When have multiple former BYU players made the Pro Bowl?
Puka Nacua and Fred Warner aren’t the first pair of Cougars to participate in the NFL’s All-Star festivities
BYU will be well represented at this year’s NFL Pro Bowl.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner — both former Cougars — were selected to the NFC roster Wednesday evening for the postseason event.
Nacua and Warner mark the 32nd and 33rd all-time Pro Bowl selections for BYU alumni, with Nacua becoming the 12th Cougar to earn the honor.
This year’s Pro Bowl festivities are scheduled for Feb. 1 and 4 in Orlando. The players will take part in various skills competitions along with an AFC vs. NFC flag football game coached by famous brothers Peyton and Eli Manning.
Nacua’s and Warner’s selections mean a great deal for BYU’s program. This year is the first time in more than a decade that multiple former Cougars have been chosen for the Pro Bowl.
BYU’s past Pro Bowl pairings
Prior to Nacua and Warner in 2024, there have been six instances of two BYU players being named Pro Bowlers in the same season.
The most recent occurrence came in 2010 when Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Brett Keisel and Miami Dolphins long snapper John Denney were both selected. Until Nacua and Warner this season, Keisel and Denney were the only Cougars duo to make the Pro Bowl together just once.
Los Angeles Raiders tight end Todd Christensen and St. Louis Cardinals return man Vai Sikahema were the first pair of BYU talents to share the Pro Bowl stage, doing so in both 1986 and 1987.
Steve Young and Bart Oates were selected together for three consecutive seasons from 1993 to 1995. In the latter two years, they were San Francisco 49ers teammates. Oates — a three-time Super Bowl winning center — spent the first nine years of his career with the New York Giants before heading west to snap directly to a new quarterback in Young.
Which other former BYU stars have earned Pro Bowl selections?
Young leads all Cougars with seven career Pro Bowl nods between 1992 and 1998. The dynamic superstar QB also won a pair of MVP awards and made six All-Pro teams over the same span.
Christensen and Oates each made five Pro Bowls, while Philadelphia Eagles tight end Chad Lewis earned three. Warner also has three and, as long as he remains active, has the opportunity to appear in more.
Denney and Sikahema were two-time Pro Bowlers during their careers, along with early 1960s defender Dick Felt.
Chicago Bears QB Jim McMahon, Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah and Keisel all earned a single selection. Nacua’s record-breaking rookie campaign could open the door to him playing in plenty more Pro Bowls down the road.
