Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1996 season. The Packers defeated the Patriots 35–21, their third Super Bowl victory and first since Super Bowl II. The Packers also extended their league record for the most overall NFL championships to 12. It was also the last in a run of 13 straight Super Bowl victories by the NFC over the AFC. The game was played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Curtis James Martin Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Willis Andrew McGahee III is an American former professional football running back. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors. McGahee was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. In addition to his time with the Bills, he played for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns.
LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson, nicknamed "LT", is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college football career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft. He spent nine years with the Chargers, earning five Pro Bowl appearances, three Associated Press first-team All-Pro nominations, and two NFL rushing titles. Tomlinson was also voted the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006 after breaking the record for touchdowns in a single season. He played two further seasons with the New York Jets, before retiring. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Marion Stevenson Butts Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, the New England Patriots and the Houston Oilers from 1989 to 1995.
Robert Lee Edwards, III is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft with the 18th overall pick. Edwards also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins before moving to the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes and ending his career with the Toronto Argonauts.
Terrell Antoine Fletcher is an American former professional football player who spent his entire eight-year career as a running back for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he played football as running back for the Wisconsin Badgers, the 1994 Rose Bowl champions. In 1995, Fletcher was named MVP in the Hall of Fame Outback Bowl. With the Chargers, he rushed for 1,871 yards and gained 1,943 yards receiving, leading all Charger running backs in receptions for five consecutive seasons, from 1996 to 2000. He is the older brother of former Indianapolis Colts tight end Bryan Fletcher. On November 4, 2001, he caught Drew Brees's first completion.
Hudson Houck is an American former professional football coach who was an offensive line coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 40 years.
Glyn Curt Milburn is an American former professional football player who was a running back and return specialist for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Stanford Cardinal, he was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 1993 NFL draft. He also played for the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and San Diego Chargers. He holds the NFL record for most all-purpose yards gained in a single game with 404 on December 10, 1995. He was also the Chicago Bears all-time leading kick returner with 4,596 yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl twice in 1995 and 1999, and was named first-team All-Pro in 1999. After his playing career ended, he was the General Manager and the Director of Player Personnel for the Austin Wranglers in the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2008.
Quinn Remar Early is an American former professional football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft. Early was a wide receiver who played college football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Early played in 12 National Football League (NFL) seasons from 1988 to 1999.
Jonathan Stewart Vaughn is an American former professional football running back and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons from 1991 to 1994 with the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. In the 1992 season, his most productive, he led the Patriots in rushing and led the NFL in kickoff returns with 20 that averaged 28.2 yards apiece. Vaughn was the tenth NFL player to score four touchdowns on kickoff-returns and the second to score a kickoff-return touchdowns for three teams.
The 1994 New England Patriots season was the team's 35th season, and 25th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first under owner Robert Kraft, who purchased the team after preventing previous owner James Orthwein from moving the Patriots to St. Louis. The Patriots finished the season with a record of ten wins and six losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC's East division.
The 1996 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 37th overall. They finished with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division. After a disappointing 1995 season, Drew Bledsoe bounced back with 4,086 passing yards and threw 27 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions while Curtis Martin had another Pro Bowl season. The team would win the divisional playoff—only the second home playoff game in franchise history—and conference championship by double-digit margins. They lost Super Bowl XXXI to the Green Bay Packers 35–21.
The 1997 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 38th overall. They finished the season with a 10–6 record and a division title but lost in the playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Eugene Yon Chung is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1992 to 1997. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, earning All-American honors in 1991. He is also a former American football coach.
Jermaine Fazande is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft.
Ulys Leroy Thompson is an American former professional football running back who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), the first three with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then one apiece with the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was an excellent receiver out of the backfield, accumulating 153 career receptions, including a career best of 65 in 1994 with the Patriots. He played college football at Penn State.
Sony Michel is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. During his first three seasons with the Patriots, he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIII. Michel spent his next season with Los Angeles Rams in 2021, winning Super Bowl LVI, and his final season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Damien Harris is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was a two-time national champion. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, and played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
Devin Singletary, nicknamed "Motor", is an American professional football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls. As a sophomore in 2017, he led all Division I FBS players with 32 rushing touchdowns, 33 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns, and 198 points scored, and finished with 1,920 rushing yards. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. He has also played for the Houston Texans.
