February 11, 2024 - By Derick Moore - It’s a rematch four years in the making: the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl Sunday.
The last time the two teams played against each other in a Super Bowl was in 2020, when the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20 in Miami.
Many of the Chiefs’ players have played in multiple Super Bowls.
Do you know the most common first names on the rosters? Last names? Leading states of birth? Colleges and conferences most represented? Height and weight? The players with the most pro experience?
For some, this will be their fourth appearance in five seasons. Last year, the Kelce brothers – the Chiefs’ Travis and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason from Cleveland Heights, Ohio — were on opposing teams. This year, Travis Kelce is back with the Chiefs and some sports and music fans wonder if his girlfriend, Grammy Award-winning pop singer Taylor Swift, will be there.
Meet the Players From Across the Country and Around the World
Do you know the most common first names on the rosters? Last names? Leading states of birth? Colleges and conferences most represented? Height and weight? The players with the most pro experience?
The Big Game Census below answers these and other burning questions about the 139 players in the 2024 Super Bowl.
Note: Select the image to go to the interactive data visualization.
Explore the Big Game Census above for details about the players:
- Most common first names: Nick/Nic (5), Chris/Christian (4) and Mike (4).
- Most common last name: Jones (4) and Davis (3).
- States of birth: California (17), Florida (12), Georgia and Texas (10 each), Louisiana (8) and Ohio (7).
- Foreign-born players: Seven (up from three last year), hailing from Australia, Ghana, Greece, Liberia, Nigeria, Mexico and Turkey.
- Colleges: Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma (5); Clemson, Michigan, Middle Tennessee and University of Southern California (4); 5 tied (3).
- Conferences: SEC (26), Big 12 (17), Big Ten and Pac-12 (14), ACC (13) and AAC (8).
- Age: 30 and over (26), including 32 (5); 33 (4), 34 (1) and 35 (1). The majority (113) are in their 20s (the youngest is 21). The average age is 26.2.
- Years of professional experience: One player has 14 years (the 49ers’ Trent Williams), two have 12, two have 11 and three have 10. Eight players have 10+ years, down from 13 players last year. Thirty are rookies, up from 19 last year. The average number of years of experience is 3.7.
- Height: The tallest player (the 49ers’ Alfredo Gutierrez) is 6’8”, five are 6’6” and 10 are 6’5”. The shortest player (the Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire) is 5’7”, one is 5’8” and four are 5’9”. There are 32 players under 6’.
- Weight: Thirty-three players weigh more than 300 pounds, with the heaviest (the Chiefs’ Donovan Smith) weighing in at 338 lbs. Twenty-four players weigh less than 200 pounds, with the lightest (the Chiefs’ Ekow Boye-Doe) weighing in at 177 lbs.
More Fun Facts
Nothing says loyalty more than playing in the Super Bowl for the team from your home state. This year there are 18 players compared to just four last year. (The Kansas City Metro Area includes counties in Missouri and Kansas).
- Number of 49ers born in California: 14.
- Number of 49ers who were born and attended college in California: 6.
- Number of Chiefs born in Kansas: 1; Missouri: 3.
- Number of Chiefs who were born and attended college in Kansas or Missouri: 3.
All But One NFL Team in Top 50 Metro Areas
Eight teams, all from the top 50 most populous U.S. metro areas, have a .000 winning percentage in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers have a .714 winning percentage and the Chiefs a .600.
Green Bay is the least populous metro area with an NFL team and the only one not in the top 50 (158th). Yet its Packers have a 4-1 Super Bowl record, giving it a higher winning percentage (.800) than this year’s Super Bowl teams.
Can you name the four teams with a perfect 1.000 winning percentage in the Super Bowl?
How about the team with 11 appearances? Or the team that was in four consecutive Super Bowls and lost every one of them?
Find the answers in the 2023 National Football League Record & Fact Book beginning on page 495.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
