As Super Bowl LVI week arrives, the Iowa State Cyclones have a chance to add to its Super Bowl history. The story of Cyclones players claiming Super Bowl glory goes back decades and encompasses five different players’ careers.
So far, no Super Bowl-winning team has had multiple Iowa State players on its roster. It’s been nearly a decade since the last time a Cyclone won a Super Bowl, a drought that might end this season. Each Iowa State Super Bowl winner played for a different team and two of the five come from the NFC East.
| Super Bowl number | Player name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| VII | Otto Stowe | Miami Dolphins |
| XIX | Al Dixon | San Francisco Giants |
| XXI | Karl Nelson | New York Giants |
| XXVI | Kelly Goodburn | Washington |
| XLVII | Kelechi Osemele | Baltimore Ravens |
Will the Cyclones Super Bowl list grow?
Landon Akers is the only Iowa State alum still in the hunt for a Super Bowl ring this year. The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver joined the team as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2021. He got into a pair of games during the 2021 season:
- A 36-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 12
- A 20-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15
Akers didn’t record stats in either game.
How to watch Super Bowl LVI in Iowa
- What: Super Bowl LVI
- When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13
- Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
- TV: NBC
Joe Burrow, a Cyclones Super Bowl loophole
Cincinnati doesn’t have an Iowa State alum on the roster to keep up with the Rams, but Iowa State fans have a loophole if they’d rather back the Bengals. Joe Burrow was born in the shadows of the Iowa State campus. “Joey” Burrow was born Dec. 10, 1996, in Ames.
The star quarterback’s father, Jimmy Burrow served as an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1987 to 1994 and as an assistant coach at Ames High School from 1995 to 1998. The elder Burrow was head coach of Little Cyclones during a 1999-2000 window.
Two of Joe’s older brothers played for Ames High School, but Joe was 4-years-old when the family left Ames. Joe’s dad told Cyclones beat writer Randy Peterson the quarterback was too young to remember his time in central Iowa.
The family eventually relocated to Athens, OH, where Jimmy Burrow became defensive coordinator at Ohio University. The move to Ohio unfolded at about the time Joe Burrow was entering high school.
Burrow began his college career at Ohio State before a transfer to LSU set up his national championship and Heisman Trophy run.
We’ll find out Sunday whether Akers or Burrow make some Cyclones Super Bowl history.
