North Carolina State University Athletics
#PACKedSuperBowl Again
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
SI.com: Wilson enters Super Bowl duel with Brady eyeing upper QB echelon
Raleigh N&O: Sweezy's drive led to successful transition
Boston Globe: Hauschka calls facing Patriots `special'
RALEIGH, N.C. - For the second year in a row, the Super Bowl will feel like a mini-Wolfpack reunion. The Seahawks feature three former Wolfpack players that are now starters trying to help Seattle become the first repeat champions in the NFL since New England did so in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is also connected to the Wolfpack. From 1980-82, Carroll severed as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at NC State under head coach Monte Kiffin.
Super Bowl XLIX will be held Sunday at 6:30 p.m. from Glendale, Arizona, on NBC.
RUSSELL WILSON, Quarterback
From the first day he walked onto NC State's campus, Russell Wilson planned to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. He started the first collegiate game he ever played and never looked back.
In 2008, he became the first freshman ever to be named the first-team All-ACC quarterback, was the league's rookie of the year and was a freshman All-American according to collegefootballnews.com.
Over his freshman and sophomore campaigns, he threw 379 straight passes without throwing an interception, the longest streak in NCAA history. He ranked fourth nationally with 31 touchdown passes in 2009, the second-highest tally in school history and a mark that led the ACC.
Wilson graduated in May of 2010 and that next season, he led the ACC in passing yards and total offense per game. He finished his career with 8,545 career passing yards - the 12th-best mark in ACC history and the third-best mark in the NC State annals. He was responsible for 93 career touchdowns - 76 through the air and 17 on the ground - the second-best mark in school history.
Wilson also played baseball for the Wolfpack and in the minor leagues. He spent his last year of football eligibility at Wisconsin, where he set an FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8) and was the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year.
He was drafted in the third round by Seattle in 2012 and was named the Seahawks starter during his first training camp. Wilson becomes the first QB in NFL history to start two Super Bowls within his first three seasons.
J.R. SWEEZY, Offensive Guard
J.R. Sweezy grew up a rabid State fan, as his grandfather, Roger Sweezy, played linebacker and fullback for the Wolfpack. When he was a kid, his "Papa" gave him a sweatshirt and a bag to carry his cleats in that harkened back to his playing days.
Sweezy wasn't a highly recruited player coming out of Mooresville High School, but proved quickly that he was capable of playing at the BCS level.
He played in 35 games for the Wolfpack, serving as a full-time starter at defensive tackle during his junior and senior campaigns. He led the team in sacks during his junior season, when he was an honorable mention All-ACC performer.
One of his proudest moments was when the Wolfpack defeated North Carolina, 13-0, during his senior year, making him undefeated for his career against the team he grew up pulling against.
Sweezy was drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 draft by the Seahawks and was quickly moved over to the offensive line. He's definitely found his home there, as he's started every game each of the last two seasons at left guard for Seattle.
STEVEN HAUSCHKA, Placekicker
Steven Hauschka only spent one year as a member of the Wolfpack, but his name is forever etched in the NC State records books.
Hauschka, a soccer star who never played football prior to his freshman year of college, graduated from Middlebury College in 2007 with a 3.59 GPA in neuroscience. He took advantage of the NCAA rule that allowed him to transfer because he said "I didn't want to regret having a chance to play on the Division I level and never pursuing it. I felt that I owed it to myself."
He connected on the first 10 fields goals attempts of his Wolfpack career, the fourth-longest streak in school history. He ended up connecting on 16 of his 18 tries that season - a mark which is tied as the sixth-best in school history and ranks third on the career list.
His first miss of the season came in the ninth game. In that road contest against Miami in the Orange Bowl, he hit a career-best four field goals, including the one in overtime that sent NC State back to Raleigh with a victory.
His plan following his senior campaign was to enroll in dental school and he was accepted to the prestigious Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Instead, he took a little detour, playing with the Baltimore Ravens (2008-09), Atlanta Falcons (2009), Denver Broncos (2010) and now with the Seahawks (2011-present).
Haushka will be facing the team he grew up watching, the New England Patroits.
Humbled to have worked with Seattle Seahawks G JR. Sweezy back in July 2013. Great week before going... http://t.co/s3YOR2uR1e
— Eric J. Gerencir (@agamextreme) January 21, 2015
Con mi compadre J.R. Sweezy de los Seahawks. #MiRitualEs pic.twitter.com/YAgmrxbpBh
— Luis García P (@GarciaPosti) January 27, 2015
Seahawks K Steven Hauschka, after NC State career: "I was trying to decide which dental school (to apply to) and NFL teams started calling."
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) January 29, 2015
Tonight at 5, @YasmeenTV talks to Steven Hauschka about a #WallaWalla girl w/cancer he's taken under his wing. pic.twitter.com/obxgmUE6N0
— #YourLocalABC (@KAPPKVEW) January 29, 2015
QB @DangeRussWilson Thursday press conference from Phoenix. VIDEO http://t.co/oF58uVR1AG #SB49 pic.twitter.com/rEMCFHcNih
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 29, 2015
How Russell Wilson Trained in the Offseason @TeamEXOS http://t.co/7tSWCcdnUV
— Inc. (@Inc) January 30, 2015
