UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 1, 2019 – For the 49th time, Penn State will have a representative in the Super Bowl with a league-high five alumni on the 53-man rosters of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. The five alumni in the Super Bowl are the most for the Nittany Lions since Super Bowl XXXV (2001). Former Penn State offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski and defensive back Jordan Lucas lead the Chiefs against the 49ers trio of kicker Robbie Gould and defensive linemen Anthony Zettel and Kevin Givens. Super Bowl LIV is set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday on FOX.
The Chiefs punched their ticket to Super Bowl LIV with a 35-24 win over Tennessee in the AFC Championship game. In the Divisional Round, Kansas City claimed a 51-31 win over Houston. Wisniewski started both games at left guard and played every offensive snap and all but one special teams snap in the two playoff games. Lucas played in both playoff games with one tackle on special teams in the AFC Championship game.
Kansas City claimed the AFC West regular season title and the No. 2 overall seed in the AFC. Wisniewski, who is making his second Super Bowl appearance in the last three years (Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII), is in his ninth NFL season and was signed by the Chiefs in October. He saw time in 11 regular-season games with two starts. Lucas is in his fourth NFL season and second with the Chiefs. He played in 14 regular-season games and two postseason games with seven tackles and pass defended.
The 49ers earned their spot in the Super Bowl with at 24-20 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Gould connected on five field goals, including a long of 54 yards in the NFC Championship game, and seven extra points in two postseason games. Zettel had a tackle in each of the 49ers' postseason games. Givens was not active for either postseason game.
San Francisco won the NFC West regular season crown and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a 13-3 record. Gould, who is in his 15th season in the NFL and third with San Francisco, was 41-of-42 in extra points this season and drilled 23 field goals for 110 points. Zettel is in his fourth NFL season and was signed by San Francisco on Dec. 23, 2019. He has appeared in all three games since signing with the 49ers and has one tackle in each outing. Givens is in his rookie season for the 49ers and was moved from the practice squad to the active roster on Dec. 28. In his only appearance for San Francisco, he had one tackle in the regular-season finale against Seattle.
Penn State has had at least one representative in 49 of 54 Super Bowls and 112 appearances overall, which is fourth among FBS institutions. Forty Nittany Lions have claimed 58 Super Bowl rings (including non-Penn State football players). Wisniewski is the last Penn State football player to win a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, while former Penn State men's lacrosse player Chris Hogan earned a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots last year.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and reserving new season tickets for the 2020 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.
