Marshawn Lynch First Former Cal Player to Score Touchdown in Super Bowl

Late this afternoon, Seattle Seahawks star and Bay Area hometown hero Marshawn Lynch became the first former University of California, Berkeley football player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl. 

The Oakland native, who graduated from Oakland Technical High School, was drafted as a rookie in 2007 to the Buffalo Bills before joining the Seattle Seahawks as a running back in 2010.

UC Berkeley Athletics released this statement after the Super Bowl game:

Former Cal football players Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Mebane are Super Bowl winners after the Seattle Seahawks’ 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Lynch became the first former Cal player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl when he scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers and Craig Morton had thrown for scores in previous Super Bowls.

Lynch’s scoring run with 12:00 minutes remaining in the second quarter put the Seahawks in front 15-0. Lynch, who also had an 18-yard run in the third quarter, started the contest and finished with 39 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Mebane played off the bench and had three tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss (-2 yards).

C.J. Anderson came off bench for the Broncos and contributed one catch for 14 yards and two receptions for nine.

All three former Cal players were participating in their first Super Bowl and gave the Golden Bears at least one player on a Super Bowl roster for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons.

Shane Vereen was the most recent former Cal player on a roster for the game in New England’s 21-17 loss in Super Bowl XLVI two years ago but was not active for the game. Andre Carter was also with the Patriots at the time but on the injured reserve list for the Super Bowl.

Rodgers was the MVP of Super Bowl XLV when he threw for three touchdowns in Green Bay's 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh, while Desmond Bishop had eight tackles, a game-high 3.0 tackles for loss and a key fumble recovery in the contest. Rodgers and Bishop were the most recent Cal players on a winning Super Bowl squad.

Seattle and Denver both reached Super Bowl XLVIII after being the top seeds in their respective conferences heading into the NFL Playoffs. The Seahawks captured the NFC crown with home victories over New Orleans and San Francisco, while Denver won the AFC title by beating the Chargers and Patriots at home.

A total of 16 former Cal players were on rosters of teams involved in this year’s NFL Playoffs with the Super Bowl trio being joined by  Keenan Allen (San Diego), Andre Carter (New England), Brian De La Puente (New Orleans), Lavelle Hawkins (San Diego), DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia), Marvin Jones (Cincinnati), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans), Mychal Kendricks (Philadelphia), Ron Rivera (Carolina, head coach), Rodgers (Green Bay), Richard Rodgers (Carolina, special teams coordinator), Vereen (New England) and Steve Williams (San Diego).