Friday, February 9, 2024

Spencer Burford set to make Super Bowl appearance with 49ers on Sunday

Spencer Burford set to make Super Bowl appearance with 49ers on Sunday

Former UTSA standout Spencer Burford will be the first Roadrunner football player to appear in the Super Bowl. Photo by Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers

FEBRUARY 9, 2024 — Spencer Burford is set to make history on Sunday when he becomes the first former member of the UTSA football program to appear in a Super Bowl, as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at 5:30 p.m. in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Burford is in line to be the second UTSA alum to appear in a Super Bowl. Former track & field All-American Teddy Williams played in Super Bowl 50 as a member of the Carolina Panthers during the 2015 season.

Burford has appeared in 12 games with 11 starts on the offensive line this season to help the 49ers to a 14-5 record and a spot in the Super Bowl. The San Antonio Wagner High School product is in his second year after being picked by the 49ers with the 29th selection in the fourth round (No. 134 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He went on to start 16 games as a rookie in 2022.


Left: Burford blocks for running back Christian McCaffrey in the 49ers' regular season win over the Dallas Cowboys on October 8, 2023. Photo by Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers | Right: Burford prepares to block a Seattle Seahawks defender. Photo by NFL/Associated Press


An honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele and a first-team All-Conference USA pick in 2021, Burford started 12 games on the line to help lead UTSA to a 12-2 record, the program’s first Conference USA title, a national ranking as high as No. 15 and an appearance in the Frisco Bowl. The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football All-Texas College First Team selection helped pave the way for an offense that racked up 6,146 total yards — including 3,577 through the air and 2,569 on the ground — and 516 points. Burford allowed only two sacks and one hit on the quarterback in 420 pass-blocking snaps that fall according to Pro Football Focus.


EXPLORE FURTHER
Spencer Burford and Tariq Woolen reflect on their remarkable rookie seasons in the NFL in Sombrilla Magazine.
Relive UTSA Football's incredible 2021 campaign in this UTSA Today article.

Burford played in 45 career games and drew 43 starts in his four-year career with the Roadrunners. He earned second-team all-league accolades as a junior and was an honorable mention all-conference selection in 2019. He was a key member of an offensive line that helped open holes for UTSA career rushing leader Sincere McCormick, who registered back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and finished with 3,929 rushing yards, 34 rushing touchdowns and 18 100-yard games.

— UTSA Athletics



UTSA Today is produced by University Strategic Communications,
the official news source
of The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu.


UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.


Events


Spotlight

Spotlight

dtc-utsa-sign_680.png
University of Texas at San Antonio receives ‘transformational’ $40M gift

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.