CHICAGO – No matter what year, there are always some Chicago-area and Illinois connections in the Super Bowl, and that’s the case once again in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday with each squad featuring players or coaches that have connections to the area. That could include natives of the city, area, or state, those who played or coached in college, or others who spent time with the Bears in their careers.

Here is the list of Chicago-area and State of Illinois connections to both teams before the game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale Arizona.

Kansas City Chiefs

• Nick Allegretti – Guard – Frankfort – Lincoln-Way East High School – The former Illinois standout has played in 57 regular season games with the Chiefs with 12 starts in four seasons with a number of snaps on special teams. The 2019 sixth round pick has taken part in 11 playoff games including Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LV.

• Michael Burton – Fullback – Bears – The eight-year NFL veteran played in Chicago in 2017 for John Fox and 2018 for Matt Nagy.

• Dean Bush – Safety – Bears – The fourth round pick of the Bears in 2016, he spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Bears before joining the Chiefs this season.

• Khalen Saunders – Defensive Tackle – Western Illinois – He played in Macomb from 2014-2018 before being drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2019 draft.

• Matt Bushman – Tight End (Practice Squad) – Carbondale – The former standout at BYU was born in Carbondale before playing high school football in Tuscon, Arizona.

• Ihmir Smith-Marsette – Wide Reciever (Practice Squad – Bears – The receiver played six games for the Bears in 2022 before being waived on October 18th.

• Dave Toub – Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator – Bears – 2004-2012 – The longtime coordinator was in Chicago for the entire Lovie Smith era with returner Devin Hester and kicker Robbie Gould becoming franchise legends during his time.

• Brendan Daly – Linebackers Coach – Springfield – Sacred Heart Griffin High School – The capital city native was also the tight ends coach for Illinois State in 2004. He’s been with the Chiefs since 2019 and took over as linebackers coach this season after helping the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles as an assistant. Daly was on the Chiefs’ staff when they won Super Bowl LIV.

• David Girardi – Pass Game Analyst and Assistant Quarterbacks Coach – Northwestern Assistant – Before joining the Chiefs in 2018, Girardi worked on Pat Fitzgerald’s staff as an offensive quality control coach in 2014, then a defensive graduate assistant in 2015 and 2016.

• Andy Heck – Offensive Line – Notre Dame and Bears – A started on the last Fighting Irish team to win a national championship in 1988, he started 76 games at left tackle for the Bears from 1994-1998. Heck in his tenth year as the Chiefs’ offensive line coach.

• Greg Lewis – Running Backs Coach – Chicago – Rich South High School – Illinois – A standout at the Richton Park school, the wide receiver helped the Fighting Illini to their last Big Ten championship in 2001. Playing in the NFL from 2003-2010, Lewis has been an assistant for the Chiefs since 2017.

• Matt Nagy – Quarterbacks Coach – Bears- The 16th head coach in Bears’ history, Nagy returned to Kansas City after he was fired after the 2021 season. He reunited with head coach Andy Reid, whom he served as an assistant under in Philadelphia and Kansas City from 2008-2017.

• Ryan Reynolds – Strength & conditioning assistant and Sports Science Director – Fulton – A former standout at Fulton High School, which is located on the Illinois-Iowa border around 40 miles north of the Quad Cities, Reynolds is in his seventh season with the Chiefs.

Philadelphia Eagles

• T.J. Edwards – Linebacker – Lake Villa – Lakes Community High School – The former Lakes Community High School quarterback played linebacker at Wisconsin and was a standout for the Badgers. Edwards was a two-time All-Big Ten first team selection & a first team All-American in 2017 but joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2019. In 61 games, he’s made 47 starts, including 17 this season, making 159 tackles including ten for loss with two sacks and seven pass deflections.

• Jake Elliott – Kicker – Western Springs – Memphis – He’s been kicking with the Eagles since 2017 and was a part of the Super Bowl LII championship team. Elliott was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and made 20 of 23 field goals in 2022, entering the Super Bowl a perfect 13-for-13 on postseason field goal attempts.

• Ian Book – Quarterback – Notre Dame – The all-time leader in quarterback wins in Fighting Irish history, Book is in his first year with the Eagles after spending the 2021 season with the Saints.

• Dennard Wilson – Defensive Pass Game Coordinator – Bears Scout 2008-2011 – Before starting his time as an assistant coach in the NFL, Wilson started in the Bears’ scouting department under head coach Lovie Smith. Wilson has been with the Eagles since 2021.

• Aaron Moorehead – Wide Receivers Coach – Deerfield – Illinois – A standout at Deerfield High School in football and track, he would walk-on with the Illini and help them to a Big Ten championship in 2001. After playing five years with the Colts, including their Super Bowl XLI title season of 2006, Moorehead started coaching at the collegiate level in 2009 at New Mexico. He took his first professional coaching job with the Eagles in 2020.

• Alex Tanney – Assistant Quarterbacks/Offensive Assistant – Lexington, Illinois – A standout at Lexington High School, which is 18 miles northeast of Bloomington, the quarterback had a great career at Monmouth College, which earned him a shot as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs in 2012. He remained in the league through 2020 and then started his coaching career as an offensive quality control coach in 2021.