For the fourth time in the last five seasons, a former University of Delaware football standout is headed to the Super Bowl.

The Blue Hens’ latest hero, linebacker Paul Worrilow, helped lead his Atlanta Falcons to on overwhelming 44-21 victory over the previously red-hot Green Bay Packers in the National Football League’s NFC title game Sunday in the final game played at the Georgia Dome.

Worrilow collected three tackles (two solo) and helped limit Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to just 367 total yards while forcing two turnovers. 

Worrilow and his teammates will head to Super Bowl LI, to be played on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. (ET) at NRG Stadium in Houston. The Falcons will take on the New England Patriots, winner of Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Worrilow, an All-American linebacker for the Blue Hens during a stellar career from 2009-12 and a former standout at nearby Concord High School, will be the ninth former Blue Hen to be a member of a Super Bowl team, joining defensive back Ivory Sully (Los Angeles Rams), quarterback Rich Gannon (Oakland Raiders), wide receiver Jamin Elliott (New England Patriots), tight end Ben Patrick (Arizona Cardinals), quarterback Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens), center Gino Gradkowski (Baltimore Ravens), safety Mike Adams (Denver Broncos), and cornerback Marcus Burley (Seattle).

Flacco was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in 2013 when he threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns and led the Ravens to a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans. Gradkowski saw action on special teams for the Ravens in that victory. Burley and Elliott were members of their teams but were not activated for the Super Bowl. Each of the other six Blue Hens played in the big game. 

Sully played special teams for the Los Angeles Rams in a loss to Pittsburgh in 1980; former NFL Most Valuable Player Rich Gannon started at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders in a loss to Tampa Bay in 2003; Jamin Elliott was a member of the practice squad for New England and earned a championship ring when the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVII over the Carolina Panthers in 2004; tight end Ben Patrick caught a touchdown pass for the Arizona Cardinals in a 2009 loss vs. Pittsburgh; and Adams, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who now plays for Indianapolis, started at safety for the Denver Broncos in their 43-8 setback to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII. 

Worrilow, a fourth-year member of the Falcons after joining the team as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2013 season, played in 12 regular season games this season and registered 21 tackles. He led the team in tackles each of the last three seasons before moving into a backup and special teams role in 2016. He has played in 59 career regular season games for the Falcons and recorded 386 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions. 

Worrilow was an All-State player at Concord High who walked-on at UD and became a four-year starter, a three-year All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, a two-time team captain, and a 2012 All-American.

He ranks fifth on the all-time UD tackles list with 377 and played a key role for the 2010 Delaware team that advanced to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision national championship game. He was also honored in 2014 with the John J. Brady Delaware Athlete of the Year presented by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (DSBA). 

UD had seven former players on NFL active rosters this season, tied for the most among NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision schools. In addition to Worrilow, Adams and defensive lineman Zach Kerr played for the Indianapolis Colts, Flacco and tight end Nick Boyle were members of the Baltimore Ravens, offensive lineman Gino Gradkowski played for Carolina Panthers, and defensive back Burley was a member of the Cleveland Browns. 

Worrilow is one of just five former FCS players on the Falcons roster this season, joining Tom Compton (South Dakota), Deji Olatoye (North Carolina A&T), Eric Weems (Bethune-Cookman), and Tyler Starr (South Dakota).