SJU alumnus to play in Super Bowl for first time

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – On Sunday for the first time in program history, a St. John’s football alumnus is expected to play in the Super Bowl.

Former All-American offensive lineman Ben Bartch plans to suit up for the San Franciso 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs in that football game of football games, now four years after becoming the 10th Johnny to be selected in the NFL draft and the first Division III player selected from any school since 2015.

“Just thinking about it and reflecting on it, it’s definitely crazy thinking about all the years of playing football,” Bartch said. "Since you were a little boy all the way though St. John’s, this is what you work for. Having different seasons –many valleys and many peaks and just all the work and sacrifice that you have done – this is what it's all about, what it’s for.”

Bartch joined the 49ers midway through the season. He was a regular starter for Jacksonville in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before tearing his ACL during Week 5's game. After rehabbing the rest of the season Bartch reprised his role on the line for three games to start the 2023-24 season, but was later limited to special team snaps.

The Jaguars waived Bartch in October and about a month later San Francisco picked him up off their practice squad for line depth. Since then, Bartch has played guard, getting snaps on offense and with the 49ers’ special teams, but he has also picked up a new position: providing depth at center. He’s had time in both of San Francisco's playoff games, still wearing No. 78 – the same number as his days at Clemens Stadium.

“Once (Bartch) realized that he was going to have an opportunity to play at the next level, he really bought into the strength and conditioning program here and did everything he could to get his body in position to play at the next level,” SJU coach Gary Fasching said. “I’ve always told him that he’s a self-made NFL player because you have to be dedicated. You have to put in the time and he certainly did that.”

The last Johnnie to play in the NFL was a teammate of Fasching’s at SJU. ROCORI graduate Rick Bell had one kick return for the Vikings in 1983.

Bartch started as a mostly blocking tight end at SJU, catching four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown his sophomore year. He proved his positional adaptability for his upperclassmen seasons, making the switch to right tackle for 2018 and played there every game his junior and senior seasons. Then he was a little apprehensive about the shift, but he said he’s enjoyed the challenge of snapping the ball for the first time while learning a new team's playbook.

“He’s really athletic for a big man, and we originally saw that when we recruited him,” Fasching said. “I think it was a combination of everything. He’s got really good feet, good hands; I would say maybe the huge advantage that he has is he’s a really smart, intelligent young man and he picks things up really quickly.”

Every winter NFL teams contact Fasching about players to watch over the upcoming season and he said within two weeks of sending film to a scout, every team was asking about the then-6-6, 305 lb. senior.

The Johnnies had deep runs in the NCAA DIII tournament Bartch’s junior and senior years, but the team twice fell short of the Stagg Bowl, losing to 2018 champion Mary Hardin-Baylor by three points in the quarterfinals and in 2019 losing in the semifinal to Wisconsin-Whitewater by the same margin. His senior year, Bartch was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lineman of the year, and he was named first-team All-American. Four other Johnnies earned spots on the second or honorable mention squads.

“Winning a championship was kind of our whole culture,” Bartch said.

He is “very proud” to have come from St. John’s, saying he feels like “one of the luckiest players in the NFL.”

Fasching said SJU coaches often point to Bartch as an example for recruits who may be apprehensive of their chances to move from DIII ball to the NFL.

“He’s just a great representative of our university and our football program,” Fasching said.

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A graduate of Blanchet Catholic School in Salem, Oregon, Bartch’s family owns a cabin near Ely and he has kin in Wisconsin. He said other family members had attended the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s and although he checked out other schools in the Midwest, SJU felt right.

“We did a quick visit, kind of on a whim, and checked out St. John's,” he said. “I fell in love with it when I visited, and the rest is history.”

He spoke very highly of Fasching’s coaching staff and the natural opportunities around central Minnesota. He still enjoys returning to the upper Midwest to ice fish and pheasant hunt. Bartch is also close with his roommates and other friends made at St. John’s.

“Obviously you walk away from football with trophies, accolades, whatever, but more importantly, you walk away with good friendships and relationships that are with you for life. … We had some really special teams that had a lot of really strong bonds.”

The Super Bowl’s kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: SJU's Ben Bartch to play in Super Bowl 58 for the San Francisco 49ers