The quintet of local players who’ll be suiting up for Sunday’s Super Bowl are a diverse lot.
The quintet of local players who’ll be suiting up for Sunday’s Super Bowl are a diverse lot. They hail from five different high schools stretching from the South Side through the suburbs to the cornfields of DeKalb County. But there is a thread that ties together the Chiefs’ Nick Allegretti, Scotty Miller and Ben Niemann, and the Buccaneers’ Cameron Brate and Pat O’Connor. None came to the NFL with much hype. Brate, a tight end from Naperville Central, and Niemann, a linebacker from Sycamore, went undrafted. O’Connor, a defensive lineman from St. Rita, and Allegretti, an offensive lineman from Lincoln-Way East, were seventh-round picks, while Miller, a wide receiver from Barrington, went in the sixth round. St. Rita coach Todd Kuska has two former players in the game in O’Connor and Chiefs quarterback coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka, who bounced around the league for six seasons before going into coaching. The fact that these six local guys made it to the top of the football world isn’t an accident, Kuska believes. “There’s some true grit here,” Kuska said, nodding to the adverse weather and other obstacles local athletes encounter. “Chicago is a tough city to live in. These guys have all grown up (knowing) you’ve got to fight for your dreams.” Here’s a look at each of the local reps: After being primarily a practice squad player earlier in his NFL career, O’Connor saw action in 16 games this season. It’s a testament to the work ethic of the firefighter’s son from the South Side, according to Kuska.
