Two former Florida Gators stars represent The Swamp at Super Bowl XLVII

FloridaGamedayr | February 4, 2013 at 10:14 am | 0 Comments

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald (91) celebrates sacking Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) during the first quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

The Florida Gators family is an exclusive, closely-knit group of superstar athletes. While not all make their way to the NFL, every last one o them bleeds Orange ‘n’ Blue to the very end.

Thus, every last member of every generation of Gator Nation was proud to watch two of its own trot out onto the playing field at the Superdome to take part in Super Bowl XLVII. What began as a blowout, however, in favor of the Ravens, quickly turned into a thrilling affair between two of the top teams in the league.

That was due, in large part, to the defensive prowess of the San Francisco 49ers’ highly touted defensive front, in which Gators alum Ray McDonald played a huge role on Super Sunday.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pound beast finished the game with three total tackles, two of them solo, and even managed to sack game MVP Joe Flacco for the signature Gators moment of the evening. Although the Niners came up just short in the end, 34-31, McDonald put together a solid individual effort to round out his sixth season in the league.

Deonte Thompson was the Gators’ lone representative for the Ravens. While he was able to soak in the fun of the buildup to the Super Bowl, and he will receive a ring for his efforts on the squad, he did not accumulate any stats in the Ravens’ big victory.