Boss: From Division II to Super Bowl XLII

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2008 | by Mike Dodd

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Kevin Boss' definition of a big game has changed a tad in the last year.

When he was a tight end for Division II Western Oregon University, pressure in the fall of 2006 was playing rival Linfield College in front of 6,000 people in McMinnville, Ore.

Sunday he'll be the starting tight end for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII before 73,000 fans at University of Phoenix Stadium and a TV audience of nearly 100 million.

"You try to tell yourself it's another football game," Boss says. "It really has been a crazy ride."

The 6-6 rookie appears to have suppressed any stage fright since assuming the starting position after Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey broke his leg Dec. 16 against the Washington Redskins.

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