Four former Lone Star Conference football players will take the field when the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts meet in Super Bowl XLI.

Former Abilene Christian standout Danieal Manning and former Texas A&M-Kingsville football and track star Roberto Garza both start for the Bears, while former East Texas State (now Texas A&M-Commerce) quarterback Wade Wilson is a member of the Chicago coaching staff. The Colts feature former Midwestern State star Dominic Rhodes.

Manning bypassed his senior season at ACU to enter the NFL Draft last spring. The rookie cracked the starting lineup before the third game of the season and has started every contest since at free safety. Manning was part of a stout defensive showing in the NFC Championship game as Chicago beat New Orleans Saints, 39-14.

Garza is the starting offensive right guard for the Bears and will make his first Super Bowl appearance in his sixth year in the NFL. He was an integral part of the Chicago rushing attack against New Orleans, as the Bears tallied 196 yards on the ground including three rushing touchdowns. With a Chicago victory, Garza would become the third former Javelina offensive lineman to earn a Super Bowl ring, following in the footsteps of Earl Dotson and Gene Upshaw.

Wilson is the quarterbacks coach for Chicago after a 19-year playing career in the NFL. He played for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans, Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders before heading to the sidelines. He has been the Bears quarterback coach since 2004 after serving in the same role with the Cowboys from 2000-02.

Rhodes has provided a spark off the bench at running back in the playoffs after starting all 16 games during the regular season. He finished the 2006 regular season with 641 yards rushing while splitting carries with Joseph Addai. He was big in the AFC Championship game win over New England with 107 all-purpose yards en route to his first Super Bowl appearance.

Super Bowl XLI will be played in South Florida on Feb. 4 at Dolphin Stadium.

All four players were named to the LSC's 75th anniversary football team, announced last October to recognize the top 75 players in the league's 75-year history.

The LSC is a 15-member NCAA Division II athletics conference that spans three states (Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico). No other NCAA Division II conference will have as many as three players in uniform for this year's Super Bowl.