Super Bowl 58 | 5 things to know about Cloverleaf graduate, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk
Kyle Juszczyk, a 2009 Cloverleaf graduate, takes center stage on Feb. 11 when San Francisco and Kansas City play in Super Bowl LVIII.
It will be the second time the Medina County Hall of Famer plays in the biggest game in football and, if things played out like they did the last time, the eight-time Pro Bowl fullback will play a significant role.
Here are five fun facts about Juszczyk heading into the big game. Some you might know. Some we’re sure you didn’t:
Taylor Swift and connection to Kyle Juszczyk's wife, Kristin
On Jan. 13, the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins met in a bitterly cold AFC Division playoff game.
Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes showed up to the game in puffer jackets designed by Kyle’s wife, Kristin Juszczyk, and the jackets went viral.
Kristin has since signed a licensing deal with the NFL.
Simone Biles, Klay Thompson and Twilight actor Taylor Lautner are just a few of the celebrities to also don her wares.
More on Kristin Juszczyk: Wife of Cloverleaf grad Kyle Juszczyk and Taylor Swift jacket maker gets NFL license deal
Kyle Juszczyk’s first career touchdown came 45 minutes from his hometown
And yes, it came against the Browns.
On Sept. 21, 2014, Baltimore came to Cleveland Browns Stadium to play a Week 3 AFC North regular season game. The Ravens won 23-21 and Juszczyk played a big role in it.
A quick pass to Juszczyk from Joe Flacco went for 9 yards and a touchdown with 7:24 left and gave Baltimore a 10-7 lead.
“It was great, man. After going two weeks not seeing the ball come my way, I felt like maybe it was meant to be — that it would happen in Cleveland,” Juszczyk, a former Lafayette Township resident, said in a statement for The Medina Post. “So to do that in front of all my family members that were there and friends was amazing. It was a really amazing feeling.”
Kyle Juszczyk's teams have owned the Browns
Juszczyk was taken in the fourth round on the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens with the 130th overall pick. That meant the 6-foot-2, 235-pound standout was going to face the Browns at least twice a season.
That first meeting came on Oct. 1, 2013, in a 28-3 win by the Ravens, and that result started a trend that has continued as the Ravens and 49ers are 7-3 against Cleveland when Juszczyk is in the backfield.
The good news for Browns fans is that the last one was a Cleveland win. It happened this season in a 19-17 victory at home in Week 6 and was the first loss for San Francisco.
Kyle Juszczyk first Harvard graduate to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl
It came when Kansas City and San Francisco played each other in Super Bowl LIV.
While it turned out to be a 31-20 Chiefs win, Juszczyk made Northeast Ohio and Northern California hearts race with a 15-yard TD reception from Jimmy Garoppolo with 5:05 left in the second quarter.
The touchdown tied the score 10-10 and jump-started the 49ers to taking a 20-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The NFL has always been in Juszczyk’s bloodline
“Juice” isn’t the first in his family to play professional football at the highest level. His uncle Rich “Dickie” Moore played for the Green Bay Packers for two seasons. Moore was a first-round pick, 12th overall, in the 1969 draft out of Villanova.
Moore was a first-team All-East Coast Athletic Conference defensive tackle as a senior. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles tendon in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in 1970. After trying to move him to offense the next season, the Packers traded him to New England, where he was released because of the injury. His only officially recorded stat was a fumble recovery in his first season.
Moore’s son, Brandon, played offensive tackle for the New England Patriots from 1993-95.
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kyle Juszczyk returns to Super Bowl with 49ers | 5 things to know
