(KNSI) – Two former Minnesota Golden Gopher football players traded in their oars for pirate swords and hope to find the treasure of a Super Bowl ring on Sunday.
Antoine Winfield, Jr., and Tyler Johnson will be suiting up in hopes of leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a victory against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Winfield is no stranger to the gridiron. His father, Antoine Winfield Sr., played pro football for 14 years as a member of the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills. He also played on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad in 2013.
Johnson was a standout at Minneapolis North High School before playing for the Gophers.
The two have already won one bowl game. They both played for the Gophers when they won the Outback Bowl by defeating Auburn on New Year’s Day 2020.
There are at least two other Minnesota connections to the Super Bowl this year.
Former Gopher player and Minnesota Vikings coach Tony Dungy, who is no stranger to Super Bowls himself, coached the Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001. He was then hired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, where he won a Super Bowl in 2007. Dungy won a Super Bowl playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979.
Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback, Patrick Mahomes’ father, Pat, pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 1992 to 1996.
Kickoff for the big game is at 5:30 Sunday, February 7th.
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