13 former Citrus Bowl participants selected to 2018 NFL Pro Bowl
The NFL released its Pro Bowl rosters Tuesday, with 13 former Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s participants among the 86 players selected to appear in the game, which will take place on Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. at Camping World Stadium.
The full list of Citrus Bowl alumni on this year’s AFC and NFC rosters can be found in chronological order below:
• QB Tom Brady (1999 — Michigan)
• C Maurkice Pouncey (2008 — Florida)
• DT Geno Atkins (2009 — Georgia)
• WR A.J. Green (2009 — Georgia)
• SS Reshad Jones (2009 — Georgia)
• CB Patrick Peterson (2010 — LSU)
• RB Mark Ingram (2011 — Alabama)
• WR Julio Jones (2011 — Alabama)
• LB C.J. Mosley (2011 — Alabama)
• RB Le’Veon Bell (2011 — Michigan State)
• LB Jadeveon Clowney (2012, 2014 — South Carolina)
• RB Todd Gurley (2013 — Georgia)
• KR Pharoh Cooper (2014 — South Carolina)
With Tom Brady getting set for #TNF in Tampa tonight, #TBT to one of his last trips to Central Florida for our game in '99. ?: John Amis, AP pic.twitter.com/o7Y8v7kHHG
— Citrus Bowl pres. by Overton’s (@CitrusBowl) October 5, 2017
A 13-time Pro Bowler, a two-time NFL MVP and a five-time Super Bowl champion, Brady completed 14-of-27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan scored 21 points in the final 5:49 of a 45-31 win over Arkansas in the 1999 Citrus Bowl.
Georgia and Alabama, meanwhile, each boast four players on this year’s Pro Bowl rosters, with seven of the eight having made an appearance in Orlando’s New Year’s Day classic.
One of three Bulldogs to appear in Georgia’s 24-12 win over Michigan State in the 2009 Capital One Bowl, Jones hauled in a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter. In 2013, Gurley, then just a freshman, carried the ball 23 times for 125 yards and a score in a 45-31 win over Nebraska.
In Alabama’s 49-7 win over Michigan State in 2011, Ingram, a two-time Pro Bowler, scored on runs of one and six yards, while Julio Jones, now a five-time Pro Bowl selection, scored on a 35-yard run. The Crimson Tide’s 49 points in that game are tied for second in Citrus Bowl history, while the team’s six rushing touchdowns — future NFL backs Eddie Lacy added a pair and Trent Richardson also found the end zone in the win — are tied with Oklahoma State (1976 vs. BYU) for the most in the game’s history.
The 2017 Pro Bowl, a 20-13 AFC victory, drew a sellout crowd of 60,834 in its first year in Orlando. In addition to the current players on the field, this year’s game will also feature a first-class team of legends captains in Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Jason Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson. To buy your tickets to this year’s game, click here.