Feb. 4, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Former Wildcat Barry Cofield became the third former Northwestern gridiron star to win a Super Bowl ring Sunday night when the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots, 17-14.

Cofield, a fourth-round draft pick in 2006, has started all but one of his 36 games in the NFL as a nose tackle with the Giants, who stifled the NFL's best quarterback in Tom Brady to win Super Bowl XLII. After Cofield knocked Brady to the ground on the Patriots' first offensive play from scrimmage, his teammates sacked the former Super Bowl MVP five times in the game.

A three-year starter at Northwestern, Cofield was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2005. He recorded 197 career tackles with 15.5 TFL's. He joins former Wildcats Trai Essex and Matt Ulrich as Super Bowl champions; Essex won his ring in 2006 as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ulrich won his ring in 2007 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.