Lacrosse Twitter blew up Sunday night during the AFC championship game, and for good reason.
Many remember New England Patriots' wide receiver Chris Hogan’s reference to Penn State lacrosse, where he scored 57 goals in three years, on "Sunday Night Football" on Nov. 13. The lacrosse community exploded with pride, seeing one of its own succeeding in the NFL.
'Chris Hogan, Penn State Lacrosse'
But what he did Sunday (even before the game) made even more lacrosse fans proud. Hogan set a Patriots postseason record with 180 receiving yards to go along with nine catches and two touchdowns en route to a 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hogan snatched the world's attention with his performance, the most prolific by an undrafted player in NFL postseason history. Following his lacrosse exploits at Penn State, Hogan played one season of college football at Monmouth. He was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011, followed by stops in New York, Miami and Buffalo.
Hogan gained some notoriety during the 2012 season of HBO's "Hard Knocks," during which then-Dolphins running back Reggie Bush called him "7-Eleven," because he was "always open."
How he's one of the main reasons the New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Houston, Texas. Quickly, Hogan’s lacrosse back story started to reach the mainstream.
Chris Hogan played 3 years of lacrosse at Penn St, 1 year of football at Monmouth, undrafted. Story never gets old. pic.twitter.com/DTPxkzHmLn
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 23, 2017
Chris Hogan:
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) January 23, 2017
Played 3 yrs of lacrosse at Penn St
Caught 12 career passes at Monmouth
Cut by 3 NFL teams
Star of AFC Championship game
Penn State lacrosse (1) will have more Super Bowl representatives than Penn State football (0)
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) January 23, 2017
Chris Hogan - New England
Chris Hogan is also great at lacrosse https://t.co/AAJcOjyFMg
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 23, 2017
Julio Jones and Chris Hogan took different paths to Sunday stardom pic.twitter.com/xmgQuOUABM
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 23, 2017
And, just like on the day he dropped “Penn State lacrosse” on Sunday Night Football, Lacrosse Twitter went wild.
I feel a sense of Pride every time @ChrisHogan_15 catches a pass. #PennStateLacrosse
— Scott Ratliff (@Srat2) January 23, 2017
Congrats to our very own @ChrisHogan_15 on heading to the Super Bowl! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/EXIDltzw9v
— Penn State Lacrosse (@PennStateMLAX) January 23, 2017
Chris Hogan...what a legend...lacrosse player at heart!
— Rob Pannell (@RobPannell3) January 23, 2017
Going to the 'Ship!!! Way to go @Patriots and @ChrisHogan_15 #SuperBowl #711 #AlwaysOpen #TBL
— Thompson Brothers (@ThompsonBrosLax) January 23, 2017
Life after college lax doesn't have to be @MLL_Lacrosse or Wall St. pic.twitter.com/ZPkG3sqIRf
— Paul Rabil (@PaulRabil) January 23, 2017
Hogan, who will generate plenty of buzz between now and Feb. 5, spoke with US Lacrosse Magazine about his journey to the NFL and his relationship with his coach and fellow lacrosse fan, Bill Belichick, in an interview for the January edition's "Life After Lax" interview.
"I've had a couple of stops to get to where I'm at today, and without lacrosse and the stuff I learned in the sport, I don't think I'd be able to what I'm doing today," Hogan said.
Read the full interview here.