The Wichita area’s ties to Sunday’s Super Bowl
RYAN SCHRAEDER
Falcons right tackle
No. 73
6-foot-7, 300 pounds, age 28
Fourth season
▪ Is the Falcons’ starter at right tackle. The Washington Post lists him as one of the top five RTs in the league.
▪ Didn’t play football at Maize High. He was 5-foot-7 the fall of his senior year, but sprouted to 6-4 by graduation. As a K-State freshman, an assistant football coach noticed him playing pickup basketball and suggested football.
▪ Helped Butler to the NJCAA championship game in 2010 and was named an All-American.
▪ Helped Valdosta State to the 2012 NCAA Division II championship and was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, given to D-II’s top lineman.
▪ Went undrafted in 2013.
▪ In his second year as a full-time starter. He was named first-team All-NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2015.
GENEO GRISSOM
Patriots defensive end
No. 92
6-foot-3, 264 pounds, age 24
Second season
▪ Grissom is a backup on the Patriots’ defense. He played mostly special teams in 2015 as a rookie and was among final roster cuts to begin the 2016 season, but he was quickly signed to the practice squad and activated in mid-October.
▪ Played at Hutchinson and was an All-Class 5A defensive lineman selected by The Eagle in 2009, then played four years at Oklahoma where he was honorable-mention All-Big 12 as a senior.
▪ Drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by New England.
▪ He has played 12 snaps on defense this season, but look for him on special teams.
Players with Wichita-area ties in past Super Bowls
I: Curtis McClinton, RB, Chiefs (Wichita North)
I: Bob Long, WR, Packers (WSU)
II: Bob Long, WR, Packers (WSU)
IV: Curtis McClinton, RB, Chiefs (Wichita North)
VII: Jimmie Jones, DE, Redskins (WSU)
IX: Marv Kellum, LB, Steelers (WSU)
X: Marv Kellum, LB, Steelers (WSU)
XIV: Billy Campfield, RB, Eagles (Derby)
XXII: Anthony Copeland, LB, Redskins (WSU)
XXII: Anthony Jones, TE, Redskins (WSU)
XXVI: Jumpy Geathers, DT, Redskins (WSU)
XXVIII: Kendall Gammon, LS, Steelers (Rose Hill)
XXIX: Les Miller, DT, Chargers (Arkansas City)
XLI: Jared Retkofsky, LS, Steelers (born in Wichita)
XLII: Monty Beisel, LB, Cardinals (Douglass)
LI: Geneo Grissom, DE, Patriots (Hutchinson)
LI: Ryan Schraeder, T, Falcons (Maize)
This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 1:44 PM with the headline "The Wichita area’s ties to Sunday’s Super Bowl."