Football Notebook

Longhorns on NFL Playoff Rosters: There are 14 former players on NFL playoff rosters, including three active with the Arizona Cardinals (LB Sam Acho, OL Lyle Sendlein and LB Alex Okafor). They will face the Carolina Panthers, who have RB Fozzy Whittaker and CB Carrington Byndom on their active roster, on Saturday (3:30 p.m. Central ESPN). There are four former players on the Dallas Cowboys roster, with offensive linemen Donald Hawkins and Tony Hills both active (defensive lineman Henry Melton and Chris Whaley are on injured reserve). Dallas plays Detroit at 3:30 p.m. Sunday on FOX. PK Justin Tucker will be in action for the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday (7:15 p.m. on NBC). CB Aaron Ross is on injured reserve with the Ravens. In addition, DE Cory Redding will be in the starting lineup for the Indianapolis Colts when they play the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (noon on CBS). OL Trey Hopkins is on the injured reserve list for Cincinnati. Safety Earl Thomas and the Seattle Seahawks have a bye until next week's divisional round.

Former Longhorn Earns All-Pro Honors: Safety Earl Thomas (Seattle) earned NFL All-Pro honors on Friday. Thomas was a first-team selection, collecting 39 of a possible 50 votes. Justin Tucker (Baltimore) was one of six place-kickers to earn votes from the panel of Associated Press writers. Thomas was a first-team All-Pro in 2012 and is scheduled to make his fourth Pro Bowl appearance on Sunday, Jan. 25 in Glendale, Arizona. Tucker was a 2013 first-team All-Pro and also played in the 2014 Pro Bowl.

Johnson, Shipley Among Texas High School Hall of Fame Inductees: Former Longhorn standouts Derrick Johnson (2001-04) and Jordan Shipley (2006-09) were announced last month as inductees into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. They will be among the 2015 class which will be honored on May 9 at Baylor University's Ferrell Center. Johnson was a two-time consensus All-American (2004-05) who won the 2004 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and 2004 Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the best defensive player in the country. Shipley was a consensus All-American and finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best wide receiver in 2009. He is the Longhorns' all-time leader in career receptions (248) and is second in receiving yards (3,191).

Black Student-Athlete Conference to Feature Williams, Leaks: Former players Ricky Williams and Roosevelt Leaks will participate in the Black Student-Athlete Conference at The University of Texas on Jan. 7-9. The three-day conference will cultivate important dialogue around the athletic and academic experiences of black student-athletes at institutions of higher learning. Discussion topics will range from the early days of integration to the current platform athletics have become for underserved students. Leaks, the school's first African-American All-American, will be on a panel discussion about the history of integration at UT Austin with retired women's basketball coach Jody Conradt. Williams, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner, will take part in a Q&A session. The three-day event will be held at the AT&T Conference Center. Click here for more information.

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