Howard Griffith has two Super Bowl rings to show for his NFL career, but the path to Denver wasn’t easy. A walk-on at the University of Illinois, Howard became a record-breaking team captain. One of those records was scoring EIGHT rushing touchdowns in a single game.

He was drafted in a round that doesn’t exist anymore in the NFL (9th) and never saw the playing field with the team who picked him (the Colts). From Indi, he bounced around to the Bills, Chargers, Rams and Panthers before finally landing in Denver where he played fullback for five seasons. He blocked for Hall of Famer Terrel Davis, caught a number of clutch passes and scored a few touchdowns, including two in Super Bowl 33.

After he retired, Howard hopped over to the “dark side” and joined the media. Again, he paid his dues in the Denver market and then landed an analyst gig with the Big 10 Network where he’s been going strong for 17 years.