FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Triner Has Played in Every Game for Bucs This Season.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Former Assumption player Zach Triner is heading to Super Bowl LV!
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packers, 31-26, on Sunday night in the NFC Championship game – setting up Triner, a Northeast-10 Conference alum, with an opportunity to capture the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 7 (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
Triner, wearing the No. 97 jersey, started every game for the Bucs this season at long snapper. With Super Bowl LV being played at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay will become the first team in NFL history to compete in the championship game at its home stadium.
No former NE10 football player has ever gone on to an NFL career and won the Super Bowl. Triner would become the first if Tampa Bay beats the Kansas City Chiefs in the biggest game of the season. Southern Connecticut's Joe Andruzzi won three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, but he played offensive line for the Owls prior to their time in the NE10 - and prior to the NE10 sponsoring football.
With Triner in charge of snaps, Tampa Bay recorded a net average of 40.2 yards on punts and 19 landed inside the 20-yard line this season. Additionally, the Buccaneers converted on 28-of-31 field goals (90.3%). The Bucs won three consecutive road games in the playoffs to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
Triner initially signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on January 2, 2019, and made the team out of training camp. He made his NFL debut on September 8, 2019, against the San Francisco 49ers and played all 16 games in his first NFL season.
Prior to Tampa Bay, Triner had signed with the Packers to be on their practice squad in December, 2017, and a futures contract with the New York Jets earlier that year in January.
Triner played three seasons (2012-14) at Assumption on the defensive line, accumulating 66 tackles in 25 games. He had 8.5 sacks in his career with the Greyhounds, including a personal-best 5.5 as a senior in the 2014 season. He also racked up 14 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and a pair of pass breakups.
Prior to attending Assumption, Triner played lacrosse for one season at Siena College. He is a native of Marshfield, Mass.
Joining Triner in the Super Bowl will be another NE10 alum, Maral Javadifar. Javadifar, a 2012 graduate of Pace and former women's basketball student-athlete, is an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Tampa Bay. She became one of the first full-time female coaches in franchise history in 2019.
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
