Well, it's official. The undefeated New England Patriots will square off against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, which will be played on Sun., Feb. 3, in Glendale, Ariz. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:17 p.m., and the game will be televised on FOX.

It should come as no surprise that more than a few players with ties to the state of Alabama have helped their respective teams make it to this year's Super Bowl. The Pats and the Giants have a total of 124 players on their rosters and of that number six played high school football in Alabama, five played college ball in the state and five were born here.

Wesley Britt, who plays offensive tackle for the Patriots, was born in Cullman and played high school football at Cullman High School. Britt, age 26, played college football at the University of Alabama and is in his second season as a pro. Britt, 6-8, 320, wears the No. 65 jersey for the Pats.

Chad Jackson, who plays wide receiver for the Pats, was born in Birmingham and played prep football at Hoover High School. Jackson, 22, played college ball at the University of Florida and is in his second season in the NFL. Jackson, 6-1, 215, wears the No. 17 jersey for the Pats. Rashad Moore, who plays defensive tackle for New England, was born in Huntsville and played high school football at Huntsville's J.O. Johnson High School. Moore, 28, played college football at the University of Tennessee and is in his fourth season as a professional. Moore, 6-3, 325, wears Patriots jersey No. 95.

Adalius Thomas, who plays inside linebacker for the Patriots, was born in Equality and played prep ball at Central Coosa High School in Rockford. Thomas, 30, played college ball at Southern Miss and is in his eighth season in the league. Thomas, 6-2, 270, wears No. 96 for the Patriots.

Justin Tuck, who plays defensive end for the Giants, was born in Kellyton and also played high school ball at Rockford's Central Coosa High School. Tuck, 24, played his college ball at Notre Dame and is in his third season as a pro. Tuck, 6-5, 274, wears the No. 91 jersey for the G-Men.

Osi Umenyiora, who plays defensive end for the Giants, played high school ball at Auburn High School in Auburn and college football at Troy State. Umenyiora, 26, was born in London, England and has played pro ball for six seasons. Umenyiora, 6-3, 261, wears jersey No. 72.

Heath Evans, who plays full back for the Patriots, played college football at Auburn and has been a pro for seven seasons. Evans, 29, was born in West Palm Beach, Fla. and played high school football at Martin Luther King Academy in Miami. Evans, 6-0, 250, wears jersey No. 44.

Reggie Torbor, who plays outside linebacker for the Giants, also played college football at Auburn and is in his fourth season as a pro. Torbor, 26, was born in Baton Rouge, La. and played prep football at Baton Rouge's Robert E. Lee High School. Torbor, 6-2, 250, wears jersey No. 53.

Last, but not least, we come to 29-year-old Lawrence Tynes, who kicked a field goal to give the Giants a win over the favored Packers in the NFC championship game on Sunday night. Tynes, who kicks for the Giants, played college ball at Troy State and has been a pro for four seasons. Tynes was born in Greenock, Scotland and played prep football at Milton High School in Milton, Fla. Tynes, 6-1, 202, wears jersey No. 9.

A total of 21 players who were born in California will take part in the Super Bowl. The game will also feature 10 players who were born in Florida, nine from Texas and eight from Louisiana. Other states represented by players who were born within their borders include Georgia (6), Ohio (6), Alabama (5), New Jersey (5), Virginia (5), Illinois (4), North Carolina (4), Indiana (3), Oklahoma (3), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (3), Missouri (2), New York (2) and Washington, D.C. (2, also not technically a state).

Other states and countries represented by one native born player include Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Cameroon, Canada, England, Germany and Scotland.

When it comes to former high school football players in the Super Bowl, California leads the way with 24. The game will also feature 15 players who played prep football in Florida, 12 in Texas and eight from Ohio. Other states represented by former high school football players include Louisiana (7), Alabama (6), Georgia (6), North Carolina (4), Virginia (4), Illinois (3), Indiana (3), Oklahoma (3), South Carolina (3), Maryland (2), Mississippi (2) and Missouri (2).

States and countries with at least one former prep player in the game include Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Canada and Germany.

When it comes to former college players in the Super Bowl, the University of Miami leads the way with seven former players in the game. The game will also feature five players who played at Louisiana State, a.k.a. LSU, and five who played at the University of Southern California, a.k.a. USC. Other colleges represented by former players include Marshall (4), Tennessee (4), Arizona (3), Boston College (3), Fresno State (3), Georgia (3), Georgia Tech (3), Michigan (3), Notre Dame (3), Penn State (3), Texas Tech (3), Akron (2), Auburn (2), Central Florida (2), Florida (2), Illinois (2), Memphis (2), Nebraska (2), North Carolina (2), Purdue (2), Texas (2), Texas A&M (2), Troy State (2) and Western Illinois (2).

Colleges with at least one former player in the Super Bowl include Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Brown, California, Cal State-Bakersfield, Cincinnati, Cornell, East Carolina, Florida State, Harding, Howard, Idaho State, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Navy, North Dakota State, North Texas, Northwestern, Northwest Missouri State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Ottawa-Kansas, Pennsylvania, Rice, Rutgers, Sacramento State, Southern Illinois, Southern Miss, South Carolina, South Florida, Syracuse, Texas Southern, Toledo, Villanova, Virginia, Wake Forest, Western Oregon and Western Kentucky.

Lee Peacock
 Excel, Ala.
 http://www.ahsfhs.org/