William Stephen Belichick is an American football coach who is the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for a record eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. A renowned American football historian, Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game" with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position. During his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick was a central figure as the head coach and de facto general manager during the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019.
Julian Thomas Peterson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Peterson was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions.
Daniel Koppen is an American former professional football player who was a center for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
Russ Hochstein is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played for the Buccaneers for two seasons from 2001 to 2002, the New England Patriots for seven seasons from 2002 to 2008, and the Denver Broncos for three seasons from 2009 to 2011.
Donald André Bly is an American football coach and former player who is a defensive analyst coach for Charlotte. He played as a cornerback for 11 seasons in the NFL. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, earning All-American honors twice. Bly was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft, and spent four seasons with the Rams, earning a Super Bowl ring with them in Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He was selected to two Pro Bowls during his four-year tenure with the Detroit Lions, and also played for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers.
Vincent Lamar Wilfork is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played two seasons for the Houston Texans before retiring following the 2016 season. Along with Tom Brady, Wilfork is the only Patriots player to win the Super Bowl in both decades of the Patriots dynasty.
Ty'ron Markeith Warren is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies from 2000 to 2003. He was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. A first-team All-Pro selection in 2007 and two-time Super Bowl-winner during his eight seasons with New England, he was named to the Patriots All-2000s Team in 2010.
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League (NFL). To increase revenue, the league, for the first time since 1966, reinstated bye weeks, so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams by adding another wild card from each conference, thus adding two more contests to the postseason schedule; this format was modified with realignment in 2002 before the playoffs expanded to 14 teams in 2020.
Thomas "Pepper" Johnson is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, the first seven of which were for the New York Giants. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants before playing for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and New York Jets.
The Central Michigan Chippewas are a college football program in Division I FBS, representing Central Michigan University (CMU). CMU has the 24th highest overall winning percentage of programs playing in NCAA Division I.
Kevin William O'Connell, nicknamed "KOC", is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was the quarterback for the San Diego State Aztecs and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He also played for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and San Diego Chargers before retiring in 2012. O'Connell's NFL coaching career began in 2015; he held various assistant coaching roles on the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Los Angeles Rams.
Breno Gomes Giacomini is an American former professional football offensive tackle. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round in the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at Louisville. Giacomini is of Brazilian descent. Along with Gary Barnidge of the Cleveland Browns, Giacomini founded American Football Without Barriers in 2011, a football-related charity foundation.
Marcus Darell Cannon is an American professional football offensive tackle. He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs. Prior to the 2011 NFL draft, Cannon was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fifth round with the 138th overall pick.
Stevan Todd Ridley is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. Ridley was also a member of the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Patriots, he won Super Bowl XLIX.
Kyle Van Noy is an American professional football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Van Noy played college football at BYU. He was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, with whom he spent his first three seasons. Van Noy played his next four seasons for the New England Patriots, where he won Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII. Following a year as a member of the Miami Dolphins, he rejoined New England in 2021. Van Noy signed with the Los Angeles Chargers the following season.
Michael Williams is an American former professional football tight end. He was selected the Detroit Lions in the seventh round in the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Jamie Lee Collins Sr. is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. As a member of the Patriots for seven non-consecutive seasons, Collins earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 when he led the league in forced fumbles and also won Super Bowl XLIX. Outside of his New England tenure, he played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the Detroit Lions.
Duron Harmon is an American professional football safety who is a free agent. Selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft after playing college football at Rutgers, Harmon was nicknamed "the Closer" by fans and media for his ability to come up with late, game-sealing interceptions during his Patriots tenure. Harmon has also played for the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
Robert Lee "Trey" Flowers III is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football at Arkansas and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Flowers has also played for the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins.
Chase Farris is a former American football offensive guard. He played college football at Ohio State, and was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
