Jason Pierre-Paul played for the Cougars in 2007

Former College of the Canyons football player Jason Pierre-Paul, now with the New York Giants in the National Football League, has been selected to the NFC Pro Bowl Team for the second year in a row.

Additionally, Pierre-Paul was named as a starter in the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

“Just like last year, I would much rather not play in the game because I want to be with my team at the Super Bowl,” Pierre-Paul told CBS New York.  “But it’s a great honor to be selected among the best in the NFL at my position.”

Pierre-Paul’s stats are down from last year, yet he still leads the Giants with 6.5 sacks (down from 16.5 a year ago), leads the team in tackles for loss (12) and is fourth on the team in tackles (61).

It was in 2007 when Jason Pierre-Paul played with the Cougars before finishing his collegiate career with the University of South Florida.  Head Coach Garrett Tujague remembers him as a “great kid who was a very hard worker.

“He was very raw when it came to football,” Tujague recalled.  “But his work ethic and desire to be great overcame all that.”

Tujague recalled a game that year that was very close.  The offense had just turned the ball over and the defense was going back out on the field.

“Jason comes up to me and asks, ‘Hey coach, do you want the ball back?’  and I said, ‘Of course I do.’  Three plays later he caused a fumble and fell on the ball.  He came back to the sideline and gave me the ball.”

The 2013 Pro Bowl will be played in Hawaii on January 27.