Sun Belt has Several Super Bowl Ties
Written by: Sun Belt Conference

Release: 01/28/2009

TAMPA – Several former Sun Belt coaches or players will make an impact on Super Bowl XLIII. Most notably, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a former assistant at Arkansas State and Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor is a Louisiana-Lafayette graduate.

Tomlin, who is in his second year as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, spent two seasons at Arkansas State where he coached wide receivers in 1997 before switching to defensive backs in 1998.

Tomlin’s assistant and wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner also spent time at Arkansas State. Fichtner spent four years (1997-2000) at ASU. He arrived in Jonesboro as the quarterback coach in the spring of 1997 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in August of 1997. During his tenure with ASU, Fichtner worked with quarterback Cleo Lemon, who set virtually every Arkansas State passing and total offense record.

Steelers starting cornerback Ivan “Ike” Taylor will be making his second Super Bowl appearance. The New Orleans native played at Louisiana-Lafayette and was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round (125th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft. In Super Bowl XL, he had an interception which stopped a critical Seattle Seahawks drive and helped seal the game for the Steelers, who won 21-10.

Former Louisiana-Lafayette defensive back Michael Adams has been with the Arizona Cardinals since 2007. Adams collected 140 tackles, four interceptions and six tackles for a loss in his four-year career at Louisiana-Lafayette. Adams has played in all three postseason games for the Cardinals this season.

Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens enters his second season on the Cardinals coaching staff, having previously served as the running backs coach at North Texas from 2001-03 and contributed to Mean Green clubs that won three straight Sun Belt Conference titles. In 2003, running back Patrick Cobbs rushed for 1,680 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, earning the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year award while also leading the nation with a 152.7 yards per game average. During the previous two seasons, Kitchens developed Kevin Galbreath into the first back in school history to rush for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. The 2,372 yards gained on the ground in 2002 were the most at North Texas since 1959.

Another former Arkansas State product, Maurice Carthon is currently the running backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Prior to his current assignment, he was the offensive coordinator for the NFL's Cleveland Browns (2005-06), an offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys and running backs coach for several teams. As a senior at ASU, he was the team's captain and led the team in rushing yards. As a pro, Carthon won two championship rings with the Giants in Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV.

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