ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With Sunday’s 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks clinched a trip to Super Bowl LX, and — for the first time in over a decade — gave a chance for an Alaskan to play in the biggest sporting event of the year.
Seattle defensive lineman Brandon Pili, who starred for Dimond High School and signed with the Seahawks before the season, will become what is believed to be the fifth player born in Alaska to make it to a Super Bowl, ending the longest ever drought between Alaskan appearances since the first in 1992. The previous four that had made it appeared in a combined six, going 4-2 overall.
The last Alaskan to play in the big game was fellow Dimond graduate Chris Kuper, a backup offensive lineman on the Denver Broncos that, coincidentally, were the victim of Seattle’s lone Super Bowl win in February 2014.
North Pole’s Daryn Colledge, the last Alaskan to start in a Super Bowl, is also the last to win one. Colledge started at left guard for the Green Bay Packers squad that defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in February 2011.
1999 remains the only year multiple Alaskans made it to the Super Bowl: Soldotna’s Travis Hall started at defensive tackle on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII in January 1999, which Atlanta lost to a Denver Broncos squad that started Service grad Mark Schlereth at left guard.
Denver’s victory gave Schlereth his second consecutive ring, after having played in Super Bowl XXXII with the Broncos the year before. Schlereth also won Super Bowl XXVI with Washington in 1992 in what is believed to be the first appearance and first win for an Alaskan football player.
Pili and the Seahawks will attempt to add to that tally when they take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Alaska Time on Feb. 8 on NBC.
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