Two Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receivers – CRIS CARTER and MICHAEL IRVIN – have been selected to serve as alumni captains for the 2015 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today.
Continuing the significantly revised Pro Bowl format that debuted with the 2014 Pro Bowl, Carter and Irvin will have final say over Pro Bowl Draft decisions. Each legend will be assisted in the Draft process by two active player captains and one NFL.com fantasy football champion, who will earn their spot as part of Lenovo’s Fantasy Coach of the Year platform.
“Being voted to the Pro Bowl was always a tremendous honor for me,” says Carter, who now serves as an NFL studio analyst for ESPN. “Last year, players really seemed to be excited about the new rules and the Pro Bowl Draft format. I’m excited to be a part of it this year.”
“Some of my favorite NFL memories were from my Pro Bowl trips,” says Irvin, who currently serves as an analyst for NFL Network. “I can’t wait to see which players get the Pro Bowl nod this season. I’m already thinking about how to build my team.”
Last season, the Pro Bowl was “unconferenced” for the first time, and several key playing rules were changed. Players were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players and later assigned to Pro Bowl teams via a fantasy football-style draft. Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE and DEION SANDERS served as alumni captains, as Team Rice defeated Team Sanders 22-21 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The 2015 Pro Bowl, presented by McDonald’s, will be played on Sunday, January 25, 2015 and televised live on ESPN at 8:00 PM ET from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the site of Super Bowl XLIX a week later on Sunday, February 1. The Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee will host the Pro Bowl and surrounding activities.
The 2015 Pro Bowl Draft will be held on January 20-21 and broadcast in primetime on NFL Network.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection and standout wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins, Carter was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. Carter, who ranks fourth in NFL history in receptions (1,101) and touchdown catches (130), recorded eight straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons (1993-2000).
A member of the 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, Irvin was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time Super Bowl champion (XXVII, XXVIII and XXX) during his 12-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. Irvin still ranks as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receiving yards (11,904).
Carter and Irvin were both named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
Watched by 11.4 million viewers in 2014, the Pro Bowl has been the most-watched All-Star game in all of sports the past four years.
Tickets will be available first to Arizona Cardinals season ticket members and annual Pro Bowl season ticket holders. Pro Bowl annual ticket holders in Hawaii will maintain their account status for any future games at Aloha Stadium.
