Photo courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs
When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field on Feb. 7 for Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, there will be two former Gators taking that field as well.
Both will be taking the field of the Chiefs. They are wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and punter Tommy Townsend.
Robinson Returns to the Super Bowl
Robinson is a fifth-year wide receiver who was drafted by the Chiefs as the No. 126 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He had 45 receptions in 2020, 466 total yards, and three touchdowns. He averages 10.4 yards per reception.
In 2018, Robinson caught an 89-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It marked the longest touchdown pass thrown by a Mahomes and was also his 50th touchdown pass of the 2018 season. That 89-yard touchdown pass is tied for the sixth longest pass reception in Chiefs history.
This will not be the first time Robinson has played in the Super Bowl. The former Florida wide receiver was also a part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Robinson did not catch a pass in last season’s 31-20 win in Super Bowl LIV.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, Robinson played for Florida from 2013-15. He hauled in 105 passes and recorded a total of 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns over the course of three seasons for the Gators.
Rookie Punts for a Title
Townsend, a rookie punter from Florida, is in his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs and will be making his first Super Bowl appearance. He entered the NFL in 2020 as an undrafted free agent with Kansas City.
This season, Townsend has recorded 52 punts, with a net average of 40.4. His longest punt went 67 yards.
Townsend, at 6-1 and 176 pounds, finished his career at Florida with 93 punts. He averaged nearly 45 yards per punt for his career. Townsend holds the Florida record for most yards by a punter in a single game (432 yards, nine punts). His career-long 71-yard punt is the seventh longest in program histroy.
Townsend, a rookie from Orlando, will be making his first Super Bowl appearance in his home state of Florida.
These two former Gators have excelled so far in the NFL. Robinson will have a chance to earn his second Super Bowl ring, while Townsend will have the opportunity to gain his first in just his rookie season in the NFL.
