Patriots To Honor Three-Time Super Bowl Champions At Halftime vs. Broncos
BOSTON (CBS) -- While Sunday night's Patriots-Broncos game will be the latest chapter in the historic Tom Brady-Peyton Manning rivalry, it will also feature a very special reunion at halftime
There will be plenty of bling on the field at Gillette Stadium, as the Patriots will honor 18 of the 22 players who earned three Super Bowl rings with the franchise during their run of success during the early 2000s.
New England won their first Super Bowl in 2001, upsetting the heavily-favored St. Louis Rams, and went on to win back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004, becoming just the second team in the Super Bowl era to win three championships in four years.
"Collectively, these 22 players will always share a special bond," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "While individual Super Bowl teams will certainly be celebrated in the future, these 22 players represent the greatest era in franchise history and one of the greatest accomplishments in NFL history. It is always fun to participate in reunions with former players. The stories they share from their playing days are always entertaining and it is always fun to see the ovations the players get from our fans. I look forward to seeing them and sharing those experiences with them."
Of those 22 players only Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri, still kicking field goals for the Indianapolis Colts, are still playing. Brady will be in the locker room for all the fun on Sunday, and former teammates Larry Izzo (New York Giants), Mike Vrabel (Houston Texans) and Adrian Klemm (UCLA) are currently on active coaching staffs and will not be able to attend festivities.
Here are the 17 players who will be honored at halftime on Sunday:
1. Joe Andruzzi
2. Tom Ashworth
3. Troy Brown
4. Tedy Bruschi
5. Matt Chatham
6. Je'Rod Cherry
7. Kevin Faulk
8. Ted Johnson
9. Ty Law
10. Matt Light
11. Willie McGinest
12. Stephen Neal
13. Patrick Pass
14. David Patten
15. Lonie Paxton
16. Roman Phifer
17. Richard Seymour
It should be one awesome Super Bowl reunion at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Broncos game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV -- the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on WBZ-TV at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, and on 98.5FM at 1:30pm. Following the game, switch over to myTV38 for Patriots 5th Quarter, and stay tuned on the Hub for three full hours of postgame reaction and analysis!
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