The Matchup:

In the first round of our Maroon Madness series, Dustin Pedroia dusted Sun Devil baseball great Don Wakamatsu with 94% of the Twitter votes. On the other side of the tape, Super Bowl champion and Arizona native Curley Culp received 73% of the votes to win against Sun Devil baseball great Sal Bando. Both of these victors were fan favorites in their time in Tempe, but they’re tenures were in very different years.

Career-defining moment:

Red Sox fans won’t soon forget the second of their three World Series victories following the Curse of the Bambino and Boston swept the Colorado Rockies in 2007. Those fans also witnessed a star preform for the first time at the highest stage. Pedroia blasted five hits in the series, tied for third-most on the team during the World Series, and notched four RBI. He was also one of three Red Sox to hit a home run in the 2007 World Series. That year, he hit .317/.380/.442 and was named the American League Rookie of the Year. A year later, he proved the award was no fluke and took home the AL MVP trophy.

For Culp, his defining moment came after his playing tenure in the National Football League. In 2013, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with fellow defensive tackle Warren Sapp. His legacy was forever enshrined in Canton as Culp was part of a Kansas City Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV. During his 13-year professional career, he was a six-time Pro Bowler and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975.

Where are they now?

Dustin Pedroia is still playing in the Major Leagues for the Boston Red Sox. This year, he was placed on the disabled list due to inflammation in his knee but is expected to make a return in the near future.

Curley Culp is still doing well and works a lot with charities. Most recently, he was in attendance for a charity roast in honor of his former Oilers teammate Robert Brazile for being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Resumes:

Dustin Pedroia

Curley Culp