Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2003 season. The Patriots defeated the Panthers by a score of 32–29. The game was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 1, 2004. At the time, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 89.8 million viewers.
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is an American football coach and former player who is a skill development and kick and punt returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and return specialist for 15 seasons in the NFL, spending his entire career with the Patriots. Brown played college football at Marshall University and was selected by the Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL draft. During his New England tenure, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001 and was a member of the franchise's first three Super Bowl-winning teams. In 2020, Brown rejoined the Patriots as an offensive assistant. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Brown also was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2012.
Algernon Darius Crumpler is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played college football for North Carolina. Crumpler now works as an analyst for the ACC Network.
Richard Scott Proehl is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts. He played in four Super Bowls and won two: Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams and Super Bowl XLI with the Colts. He is remembered as a member of "The Greatest Show on Turf".
Tyrone Poole is an American former professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fort Valley State Wildats. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft.
David Patten was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He is best known for catching a touchdown pass late in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXXVI from quarterback Tom Brady as a member of the New England Patriots.
David Lee Meggett is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. A return specialist for most of his career, he ranks second in NFL punt return yards, which he led at the time of his retirement.
Tracy Donnel White is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Howard.
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. A member of the New England Patriots for most of his career, he is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Gostkowski played college football for the Memphis Tigers and was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Patriots, where he spent his first 14 seasons. In his final season, he played for the Tennessee Titans.
Drayton Florence, Jr. is a former American football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee-Chattanooga and Tuskegee.
Brad Seely is a former American football coach.
Stephen Cabot Williams is a former professional gridiron football defensive end. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Northwest Missouri State.
Landon Cohen is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio. He was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, and Ottawa Redblacks.
Scott O'Brien is an American football coach and former player who is currently serving as an area scout for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). A former defensive end/linebacker, O'Brien served as a special teams coach for three college football teams and for five NFL franchises during a 35-year long coaching career. In 2015, O'Brien retired from coaching and began his current role as an area scout.
Stephen Nickolas Belichick was an American football player, coach, and scout. He played college football at Western Reserve University, now part of Case Western Reserve University, from 1938 to 1940 and then in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions in 1941. After serving in World War II, Belichick began his coaching career. From 1946 to 1949, he was the head football coach and the head basketball coach at Hiram College. He continued on as an assistant coach in college football with stints at Vanderbilt University (1949–1952), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1953–1955), and then for 34 years at the United States Naval Academy (1956–1989).
Thomas Adam Austin V is an American college football coach who was most recently the offensive line coach at Clemson. He is also a former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Clemson.
John Stephen Hunt is a former professional American football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Florida.
Stephen C. Belichick is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington, a position he has held since 2024. He was an assistant coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) from 2012 to 2023.
Kevin Harris is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina.
LaBryan Ray is an American football defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He has been a member of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Stars.