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Feb. 5—SANTA CLARA — South Dakota will be represented in the Super Bowl once again on Sunday when the Seahawks take on the Patriots in Super Bowl LX (that's 60, for those of you who are tired of having to relearn Roman Numerals every February).
Former Pierre standout Grey Zabel will be in the starting lineup for Seattle, which by our count makes 21 players who are either from South Dakota or played for a South Dakota college who have appeared in the big game.
For Zabel, it's the conclusion of what's been a dream rookie season, coming off what had to be a dream prep and college career.
After helping the Governors capture three 11AA state championships in high school, Zabel went on to play for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, and there he became an All-American (turning down major NIL transfer money to remain loyal to the Bison), won two more national championships, and was drafted in the first round of last year's draft by Seattle.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Zabel was taken 18th overall and stepped directly into the Seahawks' starting lineup at left guard. He's started all 19 of their games, helping pave the way for an offense that scored the third-most points in the league as Seattle went 14-3 in the regular season to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Pro Football Focus ranked Zabel 52nd out of 81 qualified NFL guards with a 57.3 score, but indications are that he's trending in the right direction. He earned a 93.5 score in the final regular season game of the year, the top grade of all NFL offensive linemen that week, and had a 77.8 grade over his final five games.
It looks like Zabel is in for a long career, and his affable, everyman persona has already made him a fan favorite.
With a Seahawks win on Sunday, Zabel would have three state titles, two national championships and a Super Bowl ring, all before his 24th birthday.
Here are the rest of the South Dakotans to play in the Super Bowl.
Lyle Alzado, Yankton College
Super Bowl 12, Broncos
Super Bowl 18, Raiders
Ordell Braase, Mitchell, USD
Super Bowl 3, Colts
Matt Chatham, USD
Super Bowls 36,38, 39, Patriots
Dallas Clark, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 41, Colts
Jack Cochrane, USD
Super Bowls 57, 58, 59, Chiefs
Tom Compton, USD
Super Bowl 51, Falcons
Cooper DeJean, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 59, Eagles
Nate Gerry, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 52, Eagles
Dallas Goedert, SDSU, Britton
Super Bowls 57, 59, Eagles
Corbin Lacina, Augustana
Super Bowl 38, Bills
Jim Langer, SDSU
Super Bowls 7,8, Dolphins
Paul Laaveg, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 7, Commanders
Karl Mecklenburg, Augustana
Super Bowls 21, 22, 24, Broncos
Doug Miller, Sturgis, SDSU
Super Bowl 29, Chargers
Jay Novacek, Martin
Super Bowls 27, 28, 30, Cowboys
Craig Puki, Deadwood
Super Bowl 16, 49ers
Riley Reiff, Parkston
Super Bowl 56, Bengals
Christian Rozeboom, SDSU
Super Bowl 56, Rams
Adam Timmerman, SDSU
Super Bowls 31, 32, Packers; 34, 36, Rams
Adam Vinatieri, Rapid City, SDSU
Super Bowls 31, 36, 38, 39, Patriots; Colts 41, 44
Grey Zabel, Pierre
Super Bowl 60, Seahawks
Continue reading...
Former Pierre standout Grey Zabel will be in the starting lineup for Seattle, which by our count makes 21 players who are either from South Dakota or played for a South Dakota college who have appeared in the big game.
For Zabel, it's the conclusion of what's been a dream rookie season, coming off what had to be a dream prep and college career.
After helping the Governors capture three 11AA state championships in high school, Zabel went on to play for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, and there he became an All-American (turning down major NIL transfer money to remain loyal to the Bison), won two more national championships, and was drafted in the first round of last year's draft by Seattle.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Zabel was taken 18th overall and stepped directly into the Seahawks' starting lineup at left guard. He's started all 19 of their games, helping pave the way for an offense that scored the third-most points in the league as Seattle went 14-3 in the regular season to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Pro Football Focus ranked Zabel 52nd out of 81 qualified NFL guards with a 57.3 score, but indications are that he's trending in the right direction. He earned a 93.5 score in the final regular season game of the year, the top grade of all NFL offensive linemen that week, and had a 77.8 grade over his final five games.
It looks like Zabel is in for a long career, and his affable, everyman persona has already made him a fan favorite.
With a Seahawks win on Sunday, Zabel would have three state titles, two national championships and a Super Bowl ring, all before his 24th birthday.
Here are the rest of the South Dakotans to play in the Super Bowl.
Lyle Alzado, Yankton College
Super Bowl 12, Broncos
Super Bowl 18, Raiders
Ordell Braase, Mitchell, USD
Super Bowl 3, Colts
Matt Chatham, USD
Super Bowls 36,38, 39, Patriots
Dallas Clark, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 41, Colts
Jack Cochrane, USD
Super Bowls 57, 58, 59, Chiefs
Tom Compton, USD
Super Bowl 51, Falcons
Cooper DeJean, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 59, Eagles
Nate Gerry, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 52, Eagles
Dallas Goedert, SDSU, Britton
Super Bowls 57, 59, Eagles
Corbin Lacina, Augustana
Super Bowl 38, Bills
Jim Langer, SDSU
Super Bowls 7,8, Dolphins
Paul Laaveg, Sioux Falls
Super Bowl 7, Commanders
Karl Mecklenburg, Augustana
Super Bowls 21, 22, 24, Broncos
Doug Miller, Sturgis, SDSU
Super Bowl 29, Chargers
Jay Novacek, Martin
Super Bowls 27, 28, 30, Cowboys
Craig Puki, Deadwood
Super Bowl 16, 49ers
Riley Reiff, Parkston
Super Bowl 56, Bengals
Christian Rozeboom, SDSU
Super Bowl 56, Rams
Adam Timmerman, SDSU
Super Bowls 31, 32, Packers; 34, 36, Rams
Adam Vinatieri, Rapid City, SDSU
Super Bowls 31, 36, 38, 39, Patriots; Colts 41, 44
Grey Zabel, Pierre
Super Bowl 60, Seahawks
Continue reading...
