North Carolina's Super Bowl LIX connections
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Eagles players Will Shipley No. 28 (left) celebrates with Saquon Barkley No. 26 after scoring a touchdown during the NFC Championship. Photo: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images
Super Bowl Sunday will be filled with plenty of North Carolina connections.
Why it matters: One of the world's biggest sporting events isn't just a moment for splashy commercials and indulging in your favorite treats. It's a big source of pride for hometown fans.
State of play: The Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 6:30pm. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
- If you're heading to the game, our Axios New Orleans team has you covered.
Here are North Carolina's connections to the game — from players and coaches to the officials.
Kansas City Chiefs
D. J. Humphries
The tackle is a Mallard Creek High alum.
Noah Gray
The tight end played at Duke.
Joe Thuney
The guard played at N.C. State.
Carson Wentz
The Chiefs backup quarterback was born in Raleigh. Despite his family moving to North Dakota during his childhood, he was raised an N.C. State fan.
Joshua Williams
The cornerback played at Fayetteville State University and Jack Britt High in Fayetteville.
Dave Merritt
The Chiefs defensive backs coach played for N.C. State. He was also a star player for Millbrook High in Raleigh, where he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Kevin Saxton
The Chiefs offensive assistant attended Sun Valley High in Indian Trail.
Rod Wilson
The Chiefs outside linebackers coach played at South Carolina.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Davis
The defensive tackle played football at Mallard Creek.
Landon Dickerson
The offensive lineman is a Hickory native who attended Hickory High School and South Caldwell High School.
Will Shipley
Shipley, a running back, played football at Weddington High. The rookie and former Clemson Tiger scored his first NFL touchdown in the Eagles 55-23 win vs. the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game.
Vic Fangio
The Eagles defensive coordinator was the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator from 1995-1998 and a graduate assistant at North Carolina in 1983.
Jeremiah Washburn
The Eagles defensive ends/outside linebackers coach is a Shelby native. He was a football operations assistant with the Carolina Panthers in 2002.
Eric Dickerson
The Eagles offensive quality control coach played at South Carolina State and later coached at his alma mater and at Duke.
Officials
Boris Cheek
Cheek, a Charlotte resident, is heading to his fourth Super Bowl as an official. He will serve as a side judge.
Mike Morton
Morton is a Kannapolis native and will serve as umpire. He attended A.L. Brown High and in college played football at UNC, where he was also a Morehead-Cain Scholar.
- The outside linebacker played seven seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts. Morton won a Super Bowl with the Rams. Today, he's a dentist in Kannapolis.
A few notable South Carolina connections:
- Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. played at Clemson.
- Chiefs cornerback Darius Rush played at South Carolina.