Former Cards Tutu Atwell, Javian Hawkins Win Super Bowl 56 with Rams
LOS ANGELES - While Super Bowl 56 did not feature any former Louisville football players on either of the active rosters for the participating teams, two aren't going home empty handed.
With the Los Angeles Rams taking down the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, to win their first Super Bowl since 1999, rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell and rookie running back Javian Hawkins will be getting Super Bowl rings as a result. Atwell is on injured reserve for the Rams while Hawkins is on their practice squad, but both can receive championship rings per the NFL's CBA.
Atwell and Hawkins are the 34th and 35th former Louisville football players to be on the active, inactive, reserve or practice squad rosters for Super Bowl teams. 25 former Cardinals have played in a Super Bowl, with the most recent being Breno Giacomini with the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Atwell was drafted by Los Angeles in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but had been relegated to almost exclusively special teams duty in his rookie campaign. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound receiver only saw 10 offensive snaps all season, all in a reserve role, while returning 10 punts for 54 yards and five kickoffs for 87 yards. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the Rams' Week Eight matchup with the Texans.
Hawkins went unselected in the 2021 NFL Draft, but was immediately picked up by the Atlanta Falcons. He was waived after two preseason games, was briefly picked up by Tennessee Titans, but again was waived just before the 53-man deadline. He had 20 carries for 97 yards in the preseason, and was signed to the signed to the Rams' practice squad after Week Two.
Atwell finished his Louisville career with 140 receptions for 2,307 yards and 21 touchdowns. The yardage mark is good for eighth in school history, while the touchdown total in good for fifth. His 1,276 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019 tied the single-season school record, while the former broke it.
Opting out halfway through the 2020 season, Hawkins logged 2,355 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in his Cardinals career, with the yardage mark good for 10th in school history. His 1,525 rushing yards in 2019 ranked seventh in the nation, and broke Howard Stevens' single-season school rushing record by a running back.
(Photo of Javian Hawkins: Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports, Tutu Atwell: Maria Lysaker - USA TODAY Sports)
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