Per GoBearcats:
The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will face off in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. for a chance to win the Lombardi Trophy given to the NFL’s champion.
While we won’t know the final outcome for six days, one thing is for certain:
A Cincinnati Bearcat will be a Super Bowl champion.
Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce (UC, 2006-10) and Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce (UC, 2008-12) will become the first brothers ever to play against each other in the Super Bowl.
It’s a night that is sure to make Ed and Donna Kelce proud as the parents raised their kids as football stars in Cleveland, Ohio and watched as Jason and Travis switched positions in college before helping lead UC to the 2009 Sugar Bowl. Their NFL careers have been even more impressive with both earning multiple All-Pro First Team honors and having already won each won a Super Bowl (Jason in 2018 and Travis in 2020).
In fact, this is the fifth Super Bowl in six years that will feature a Kelce.
The Kelce brothers have combined for nine First Team All-Pro honors in their careers and likely first-ballot NFL Hall of Fame spots await the duo in Canton, Ohio.
Both Jason and Travis have given back substantially to UC Athletics and the university in recent years, establishing the Kelce Brothers Scholarship in 2019, while Travis created the 87 & Running Endowment for student-athlete mental health and wellness in 2022.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT COOK
Kansas City rookie safety Bryan Cook is also a Cincinnati alum, having started at safety and earned third team All-America accolades and second-team Academic All-America honors during the 2021 College Football Playoff season.
Cook, a Cincinnati native who attended Mount Healthy High School, was a hard-hitting safety who transferred from Howard, waited his turn for two years before a breakout senior season vaulted him into the second round of the NFL Draft last spring.
Cook famously received only one scholarship offer coming out of high school and now will play in the Super Bowl.
He finished with 33 tackles in 16 games in the regular season this fall, and tied his career-high with four stops in the AFC Championship Game. His pass deflection led to a fourth quarter interception in the game.
BEARCATS IN THE SUPER BOWL BY THE NUMBERS
- Super Bowl LVII marks the 26th Super Bowl featuring a Cincinnati Bearcat.
- Sunday’s trio will mark 30 overall Bearcats appearing in the Super Bowl.
- Depending on who wins, UC will either have 17 or 18 Super Bowl champions all-time.
- This marks the fourth straight year a Bearcat has appeared in the Super Bowl.
- A Bearcat has appeared in 15 of the last 17 Super Bowls.
- Cook is the first Cincinnati defensive back to play in the Super Bowl in 50 years – since Brig Owens appeared for the Washington Commanders in 1973.
- Connor Barwin is the Eagles’ special assistant to the general manager and the director of player development. He played at UC from 2005 to 2008 before a standout NFL career – mostly with the Eagles.
