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NJCAA alumni gear up for Super Bowl LVI
Charlotte, NC – Five NJCAA football alumni will be a part of the action of Super Bowl LVI this Sunday in Los Angeles, Calif. that kicks off Sunday, February 13, at 6:30 PM ET. The list of alumni comprises of three coaches and two players between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.
| Name | Pos. | NJCAA Program | NCAA Program | NFL Team |
| Zac Taylor | Head Coach | Butler-KS (player) | Nebraska (player); Texas A&M, Cincinnati (Coach) | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Darrin Simmons | Special Teams Cord./Ast. Head Coach | Dodge City (player) | Kansas (Player / Coach); Minnesota (Coach) | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Mike Thomas | WR | DuPage, Dodge City | Southern Mississippi | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Bryce Perkins | QB | Arizona Western | Arizona State, Virginia | Los Angeles Rams |
| Eric Henderson | DL / Run Game Cord. | Georgia Military (Coach) | Oklahoma State, UTSA (Coach) | Los Angeles Rams |
Former Butler Grizzlies quarterback, Zac Taylor, leads the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years. Prior to becoming the first Butler player to hold the title of head coach in the National Football League, Taylor led the Grizzlies to a Region VI title and an 11-1 overall record making it all the way to an appearance in the 2004 NJCAA National Championship game. Taylor was named NJCAA All-American after he passed for 2,682 yards and 27 touchdowns during that season. After Butler he would go on to have a successful career in Lincoln, Nebraska, playing for the Cornhuskers and being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006.
Darrin Simmons, Bengals Special Teams Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach, suited up for the Dodge City Conquistadors as a punter and quarterback. In 1992, Simmons led the NJCAA in punting average with 43.5 yards per punt for a total of 2,611 yards on 60 punts.Simmons performance during his sophomore year at Dodge earned him first-team All-American honors.
Mike Thomas was orignially selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2016 NFL Draft, but will play for the Lombardi Trophy with the Bengals. Thomas began his collegiate career at the College of DuPage in 2012 before transferring to Dodge City. In 2013, Thomas earned was earned a NJCAA All-America honorable mention after leading the Conquistadors with 42 receptions for 709 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games.
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In his lone season with Arizona Western, Bryce Perkins passed for 1,311 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 353 yards and four touchdowns. Perkins led the Matadors to the 2017 NJCAA Football National Championship. Despite falling to East Mississippi, 31-28, Perkins threw for 139 yards and ran for 104 yards while totaling two touchdowns to earn Offensive MVP honors for the Matadors. In 2018, Perkins transferred and earned the staring quarterback position at the Univeristy of Virigina.
Eric Henderson is entering his third season with the Los Angeles Rams after a two-year stint with the Los Angeles Chargers as an assistant defensive line coach. Henderson made his coaching debut in 2012 as a defensive assistant at Georgia Military College, where he primarily worked alongside the linebackers and secondary. The Bulldogs finished with a 7-4 record and made an appearance in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl.
Photo courtesy of Butler CC Athletics
