Eight Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tying the Tennessee Titans for most players selected, were voted to the National Football Conference All-Star team that will face the American Football Conference All-Stars in the 2001 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today.

The Minnesota Vikings, who own the conference’s best record at 11-3, will send seven players, followed by the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams with four each. Twenty-one NFC players will participate in their first Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl -- the 51st in the format that began in Los Angeles in 1951 – will be played for the 22nd consecutive year at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, February 4 at 12:30 PM HT. It will be broadcast live at 5:30 PM ET by ABC-TV and CBS Radio.

The 42-man NFC squad is comprised of 21 offensive and 17 defensive players plus four specialists. A 43rd "need" player will be chosen by the NFC head coach and must be a linebacker or defensive end.

The NFL is the only professional sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players in determining its all-star teams. The consensus vote of fans counted as one-third of the total. Each team had two equal votes -- those of the coach and the players with no one permitted to vote for a player on his own team.

The Buccaneers, who are currently second in the NFC Central Division and can clinch a playoff berth with a win over St. Louis on Monday night, start six of their selections, the most starters in the league. For the fourth consecutive year, fullback MIKE ALSTOTT starts for the NFC at fullback. Joining him as offensive starters are center JEFF CHRISTY, who makes his third consecutive appearance, and guard RANDALL MC DANIEL, who has been selected for the 12th consecutive year.

McDaniel already holds the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl record with 11 consecutive starts and will extend the record to 12 when he takes the field in February. He will also break a tie with REGGIE WHITE for most AFC-NFC Pro Bowls played with 12.

Tampa Bay’s defensive starters for the All-Star Game include outside linebacker DERRICK BROOKS, who makes his fourth consecutive trip to Hawaii, strong safety JOHN LYNCH, who will be making his third trip, and interior lineman WARREN SAPP, who joins Brooks and Alstott with four appearances in a row. Also representing the Buccaneers as first-time All-Stars are cornerback DONNIE ABRAHAM, who is tied for second in the NFL with seven interceptions, and placekicker MARTIN GRAMATICA, who leads the NFC with 112 points.

Minnesota is represented by an NFL-high six offensive players, including starting quarterback DAUNTE CULPEPPER, who in his first season as a starter leads the league with 29 touchdown passes, and has rushed for six more. Joining Culpepper as an NFC starter is wide receiver RANDY MOSS, who was last year’s Pro Bowl MVP when he set records with nine catches and 212 receiving yards. The Vikings’ remaining offensive All-Stars are center MATT BIRK, who makes his first appearance, wide receiver CRIS CARTER, who was selected for the eighth consecutive year, two-time Pro Bowl running back ROBERT SMITH and first-time tackle KOREY STRINGER. The club’s lone defensive representative is reserve strong safety ROBERTH GRIFFITH, who was selected for the first time.

The Saints have four NFC All-Stars, including half of the conference’s starting defensive line with interior lineman LA’ROI GLOVER, who leads the NFC with 16.0 sacks and makes his first trip to Hawaii, and defensive end JOE JOHNSON, who makes his second All-Star appearance. New Orleans’ third starter is tackle WILLIAM ROAF, who makes his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. Joining the Saints’ defenders is reserve outside linebacker KEITH MITCHELL, who is a Pro Bowl rookie.

The defending Super Bowl champion Rams also have four Pro Bowlers. All are offensive players, including three starters: Wide receiver ISAAC BRUCE, who leads the NFC with 1,392 receiving yards and makes his third Pro Bowl appearance; running back MARSHALL FAULK, who leads the league with 19 touchdowns and makes his fifth trip; and tackle ORLANDO PACE, who makes his second consecutive appearance. Joining the three offensive starters is reserve quarterback KURT WARNER, who is a two-time All-Star and who ranks second in the NFC with a 101.1 passer rating.

