Updated: Jan 2, 2006, 1:25 PM

All-Time Super Bowl Team - Wide receivers


On Jan. 26, 2006, at 9 p.m. ET, ESPN will unveil The Ultimate Super Bowl 40-Man Roster in advance of Super Bowl XL. A distinguished panel of voters, all of whom have covered all 39 Super Bowls, will cast their ballots to determine the first 39 spots. What about the 40th? Well, that's where you come in.

The panel will select 18 players on offense (including starters and backups), 18 on defense (including starters and backups), a kicker, a punter and a kick returner for a total of 39 roster spots. The 40th spot will go to the player with the highest vote total from SportsNation who was not already picked by the panel.

Wide receivers get the spotlight in Week 11. From early heroes like Max McGee and Otis Taylor to recent studs such as Jerry Rice (right) and Michael Irvin we've got it all covered, including some impressive duos: Pittsburgh's Lynn Swann and John Stallworth played in four Super Bowls together, while Rice and John Taylor teamed up in two Super Bowls for the 49ers and Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt took the field together in a pair of Super Bowls with the Rams.

Review their credentials below and vote for your top five wide receivers in Super Bowl history.

WATCH:
The Ultimate Super Bowl 40-Man Roster (Thursday, Jan. 26, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
40 Minutes That Define the Super Bowl (Thursday, Feb. 2, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

TELL US: Did we leave someone off the ballot? Click here to sound off.

Cast your vote for your all-time Super Bowl wide receivers (pick your top five):

  • Cliff Branch (Raiders) -- Played in three Super Bowls with Oakland (XI, XV, XVIII) compiling 14 receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Branch had three catches for 20 yards in a win over Minnesota in SB XI, five receptions for 94 yards and two TDs in a win over Philadelphia in SB XV and six receptions for 94 yards and a TD in a win over Washington in SB XVIII.
     
  • Deion Branch (Patriots) -- The MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX, Branch tied the Super Bowl record with 11 receptions (133 yards) in a 24-21 defeat of Philadelphia. He also had 10 catches for 143 yards and a TD in a SB XXXVIII win over Carolina.
     
  • Issac Bruce (Rams) -- Had 11 catches for 218 yards in two Super Bowl appearances with St. Louis. Bruce grabbed six passes for 162 yards, including the game-winning 73-yard TD, in a 23-16 defeat of Tennessee in SB XXXIV, then recorded five receptions for 56 yards in a loss to New England in SB XXXVI.
     
  • Cris Collinsworth (Bengals) -- Played in two Super Bowls with Cincinnati, losing to San Francisco both times. Collinsworth had five receptions for 107 yards, including a 49-yarder, in SB XVI, and three catches for 40 yards in SB XXIII.
     
  • Antonio Freeman (Packers) -- Had a total of 12 receptions for 231 yards and 3 TDs in two Super Bowl appearances with Green Bay (XXXI, XXXII). Freeman had three catches for 103 yards, including an 81-yard TD, in a win over New England in SB XXXI, then caught nine balls for 126 yards and two scores in a loss to Denver the following year.
     
  • Torry Holt (Rams) -- Caught 12 passes for 158 yards in two Super Bowls with St. Louis (XXXIV, XXXVI). He had seven receptions for 109 yards and a TD in a win over Tennessee in SB XXXIV, then caught five balls for 49 yards in a loss to New England in SB XXXIV.
     
  • Michael Irvin (Cowboys) -- Won three Super Bowls with Dallas (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX). Irvin had six receptions for 114 yards and two scores in a victory over Buffalo in SB XXVII, then caught five more for 66 yards in a win over the Bills the following year. He hauled in five receptions covering 76 yards in a SB XXX defeat of Pittsburgh.
     
  • Max McGee (Packers) -- The hero of Super Bowl I, McGee famously filled in for Boyd Dowler after a night of partying and caught seven passes for 138 yards and two TDs in a win over Kansas City. He then caught one pass for 35 yards in a victory over Oakland in SB II.
     
  • Andre Reed (Bills) -- Played on four straight Super Bowl losing teams (XXV-XXVIII) with Buffalo but produced a total of 27 receptions for 323 yards. Reed had eight catches each in SBs XXV and XXVII, and his 323 receiving yards are the third-highest career total in Super Bowl history.
     
  • Jerry Rice (49ers) -- Won three Super Bowls with San Francisco (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX) and holds Super Bowl career and single-game records for most catches, yards and TDs. His MVP performance in a SB XXIII win over Cincinnati featured 11 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown, and the other two games saw him grab a total of 17 catches for 397 yards and six scores, including five receptions for 77 yards and a TD in SB XXXVII with Oakland..
     
  • John Stallworth (Steelers) -- Played on four Super Bowl-winning teams with Pittsburgh (IX, X, XIII, XIV). The last two games were his best: Stallworth caught three passes for 115 yards, including a 75-yard TD, in a win over the Cowboys in SB XIII and reeled in three balls for 121 yards and a 73-yard TD in a SB XIV triumph over the Rams.
     
  • Lynn Swann (Steelers) -- A teammate of Stallworth on Pittsburgh's four Super Bowl winners (IX, X, XIII, XIV), Swann's 364 total receiving yards are the second-highest career total in Super Bowl history. His best games were a four-reception, 161-yard, one-TD performance in a SB X win over Dallas that earned him MVP honors and a seven-catch, 124-yard, one-TD effort in defeat of Dallas in SB XIII.
     
  • John Taylor (49ers) -- Won three Super Bowls with San Francisco (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX). His only catch in SB XXIII was a big one, a 10-yard reception that proved to be the game-winner against the Bengals, and also had three receptions for 49 yards and a 35-yard TD in a win over Denver in SB XXIV. Taylor was also used as a punt returner and holds the Super Bowl career record with 94 punt return yards.
     
  • Otis Taylor (Chiefs) -- Caught four passes for 57 yards in a Super Bowl I loss to the Packers then hauled in six receptions for 81 yards, including a 46-yard game-clinching TD, in a win over Minnesota in SB IV.
     
  • Paul Warfield (Dolphins) -- Played in three straight Super Bowls with Miami (VI-VIII). He did not catch any touchdown passes, but his total of nine catches for 108 yards were key for the Dolphins. Miami won SBs VII and VIII, games that saw Warfield catch five passes for 69 yards.
     

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