Either Nick Bosa or Darron Lee will become the 32nd different former Ohio State player to win a Super Bowl on Sunday.
| Player | Years (Teams) |
|---|---|
| JIM TYRER | 1967, 1970 (Kansas City Chiefs) |
| BOB VOGEL | 1969, 1971 (Baltimore Colts) |
| MATT SNELL | 1969 (New York Jets) |
| TOM MATTE | 1969 (Baltimore Colts) |
| JIM MARSHALL | 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977 (Minnesota Vikings) |
| PAUL WARFIELD | 1972, 1973, 1974 (Miami Dolphins) |
| JACK TATUM | 1977 (Oakland Raiders) |
| LEONARD WILLIS | 1977 (Minnesota Vikings) |
| MORRIS BRADSHAW | 1977, 1981 (Oakland Raiders) |
| NEAL COLZIE | 1977 (Oakland Raiders) |
| RANDY GRADISHAR | 1978 (Denver Broncos) |
| BOB BRUDZINSKI | 1980 (Los Angeles Rams), 1983, 1985 (Miami Dolphins) |
| DOUG FRANCE | 1980 (Los Angeles Rams) |
| ARCHIE GRIFFIN | 1982 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| RAY GRIFFIN | 1982 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| PETE JOHNSON | 1982 (Cincinnati Bengals), 1985 (Miami Dolphins) |
| TOM OROSZ | 1983 (Miami Dolphins) |
| JOHN FRANK | 1985, 1989 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| SHAUN GAYLE | 1986 (Chicago Bears) |
| MIKE TOMCZAK | 1986 (Chicago Bears), 1996 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| PEPPER JOHNSON | 1987, 1991 (New York Giants) |
| WILLIAM ROBERTS | 1987, 1991 (New York Giants), 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| JIM LACHEY | 1992 (Washington Redskins) |
| JOE STAYSNIAK | 1992 (Buffalo Bills) |
| KEITH BYARS | 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| TERRY GLENN | 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| TOM TUPA | 1997 (New England Patriots), 2003 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) |
| TITO PAUL | 1999 (Denver Broncos) |
| WILLIAM WHITE | 1999 (Atlanta Falcons) |
| ORLANDO PACE | 2000 (St. Louis Rams), 2002 (St. Louis Rams) |
| JOE GERMAINE | 2000 (St. Louis Rams) |
| LORENZO STYLES | 2000 (St. Louis Rams) |
| EDDIE GEORGE | 2000 (Tennessee Titans) |
| CHRIS SANDERS | 2000 (Tennessee Titans) |
| JOE MONTGOMERY | 2001 (New York Giants) |
| MIKE VRABEL | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008 (New England Patriots) |
| RYAN PICKETT | 2002 (St. Louis Rams), 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| RICKEY DUDLEY | 2003 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) |
| RODNEY BAILEY | 2006 (Seattle Seahawks) |
| TYLER EVERETT | 2007 (Chicago Bears) |
| SANTONIO HOLMES | 2009 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| MALCOLM JENKINS | 2010 (New Orleans Saints), 2018 (Philadelphia Eagles) |
| WILL SMITH | 2010 (New Orleans Saints) |
| A.J. HAWK | 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| MATT WILHELM | 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| WILL ALLEN | 2011 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| JAKE BALLARD | 2012 (New York Giants) |
| JIM CORDLE | 2012 (New York Giants) |
| ALEX BOONE | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| TED GINN | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers), 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| LARRY GRANT | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| DONTE WHITNER | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| NATE EBNER | 2015, 2017, 2019 (New England Patriots) |
| BRADLEY ROBY | 2016 (Denver Broncos) |
| COREY "PHILLY" BROWN | 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| KURT COLEMAN | 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| ANDREW NORWELL | 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| JAKE MCQUAIDE | 2019 (Los Angeles Rams) |
| JOHN SIMON | 2019 (New England Patriots) |
| NICK BOSA | 2020 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| DARRON LEE | 2020 (Kansas City Chiefs) |
| Winning players/years in bold | |
Bosa, who is in his first NFL season, and Lee, who is in his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs, are both playing in the biggest game in professional football for the first time. They are the 60th and 61st different Buckeyes to be on a 53-man roster for a Super Bowl team, and together, they will mark Ohio State’s 86th and 87th overall appearances in the big game.
Mike Weber – who, like Bosa, is in his first year out of Ohio State – will also be on the Kansas City Chiefs’ sideline on Sunday as a member of their practice squad.
Bosa, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, has played a significant role in the San Francisco 49ers getting to this point. Joining a defensive line that also includes three other first-round draft picks (Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas) and another explosive pass-rusher in Dee Ford, Bosa has immediately lived up to the hype in the NFL and become the star of one of the league’s best defenses.
