thigpen played infrequently in his first three seasons, but had a breakout year in 1994, catching 36 passes for 546 yards. then in 1995, he made the pro bowl, catching 85 passes for 1,307 yards and five touchdowns, and assisting his team to super bowl xxx, where he recorded three catches for 19 yards and a touchdown in the steelers 27–17 loss to the dallas cowboys. his tough style of play earned him the nickname "meatball," which was later changed to "phil" when he joined the oilers in 1998.