Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith had the opportunity to join an exclusive football group in Super Bowl LVII two years ago. Even though the former Alabama All-American had seven receptions for 100 yards, the Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in the NFL championship game for the 2022 season.
Because of that outcome, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett and Charles Woodson remain the only players who have achieved something of a football triple crown -- winning the Heisman Trophy, national championship and Super Bowl during their football careers. Each of the players is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In the 2020 season, Smith won the Heisman Trophy and helped Alabama capture the CFP national championship. In his final game with the Crimson Tide, Smith had 12 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of a 52-24 victory over Ohio State in the national-title contest.
On Sunday, Smith will get another chance to join the trio, when Philadelphia squares off against Kansas City again, this time in Super Bowl LIX.
Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy as a Pitt running back in 1976, when he led the Panthers to the national championship. Pitt finished atop the season-ending polls of The Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation.
The next season, Dorsett was a 1,000-yard rusher for a Super Bowl winner as a rookie. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII on Jan. 15, 1978. Dorsett ran for 66 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
Allen won the Heisman Trophy at Southern Cal in 1981. The Trojans posted a 9-3 record and did not win the national championship that season.
But during Allen’s freshman season in 1978, when he served as a backup running back for Charles White, USC went 12-1 and finished first in the final coaches poll. Undefeated Alabama topped the final AP, FWAA and NFF polls for 1978.
Allen capped his second NFL season with a trip to Super Bowl XVIII, where the Oakland Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 on Jan. 22, 1984. Allen ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and won the MVP Award for the game.
Woodson won the Heisman Trophy as a Michigan defensive back in 1997. The Wolverines posted a 12-0 record that season and finished on top of the final AP, FWAA and NFF polls. Undefeated Nebraska led the final coaches poll for 1997.
Woodson’s Super Bowl victory came 13 seasons later. In Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, 2011, Woodson started at left cornerback for Green Bay and made three tackles in the Packers’ 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Eagles and Chiefs kick off in Super Bowl LIX at 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. FOX will televise the game.
