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 by the score of 35–21, earning their third overall Super Bowl victory, and their 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.
Warrick De'Mon Dunn is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL draft, after playing college football for the Florida State Seminoles. Dunn was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1997 and earned three Pro Bowl selections in his career. After his playing career, Dunn took a minority stake in the Falcons' ownership group led by Arthur Blank.
Richard James Watters is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he played wide receiver on the school's 1988 national champion team. He also won Super Bowl XXIX as a member of the 1994 49ers over the San Diego Chargers. Watters was known throughout his playing career for his outstanding receiving skills and his unique high-step running style, which earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters, from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman.
Larry Eugene Centers is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, mostly the Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals (1990–1998). Centers then played for the Washington Redskins (1999–2000), the Buffalo Bills (2001–2002), and finally was a member of the New England Patriots.
Lorenzo LaVonne Neal is an American former football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons. Neal played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft. A four-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro, he was also a member of the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tennessee Titans, the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Diego Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Oakland Raiders. Considered one of the best blocking fullbacks in NFL history, Neal blocked for a 1,000-plus-yard running back in eleven straight seasons from 1997 to 2007.
Kyle Eckel is an American former professional football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and won Super Bowl XLIV with the New Orleans Saints, beating the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Navy.
Blair Lamar Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 1989.
Greg Wayne Randall is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan State.
Kenneth Darby is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. Darby was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Alabama.
Abraham Clark High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from the borough of Roselle, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Roselle Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1932 and is accredited until July 2024. The school is named for Abraham Clark, a Revolutionary War figure and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Danny Franklin "DJ" Ware, Jr. is an American former professional football running back. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Georgia.
BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers and Ole Miss Rebels. Green-Ellis was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
LeGarrette Montez Blount is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at the University of Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Community College. Not selected in the 2010 NFL draft, he began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent.
Christopher Lee Ivory is an American former football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars and Tiffin Dragons.
Brandon Bolden is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 by the New England Patriots, where he played nine non-consecutive seasons. Primarily utilized as a special teams player, Bolden was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams with New England. In between his two Patriots stints, he played for the Miami Dolphins in 2018. Bolden left the Patriots a second time to join the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.
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 over the Seattle Seahawks.
Rex Burkhead is a former American football running back. He played college football at Nebraska and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. After four seasons with the Bengals, Burkhead spent his next four seasons with the New England Patriots, where he appeared in consecutive Super Bowls and won Super Bowl LIII. Burkhead joined the Houston Texans in 2021 and spent two seasons with them. He was an unsigned free agent during the 2023 NFL Season and retired during the 2024 off-season.
Corey Joel Clement is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He won Super Bowl LII with the team his rookie season, catching a touchdown in the game and helping execute the Philly Special.
Ke'Shawn LaMont Vaughn is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and Vanderbilt Commodores. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in third round of 2020 NFL draft, Vaughn has also played for the New England Patriots.
