Duke football sees former player advance to Super Bowl LV

Former Duke football standout Ross Cockrell has advanced to Super Bowl LV. 

There was going to be one former Duke football standout in Super Bowl LV following Sunday afternoon’s matchup in the NFC Championship between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers.

Tampa Bay is home to former Blue Devil defensive back Ross Cockrell while Green Bay has been the longtime home of offensive lineman Lucas Patrick.

It was arguably the most anticipated championship game because of the quarterback matchup between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but after spotty decisions by the signal callers and questionable coaching decisions, Tampa Bay emerged victorious, 31-26, and will represent the NFC in Super Bowl LV.

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Ross Cockrell, who had not signed with the Buccaneers until midway through the season, has made a major contribution with his new team in its quest to reach the Super Bowl.

The former Blue Devil played in all 12 regular season games he was active for, starting two games.

Cockrell’s first start of the season came against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, the same opponent Tampa Bay will face in the Super Bowl on February 7.

In the 27-24 victory for Kansas City back on November 29, Cockrell played in 80-percent of the defensive snaps and logged four tackles.

Duke football puts another player in the Super Bowl

Despite its lack of success on the football field, Duke is no stranger to having players on the biggest stage in the NFL.

Last year, former Duke offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson started in the Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers as they fell to the Chiefs.

Cockrell became the 17th Blue Devil to make it to the Super Bowl and the third in the last two Super Bowls.

Former Blue Devil Thad Lewis will also make it to the big stage as an offensive coach for the Buccaneers.

While in Durham, Ross Cockrell was a First Team All-ACC cornerback before being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and has played for five NFL teams since.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will become the first team in Super Bowl history to play the game in its home stadium when the game kicks off at Raymond James Stadium on February 7 at 6:30pm EST (CBS).