Both Super Bowl rosters have ties to Alabama college football programs

The NFL wrapped up its conference championship games on Sunday with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers beating the Green Bay Packers. Kansas City and San Francisco will meet in Super Bowl LIV (that’s 54 for us non-Romans), which will be played on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. As of Monday, Kansas City was a one-point favorite.

When I got to the office on Monday morning, Butch asked me if either team had any former Alabama players on their rosters. Butch is like me: If my favorite team (the Saints) doesn’t make the Super Bowl, I tend to pull for the team with the most Alabama ties. When I looked into it on Monday morning, I learned that both teams have ties to the state of Alabama.

Kansas City’s official roster includes former Alabama defensive standout Reggie Ragland, who plays linebacker for the Chiefs. The 6-foot-2, 252-pound defender wears the No. 59 jersey. Ragland, who went to Bob Jones High School in Madison, helped lead Alabama to national championships in 2012 and 2015.

Kansas City’s practice squad also includes former Alabama player Gehrig Dieter, who plays wide receiver for the Chiefs. Dieter is 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at 207 pounds. Dieter played one season at Alabama (2016) after a two-year stint at Bowling Green and finished that season with 15 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns.

Kansas City’s practice squad also includes former Auburn defender Devaroe Lawrence, who now plays defensive tackle for the Chiefs. Lawrence is 6-foot-2 and weighs 295 pounds. Lawrence played three seasons at Auburn, finishing with 45 total tackles in 28 games played.

Kansas City’s active roster also features wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who played his final season of college ball at the University of West Alabama in Livingston. Hill is 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds. Nicknamed “Cheetah,” Hill has been to the Pro Bowl four times in his NFL career.

On the other side of the coin, San Francisco has no former Alabama players on its roster, but there are two former Auburn players on their team, Dee Ford and Shon Coleman.

Ford, who wears jersey No. 55, plays on San Francisco’s defensive line. He’s 6-foot-2 and weighs 252 pounds. Ford went to St. Clair County High School in Odenville, then went to Auburn, where he was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2013.

Coleman is on San Francisco’s reserved-injured roster and is listed as a 6-foot-5, 310-pound tackle. Coleman was born in Memphis, Tenn. and played his high school ball in Olive Branch, Miss. Like Ford, Coleman was also an All-SEC selection while at Auburn.

The Super Bowl is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised on FOX. Many people watch the Super Bowl just to see the commercials, and a 30-second commercial during this year’s Super Bowl will only cost $5.6 million. Also of note, the halftime show will be headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.