Former Pioneer Ricardo Colclough Playing Sunday in Super Bowl XL
February 3, 2006

By Joe Byrd, The Greeneville (TN) Sun

It’s a long way from Pioneer Field to the Super Bowl, but former Tusculum College All-American Ricardo Colclough has made the journey.

Colclough plays for Pittsburgh and will be on the field Sunday when the Steelers and Seahawks square off in Super Bowl XL in Detroit.

“Coming from my background, you dreamed about it, but you never really could reach out to it,” Colclough told the Steelers’ web site. “Now I am finally here. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and say somebody needs to pinch me. I think sometimes I am going to wake up and face reality. But this is reality.”

Colclough came to Tusculum as a junior college transfer. Pioneer head coach Frankie DeBusk knew right away there was something special about him and Tusculum was fortunate a big college player needed a small college home.

Even recognizing Colclough’s skills, DeBusk still didn’t imagine a former Pioneer would someday be playing in the Super Bowl.

“I can honestly say I never dreamed a player from Tusculum would be playing in the Super Bowl,” DeBusk said. “I never dreamed we’d have anybody of his caliber even play for us much less make the name for himself and win all the awards he won. I’m proud of him and happy for him.”

This is actually the second straight year one of DeBusk’s former players has been in the Super Bowl. DeBusk was Terrell Owens’ position coach at Chattanooga, and Owens played in Super Bowl XXXIX last year with Philadelphia.

No matter who wins on Sunday, either Pittsburgh or Seattle, a former South Atlantic Conference player will be wearing a Super Bowl ring. Carson-Newman All-American tight end Leonard Weaver plays for the Seahawks.

Weaver is a rookie fullback after signing as an undrafted free agent. He has 17 carries for 80 yards and also one reception for 12.

Colclough is in his second year with the Steelers. He plays cornerback on selected pass defense assignments and is one of Pittsburgh’s top return specialists. He has 15 tackles, including one sack, and has more kickoff returns than anyone on the team with 21 and a 19.5 yard per return average.

While playing in the Super Bowl is the realization of a dream for both Colclough and Weaver, it is also an opportunity to get a little recognition for the South Atlantic Conference during the largest single-day televised sporting event in the world.

“It’s exciting for us to have a South Atlantic Conference player participating on each team,” said SAC Commissioner Doug Echols. “Our conference has always prided ourselves on the quality of student-athletes and the football competition we’ve had among our member institutions. This gives an opportunity for the whole world to hear about the South Atlantic Conference and two excellent representatives on the type of students and athletes we have in our league.”