Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will be well represented in the upcoming Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 6 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, serving as game officials, players and coaches for the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
Game Official: Boris Cheek
One of the side judges in Sunday’s big game will be Boris Cheek.
A 1981 Morgan State graduate, Cheek will be working his fourth Super Bowl.
He holds the distinction of being the longest-tenured official in the NFL, now with 461 games under his belt.
Players: Joshua Williams, Bryan Cook
Joshua Williams is in his third NFL season with the Kansas City Chiefs and making his third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
The Fayetteville State product played for the Broncos from 2017-2021, helping lead the team to a CIAA championship berth each year.
A fourth-round draft pick, selected by the Chiefs in 2022, Williams has played in 50 of 51 games in his career, including 12 starts.
Williams recorded 33 tackles, six pass breakups, and 1.0 sacks in 17 games this season.
Like Williams, Bryan Cook is making his third Super Bowl appearance in his third season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cook played two years for Howard University in 2017 and 2018 before transferring to the University of Cincinnati.
The former Bison returned to the football field after missing last year’s playoff run with an ankle injury. He recorded 78 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups in 17 games this season.
Coaches: Christian Parker, Roy Anderson, Eric Dickerson, Terry Bradden, Kevin Saxton
There will be four HBCU products serving as coaches.
In his sixth NFL season coaching overall, Christian Parker is making his first Super Bowl appearance in his first season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff.
Parker began his coaching career at Virginia State in 2013, where he was the team’s cornerbacks coach. The following year, he was promoted to secondary coach and recruiting coordinator.
In 2015, he accepted the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator position at Norfolk State and spent two seasons with the team.
Parker got his first NFL position in 2019 when he was named the Green Bay Packers’ defensive quality control coach.
After two seasons with the Packers, he moved on to the Denver Broncos, where he served as the Defensive Backs coach for three seasons before being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles.
In addition to Parker is Roy Anderson.
After 20 years of serving in various roles as an NFL assistant coach, Anderson is also making his first Super Bowl appearance.
Anderson played quarterback at Howard from 1998-2001, following behind MEAC career passing leader Ted White.
Upon graduation, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida A&M. In 2005, after coaching at the Power Five level for two years, he got his first NFL coaching job as a Player Personnel Assistant with the Baltimore Ravens.
He spent his longest tenure with the Ravens, serving in multiple roles within the team for seven seasons. Since then, he has had stops with the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks before ending up with the Eagles.
In 2019, Anderson won a national championship as a member of the Louisiana State University (LSU) coaching staff as a Defensive analyst.
Philadelphia also has Eric Dickerson (not to be confused with the former Los Angeles Rams running back), who is making his second Super Bowl appearance since being hired by the Eagles in 2021.
Dickerson is a graduate of South Carolina State University, playing for the team as an offensive lineman from 2013-2016. He helped lead the Bulldogs to MEAC championships in 2013 and 2014.
The former Bulldog began his coaching career with his alma mater in 2017 as a fullbacks and tight ends coach.
He then spent three seasons at Duke as a Special Teams and Football Operations assistant before joining the Eagles.
Kansas City has Terry Bradden, who is making his fifth Super Bowl appearance as a member of the Chiefs coaching staff.
As a quarterback, Bradden played his first three collegiate seasons at Howard before transferring to Tuskegee.
Before being hired by the Chiefs in 2017, Bradden served as a graduate assistant at Bethune-Cookman. This succeeded a stint as the Special Teams Quality Control coach at Florida Atlantic in 2014.
The Tuskegee alum is planning to join the Nebraska coaching staff at the end of this NFL season.
In addition to Bradden is Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Assistant Kevin Saxton, making his second consecutive Super Bowl appearance as a member of the team’s coaching staff.
After previous stops at his alma mater, Emory & Henry and Cuthbertson High School, Saxton joined the Benedict College coaching staff as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
In his lone season with the team, he helped lead the Tigers to its first undefeated regular season and SIAC championship.
He was hired by the Chiefs in 2023.
