl XLIII as a member of the Pittsburg Steelers. Harris and Talib are the first pair of Jayhawks to join forces for a Super Bowl win since Don Davis and Rod Jones helped lead the St. Louis Rams to a win in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Much like their Orange Bowl days in 2007-08, the dynamic Jayhawk duo combined for 10 tackles and played lockdown coverage to aid in a pass rush that sacked Carolina’s Cam Newton seven times and forced four turnovers in the win.
Harris, a five-year veteran in the NFL, finished the regular-season with 58 tackles, six passes defended, two interceptions (one for a touchdown) and two forced fumbles. He let his presence be known Sunday, recording five solo stops and a sack.
In his ninth season in the NFL, Talib posted 45 tackles during the regular-season, defended 13 passes, hauled in three interceptions and returned two of those for a pick six. Sunday saw much of the same from the veteran cornerback as he posted five tackles, all solo, and a pass breakup in the Broncos’ win.
Harris lettered at KU from 2007-10 and was part of two KU bowl wins in the 2008 Orange Bowl and the 2008 Insight Bowl. He finished his Kansas career with 290 tackles, which ranks third all-time among defensive backs. As a freshman in 2007, he earned Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors and was a Sporting News Freshman All-American and All-Big 12 Freshman Team honoree.
Talib lettered in the Crimson and Blue from 2005-07 before being drafted in the first round (20th pick) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished his KU career with 138 tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss, 13 interceptions and 43 pass breakups. In 2006 he was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and was a Second-team All-American in 2007.