The Eagles are represented by four players, including three starters. The two defensive starters are defensive end HUGH DOUGLAS, who ranks second in the NFC with 15.0 sacks and is making his inaugural Pro Bowl appearance, and cornerback TROY VINCENT, who was selected for the second consecutive year. Reserve inside linebacker JEREMIAH TROTTER is a first-time all-star, as is CHAD LEWIS, who will start at tight end for the NFC.

The Detroit Lions are represented by starting inside linebacker STEPHEN BOYD (second consecutive appearance), reserve interior lineman LUTHER ELLIS (second consecutive), and kick return specialist DESMOND HOWARD (first).

The San Francisco 49ers, whose offense ranks second in the NFC, are represented by three offensive All-Stars, all reserves and all making their first trip to Hawaii: quarterback JEFF GARCIA, who ranks second in the NFC with 28 touchdown passes; running back CHARLIE GARNER, who is third in the conference with 1,696 scrimmage yards; and wide receiver TERRELL OWENS, who ranks second in the NFL with 12 touchdown receptions.

The Washington Redskins are also represented by three All-Stars, all first-timers, including starting cornerback CHAMP BAILEY. Joining Bailey is defensive end MARCO COLEMAN and tight end STEPHEN ALEXANDER, who are both reserves.

The remaining offensive players for the NFC All-Stars are Dallas Cowboys starting guard LARRY ALLEN, who makes his sixth consecutive appearance, and reserve guard RON STONE of the New York Giants, who is a first-time All-Star.

The remaining defensive starters are Giants outside linebacker JESSIE ARMSTEAD, who was selected for the fourth consecutive season, and free safety DARREN SHARPER of the Green Bay Packers, who is a first-time All-Star .

Rounding out special teams are Arizona Cardinals punter SCOTT PLAYER, who makes his inaugural trip to Hawaii, and Carolina Panthers special teamer MICHAEL BATES, who makes his fifth straight trip.

Derrick Brooks, Daunte Culpepper and Desmond Howard were the only NFC players selected as unanimous choices by coaches, fans and players.

The National Football Conference holds a 16-14 advantage over the American Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. The NFC won last season’s meeting 51-31 in the highest-scoring contest in the game’s history. The coaching staff will be from the NFC Championship Game runner-up team.

The selected players with the most votes at each position are the designated starters. Under terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each player on the winning team receives $30,000, while each player on the losing squad earns $15,000.

OFFENSE

Wide receivers – Randy Moss, Minnesota; Isaac Bruce, St. Louis; Cris Carter, Minnesota; *Terrell Owens, San Francisco

Tackles – Orlando Pace, St. Louis; William Roaf, New Orleans; *Korey Stringer, Minnesota

Guards – Larry Allen, Dallas; Randall McDaniel, Tampa Bay; *Ron Stone, New York Giants

Centers – Jeff Christy, Tampa Bay; *Matt Birk, Minnesota

Tight Ends – *Chad Lewis, Philadelphia; *Stephen Alexander, Washington

Quarterbacks – *Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota; *Jeff Garcia, San Francisco; Kurt Warner, St. Louis

Running backs – Marshall Faulk, St. Louis; Robert Smith, Minnesota; *Charlie Garner, San Francisco

Fullback – Mike Alstott, Tampa Bay

DEFENSE

Ends – *Hugh Douglas, Philadelphia; Joe Johnson, New Orleans; *Marco Coleman, Washington

Interior linemen – Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay; *La’Roi Glover, New Orleans; Luther Elliss, Detroit

Outside linebackers – Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay; Jessie Armstead, New York Giants; *Keith Mitchell, New Orleans

Inside linebackers – Stephen Boyd, Detroit; *Jeremiah Trotter, Philadelphia

Cornerbacks – *Champ Bailey, Washington; Troy Vincent, Philadelphia; *Donnie Abraham, Tampa Bay

Strong safties – John Lynch, Tampa Bay; *Robert Griffith, Minnesota

Free safety – *Darren Sharper, Green Bay

SPECIALISTS

Punter – *Scott Player, Arizona

Placekicker – *Martin Gramatica, Tampa Bay

Kick return specialist – *Desmond Howard, Detroit