If this year's Super Bowl showed us anything, its that championship players can come from anywhere. It showed that the Carolina Panthers' receivers are just plain sick and that New England's offense is made of ball bearings and WD-40. What started out as a battle between punters evolved into an offensive shootout brokered by a sixth-round pick and a previously unknown quarterback who bounced around the European circuit.

Just as in baseball, where a 23- year-old pitcher can turn Yankee Stadium into a smoke show, unexpected stars come out of left field and lead their team to the Super Bowl tunnel. In a reversal of roles, Tom Brady was the recognized QB while Jake Delhomme played the upstart no-name.

Delhomme, an undrafted graduate of Louisiana-Lafayette, warmed the bench while Kurt Warner directed the Amsterdam Admirals against NFL Europe opponents. He said, "You talk about a blow to your ego. I mean, if you can't start in [Europe], how are you going to make an NFL roster?"

Many are surprised by the fact that Delhomme wasn't picked up out of college. Don't be. The Ragin' Cajuns flounder yearly in the Sun Belt Conference against such highly-touted programs as Southern Mississippi and Middle Tennessee. The only press they got was for a four-overtime win to close out the season. Not that Louisiana-Lafayette will ever be a lynchpin of ESPN highlights: no running back in their high powered platoon averages over 39 yards, and the top two QBs battle to be starter by consistently throwing for a buck forty.

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But out of the mire that is Cajun football came Delhomme and another recent Super Bowl contributor, Brandon Stokley. The Colts receiver caught 11 passes and a touchdown in the Ravens' 34-7 trouncing four years ago. As far as the NFL goes, he's perennially been second tier, but at Louisiana-Lafayette he was big time. As a senior, Stokley caught over half the balls, for half the total yards, in addition to eight times the touchdowns as the number two receiver. His 106 ypg was 85 more than Elvis Joseph, who for more reasons than one will never make it to the big dance. Or will he?

Jake Delhomme bulked up his right arm farming in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana and would have used it to hoist up the Lombardi and MVP trophy had Brady and John Kasay not cut his chance short. He made the Cajun Hall of Fame, but web moderates never had the time to post his picture (next to Ron Guidry and big Bo Lamar).

Delhomme's still far from Canton, but his track record is strong after warm-ups on the other side of the Atlantic. In 1999 he led the Frankfurt Galaxy to a World Bowl Championship, celebrating with worsts and pints of Guttenberg. In between Holland and Germany, he held the clipboard for Aaron Brooks in N'Orleans, and prior to this season Delhomme amassed only 113 yards. That all changed when old-man Rodney Peete injured himself in the season opener and number 17 solidified an already decent Carolina offense.

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BOWDOIN ORIENT
GREG T. SPIELBERG