Jan. 30, 2009
Pittsburgh tailback Willie Parker and place-kicker Jeff Reed will represent North Carolina in Super Bowl XLIII Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Parker (UNC '03) and Reed (UNC '01) are two reasons why the Steelers are playing for their second Super Bowl title in the last four years.
Injuries this season have slowed Parker, but the Clinton, N.C., native is finally healthy and has rushed for more than 100 yards in two of his last three games. Four years ago, he set a Super Bowl record with a 75-yard touchdown run against the Seattle Seahawks.
Reed's playboy personality and spiked hair has received almost more publicity than kicking prowess. The Charlotte native is 27 of 31 this season despite kicking in what many observers consider the worst kicking surface in league - Pittsburgh's Heinz Field. In fact, Reed ranks 10th all-time in the NFL in field goal accuracy.
Much has been made of Willie Parker's career at UNC, but as he says in this story in the Raleigh News & Observer, Parker wouldn't change a thing about his career.
Parker and Reed were both in Chapel Hill last year on signing day preparing for what would end up being a Super Bowl season in 2008-09.
Deep snapper Greg Warren, a 2004 UNC graduate and native of Mt. Olive, N.C., suffered a severe knee injury earlier in the season and is on the Steelers' IR list. He is with the team in Tampa, but will not be able to play Sunday.
