Browns are now the legit contenders of the super bowl
CLEVELAND — The matchup for Super Bowl LVII is set.
And while the Cleveland Browns will once again be watching “The Big Game” from home, Northeast Ohio will be well represented when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, next week.
From the first pair of brothers to ever face off in the Super Bowl to a second-year head coach vying for his first championship and his rising star of a defensive coordinator and more, there will be no shortage of Cleveland connections on football’s biggest stage. With that in mind, let’s take a look at those who will be representing Northeast Ohio in Super Bowl LVII:
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
As has been well documented already, Cleveland Heights products Jason and Travis Kelce will become the first pair of brothers to face off against each other in Super Bowl history. Both brothers will be vying for their second career Super Bowls, with Jason having won with the Eagles in 2017 and Travis’ Chiefs winning in 2019.
The co-hosts of the “New Heights” podcast, both Kelce brothers went overlooked on the recruiting trail coming out of high school before spending their college careers at the University of Cincinnati. Since entering the NFL, however, each have gone on to achieve Hall of Fame level with success, with both players considered to be two of the best ever to have played their respective positions in league history.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni
Now in his second season as the Eagles head coach, Nick Sirianni has amassed a career 25-12 record, including an NFC-best 14-3 mark in the regular season in 2022. But before the 41-year-old rose the NFL ranks to become one of the league’s best young head coaches, he first starred as a wide receiver at Mount Union in Alliance, winning Division III national titles as a member of the Purple Raiders’ roster in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Following his college playing career, Sirianni served as his alma mater’s defensive backs coach from 2004-05 and spent the 2005 season playing for the Canton Legends of the now-defunct American Indoor Football Association. After a three-year stint as the wide receivers coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he joined the Chiefs as an offensive quality control coach, beginning an NFL coaching career that would also include stints with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts before he was hired as the Eagles head coach.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark
Acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2019 season, Cleveland Glenville product Frank Clark has been a cornerstone of the Chiefs defense for the past four seasons. Following Kansas City’s Super Bowl-winning victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, the University of Michigan product sent a message of support to his hometown.
“I did it. I did it for all my people,” Clark said. “Shoutout to all the people that have been supporting me and holding it down. These select few, like five or 10. But when they doubted me, I did it. We’re Super Bowl champs. They’re going to write a story about this one.”
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon
While Sirianni is currently considered one of the best young coaches in the NFL, he could soon be joined by his own defensive coordinator. After two years of directing one of the league’s best units, Jonathan Gannon has already received interest as a head coaching candidate from the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans — although he’s insisted he’ll be returning to Philadelphia next season.
A native of Cleveland who played wide receiver and defensive back at St. Ignatius High School under legendary coach Chuck Kyle, Gannon was recruited to play safety at Louisville but suffered a career-ending hip injury early in his career. Staying with the Cardinals as a student assistant, the 2011 inductee into the St. Ignatius Athletics Hall of Fame jump-started a coaching career that has included stints with the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Colts and now Eagles.
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