SMU Congratulates Alumnus Thomas Morstead
On Saints Super Bowl XLIV Win
Alumnus Thomas Morstead's surprise onside kick helped carry the New Orleans Saints to Super Bowl victory.
DALLAS (SMU)- SMU congratulates alumnus and former football team letterwinner Thomas Morstead and the New Orleans Saints on their Super Bowl XLIV win. Morstead executed a critical onside kick to start the second half, giving the Saints momentum.
Of the play, Saints Head Coach Sean Payton said, "The key was (Thomas)."
This season, Morstead was twice named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week - for his standout performance at Carolina on January 3 and after the Saints won at Tampa Bay on Nov. 22.
While at SMU, Morstead was a first-team All-Conference USA pick by both the coaches and the media, led Conference USA and ranked ninth in the nation with a 44.6-yard average, and helped SMU rank second nationally in net punting.
Morstead, from Pearland, Texas, was a fifth-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints, 164th overall, in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was the second punter taken overall.
Morstead becomes the first Mustang to earn a Super Bowl ring since Dale Hellestrae won a ring in 1996 with the Dallas Cowboys.
# # #