The Central Illinois, Super Bowl Connection

Springfield, Ill (WICD/WICS) — Super Bowl 58 is just over a week away. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will fight for the title in Las Vegas, Nevada, but there are numerous ties to Central Illinois in the big game.

The most notable is Nick Allegretti, who was drafted by the Chiefs in 2019. He is a two-time captain of the University of Illinois and will be playing for his 3rd championship with the Chiefs. He had a big impact this season, playing in every game during the regular season, starting one and stepping up in the AFC Title game to fill in for left guard Joe Thuney. Thuney is still dealing with a pectoral injury which means Allegretti could be taking on an important role for the Chiefs in the final game.

Tyler Kirby, the current Executive Vice President of Business Development, is an Illinois State graduate who even worked in the ISU athletic department. There are two Chief's coaches connected to the area as well. Joe Cullen was a defensive assistant for the Illini in 2005 before making his way into his current role as the defensive line coach. Brendan Daly is the linebackers coach who spent 2004 at Illinois State coaching the tight ends and is also an alum of Sacred Heart-Griffin.

The 49ers also have connections to Central Illinois and that starts with Taybor Pepper. He was born in Urbana before going up to Michigan and later getting drafted by the Packers. He has been with the 49ers since 2020. In 2000 Steve Wilks, the current defensive coordinator, was a coach at Illinois State where he was the defensive backs coach. Andrew Hayes-Stoker, who is the assistant defensive backs coach, spent five seasons as the wide receivers coach for the University of Illinois. Hayes-Stoker had been the wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before heading to Champaign.