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TOP JOBS

Aaron Ross will join a select group of athletes on Sunday.

The former John Tyler High School standout is hitting the trifecta.

Ross, a rookie with the New York Giants, will be playing in Super Bowl XXLII.

For football fans keeping score, Ross has already been to the ultimate game in each level of his career.

At JT, Ross and the Lions played in the Class 5A Division II state championship in 2000.

At Texas, Ross and the Longhorns played in the BCS national championship game at the 2006 Rose Bowl.

Now, his Giants will play the New England Patriots Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

Playing for two great programs like John Tyler and Texas has Ross prepared for the next stage.

He once said his participation in the Allen Wilson-led John Tyler football program helped him prepare for the collegiate ranks. Now, he says the competition at Texas has helped him adjust to life in the NFL.

"It's been a big transition," Ross said of his moving from being a first-round draft pick out of Texas to being in the Super Bowl. "It started with me coming to UT and being around Michael (Huff, now of the Oakland Raiders) and all of those guys, seeing them make it to the NFL; then being around coach [Duane] Akina, who was getting me ready for the NFL with coaching.

"Then, making it to the national championship game, which got me prepared for this type of stage, with the media and all the attention; and now here at the Super Bowl - it's been crazy. That 'Super Bowl moment' really hasn't hit me yet. I'll have to get back with you after the game."

Not many players get a chance to play in a Super Bowl, much less a high school and college championship game. Ross has all three.

"I feel truly blessed in these last two years (playing in the collegiate national championship) and now playing in the Super Bowl," Ross said during Tuesday's media session at the University of Phoenix Stadium. "It was a rough road getting to this point, but these past two years have been good for me."

Ross, who starts at cornerback for the Giants, has had a solid year in the Big Apple. The 6-0, 197-pounder has 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three interceptions.

He was a key in wins over the Cowboys and Packers, overcoming a shoulder problem.

Still, Ross had to take a bit of a ribbing after getting sick and delaying the plane trip to Arizona. He says he's fine, though.

"I'm feeling good. I wasn't sick; it was just a pill that I took that didn't agree with my stomach," Ross said. "That's the reason why I threw up.

"It was one of those 'Airborne' pills. I didn't have the flu."

The impact of playing in the Super Bowl as a rookie is something he is relishing.

"I don't think you can get any better than this," he said. "The Super Bowl is the top level that you can get to. I was talking to a lot of guys on the team, like punter Jeff Feagles, who is in his 20th year and he hasn't made it to a Super Bowl. Sam Madison is in his 11th year and he hasn't made it. R.W. McQuarters - 10th year, and he hasn't made it. To be a rookie and make it to the Super Bowl - and not just make it, but participate in it - means a lot."

A win would mean even more.