Did You Know This Mainer Won Two NFL Super Bowls?

Cedric Darryl Pollard may not be a household name in Maine, but perhaps he should be. He has done something I'm not sure any other Mainer has done: win two Super Bowl rings.

One would think Pollard should be celebrated more for this accomplishment. It's not like Maine is pumping out NFL players like Texas or Florida. So to have one of our own with two rings is pretty great.

Pollard won those rings playing with the San Francisco 49ers. The cornerback played for the Niners from 1987 to 1992, which included two trips to the Big Game.

The Ellsworth native made some pretty significant plays in both games. In Super Bowl XXlll, Pollard recovered a fumble by Jon Taylor during a kick return to keep possession for the Niners. This was an important play, as it ended up being a tight win over Cincinnati 20-16.

The very next year, San Francisco faced the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXlV. A starter that year, Pollard was a huge factor in the Big Game, finishing with seven tackles and a sack of Jon Elway. The Niners destroyed Denver 55-10.

Pollard would end up playing five years in the NFL, including one year with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Sadly, a few injuries forced him into an early retirement.

So why don't we talk about Pollard accomplishes more? It's probably for the simple fact that while born in Maine, he actually got out pretty quickly. See, Pollard played high school football in Colorado, then college ball in Utah at Weber State. When he went off and was winning Super Bowls, it seems that the Maine history was just that, history.

But it's time to change that. I hereby acknowledge Pollard as a true Mainer. Hell, he's more of a Mainer than me; I was born in Maryland. Pollard isn't "From Away," he's got Maine in the blood.

Congrats to Mainer Pollard on a solid career and his two rings. Here's hoping he receives more recognition.