They were two stalwarts on the most successful Wolf Pack football team in school history.
Now, tight end Virgil Green and linebacker Brandon Marshall are on their way to the Super Bowl as members of the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with a 26-16 AFC Championship game victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. They will meet the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks, 23-17 winners over the San Francisco 49ers.
Green, who graduated from the University in December 2010 with a degree in criminal justice, is in his third season with the Broncos. He was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Marshall, who graduated from the University in December 2011 with a degree in criminal justice, is in his second season in the NFL. A fifth-round draft choice by Jacksonville in 2012, Marshall joined the Broncos this season after he was released by the Jaguars out of training camp in August.
Both Green and Marshall were among the very best at their position during their time at Nevada, and both contributed significantly to the "Dream Team" Wolf Pack team of 2010, which won a school-record 13 games and capped their season with a victory in the January 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Boston College. Nevada, which upset third-ranked Boise State during the regular season, finished the season ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation.
Green was a favorite target of Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2010, hauling in 35 passes and scoring five touchdowns in 2010. Kaepernick, now starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was vying on Sunday for a return visit to the Super Bowl after leading San Francisco to the last year's championship game in New Orleans.
Green has become a contributor to Denver's potent offense, appearing in all 16 of Denver's regular-season games and notching a career-high nine receptions.
Green and Marshall were both known for their involvement in the local community while playing for the Wolf Pack.
Green, who was a frequent volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, once told an interviewer that, "I want kids to know that it doesn't matter where you come from or who you are. You can make it." Green has made frequent visits back to Reno since joining the Broncos, including January 2012, when he was one of the featured speakers at Summit Christian Church.
Marshall's role with the Broncos has also increased in recent weeks. A member of the Broncos' practice squad for the most of the season, Marshall was activated on Christmas Eve with the loss of starter Von Miller. Marshall's has served in a special teams and backup linebacker role in the playoffs.
Marshall was one of the top defensive players for the Wolf Pack, totaling 259 tackles, seven fumble returns and three interceptions in 52 games.
Marshall, who told the Las Vegas Sun's Ray Brewer that he was a Broncos fan while growing up in Las Vegas, said Sunday's victory was like a "dream come true" for him.
"It's amazing, man. It's really a dream come true," Marshall, a four-year starter at Nevada, told Brewer in a Jan. 21 story in the Sun. "It's pretty neat getting to go to the Super Bowl with the team you grew up rooting for as a child."
Green and Marshall are the ninth and 10th Wolf Pack players to reach the Super Bowl.