After recording 47 total tackles with 16.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one forced fumble during the regular season, all the while helping lead the 49ers to a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Bosa won several NFL Rookie of the Year awards. His excellence has continued in his first NFL postseason, as he recorded six tackles with two sacks and a pass deflection in the 49ers’ divisional round win over the Minnesota Vikings and another four tackles and a sack in their NFC Championship Game win over the Green Bay Packers.
Bosa is the first former Buckeye to make the Super Bowl as an NFL rookie since Malcolm Jenkins won his first Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2010.
Bosa and his 49ers defense will face perhaps their toughest task of the entire season on Sunday – trying to slow down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ explosive offense – but if they are victorious, he’d become the sixth rookie from Ohio State to win the Super Bowl and cap off one of the best NFL debut seasons ever for a former Buckeye.
Playing in the Super Bowl in his first NFL season is a dream come true for Bosa, and making matters extra special, the game is being played in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, just a short drive from his hometown of Fort Lauderdale and the same stadium where his father John once played as a member of the Miami Dolphins.
That said, Bosa has tried not to get too caught up in the pageantry of the week, knowing he has a big job in front of him on Sunday.
“You have to live in the moment, and really focus on what’s going on,” Bosa told reporters on Thursday. “But yeah, I’ve dreamt about stuff like this since I was a little kid, and now that I’m in my hometown playing in Dolphins Stadium, it’s pretty awesome.”
| Name | Year (Team) |
|---|---|
| LEONARD WILLIS | 1977 (Minnesota Vikings) |
| JOHN FRANK | 1985 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| MIKE TOMCZAK | 1986 (Chicago Bears) |
| PEPPER JOHNSON | 1987 (New York Giants) |
| TERRY GLENN | 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| JOE GERMAINE | 2000 (St. Louis Rams) |
| RYAN PICKETT | 2002 (St. Louis Rams) |
| TYLER EVERETT | 2007 (Chicago Bears) |
| MALCOLM JENKINS | 2010 (New Orleans Saints) |
| NICK BOSA | 2020 (San Francisco 49ers) |
Lee, in comparison to Bosa, hasn’t played nearly as integral a role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run. Although he played in all 16 of Kansas City’s regular-season games, starting two games at linebacker and recording 31 total tackles, he has been inactive for both of the Chiefs’ first two postseason wins, meaning he might not actually play in Sunday night’s game. (Update: Lee is officially among the Chiefs' seven inactives for the Super Bowl, so he will not play on Sunday night.)
Regardless, Lee will get a Super Bowl ring if the Chiefs are victorious, giving him a chance to become the 11th former Ohio State player – and first since 2002 national champions A.J. Hawk and Matt Wilhelm won the Lombardi Trophy with the Green Bay Packers in 2011 – to win both a national championship with the Buckeyes and a Super Bowl in the NFL. Lee is the first member of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship team to make it to a Super Bowl.
| Player | National Championship Years | Super Bowl Years (Teams) |
|---|---|---|
| JIM TYRER | 1957 | 1970 (Kansas City Chiefs) |
| MATT SNELL | 1961 | 1969 (New York Jets) |
| BOB VOGEL | 1961 | 1970 (Baltimore Colts) |
| PAUL WARFIELD | 1961 | 1973, 1974 (Miami Dolphins) |
| JACK TATUM | 1968, 1970 | 1977 (Oakland Raiders) |
| MORRIS BRADSHAW | 1970 | 1977, 1981 (Oakland Raiders) |
| SANTONIO HOLMES | 2002 | 2009 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| WILL SMITH | 2002 | 2010 (New Orleans Saints) |
| A.J. HAWK | 2002 | 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| MATT WILHELM | 2002 | 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
After starting his career with the New York Jets, Lee had never even been on an NFL playoff team before this season, so even though he hasn’t seen as much playing time this year, he’s enjoyed the opportunity to play for a winner.
“This time last year, and for the past three years, I’ve been at home on the couch actually getting ready to start training again,” Lee said this week, per Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. “To be here and have the opportunity to bring it home with an incredible group of guys is surreal.”
Weber could finish his first year as a professional football player with a Super Bowl ring, too, even though he has yet to actually play in a non-preseason NFL game (and won’t be eligible to play on Sunday). He spent the entire regular season on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him in the seventh round of last year’s NFL draft, but joined the Chiefs’ practice squad after the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs.
As a member of the practice squad, Weber helped the Chiefs prepare for another former Ohio State running back – Carlos Hyde of the Houston Texans – in his first week on the job, then to play two of the NFL’s best rushing offenses, the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game and the 49ers on Sunday.
Bosa’s 49ers are looking to win their sixth Super Bowl – which would tie the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for the most – while the Chiefs, who are in their first Super Bowl since they won the game 50 years ago, are looking for their second Lombardi Trophy win.
Super Bowl LIV is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox.
