Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2005 season. The Steelers defeated the Seahawks by the score of 21–10. The game was played on February 5, 2006, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It is the most recent Super Bowl broadcast on ABC who lost the rights to broadcast Super Bowl games in the next NFL TV contract and the first where all aspects of the game itself were aired in HD. This was the last of 10 straight Super Bowls to feature a team seeking its first win.
William Laird Cowher is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, whom he led until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.
Jeffrey Montgomery Reed is a former National Football League (NFL) placekicker. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2002 until 2010, and is second all-time behind Gary Anderson for the most points scored by a Steeler.
Alan Joseph Faneca is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earned consensus All-America honors. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Steelers, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. A six-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Faneca won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, defeating the Seattle Seahawks. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021 and on May 10, 2021, he was introduced as the head football coach of Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Kimo K. von Oelhoffen is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boise State.
Daniel S. Kreider is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the New Hampshire. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2000.
Clark Cromwell Haggans was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams as a defensive end, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Haggans played in the NFL from 2000 through 2012 for the Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.
In gridiron football, the long snapper is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and conversion attempts.
Kyle Larson is a former American football punter. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Cedrick Wilson Sr. is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005. Wilson earned a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, beating the Seattle Seahawks. With that achievement, he became one of very few football players to earn a championship ring at all three levels of football – high school, college, and professional. His son Cedrick Wilson Jr. has played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.
Fork Union Military Academy is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in the United States.
James Henry Harrison Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Harrison won two Super Bowls with the Steelers: XL and XLIII. In 2008, he became the only undrafted player to be named Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Harrison was known for his hard-hitting style during games.
De'Andre De'Wayne "D. D." Lewis is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, most-notably with the Seattle Seahawks and he was their starting middle linebacker in Super Bowl XL. He played college football at Texas where he was 2nd team All-Big12 and set the school's career record for fumble recoveries. He played high school football at Aldine High School in Houston. In between two stints with the Seahawks Lewis also played for the Denver Broncos.
Lorenzo Levon Kirkland is an American former football player who was a linebacker for 11 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Steelers, he was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.
Marquand Alexander Manuel is an American football coach and former safety who is the safeties coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and as an assistant coach for the Seattle Seahawks. After playing college football for the University of Florida, he was selected in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for eight seasons in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Detroit Lions. He was the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 2017 to 2018.
Gary Russell is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals, scoring a touchdown in the game. He played college football at Minnesota.
Timothy L. Terry is an American football executive and former linebacker who is the director of pro personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He previously spent 13 years in the Green Bay Packers scouting department ending his tenure as an assistant director of player personnel. He played college football at Temple and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1997. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. Terry also played one year in the Canadian Football League as a member of the 1999 Grey Cup champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Joshua Bynes is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He has also played for the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Auburn, where he was a key member of the Tigers 2010 National Championship team.
Ka'Raun White is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at West Virginia. In his Mountaineer career, White caught 124 passes for 1,852 yards and 17 touchdowns. After going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, White was signed by the Seattle Seahawks.
Troy Daniel Reeder is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and Delaware.
