A look at the first brothers to square off on the field in a Super Bowl

Super Bowl LVII will make history in more ways than one this weekend as we will witness two brothers face each other on the field for the first time in the showcase event.

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is two years and one month older than his brother Travis, a tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, both of whom could be destined for the Hall of Fame one day.

Sunday’s big game goes 10 years after another set of brothers faced off in the Super Bowl when Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh defeated his older brother Jim, who was with the San Francisco 49ers at the time, in one of the more cringe-worthy end of game handshakes we have ever seen.

The Kelce’s will be the first siblings to play against each other in the Super Bowl, but they are not the first siblings to feature on the field for the Lombardi Trophy; that honour belongs to Devin and Jason McCourty as the twin defensive backs played in Super Bowl LIII, helping the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams (13-3).

We will see what kind of mood each of them is in when Super Bowl LVII concludes, but in the meantime, here are some interesting facts you may not have known about the Kelce’s.

Jason and Travis have been mainstays for their respective clubs since turning pro though we might be curious to know how well things would’ve worked out for either had they played at one of their original positions.

In high school, Jason featured as a running back and linebacker at Cleveland Heights, excelling at both so much so that he was named the defensive MVP, making 105 tackles as a senior, 33 of which went for a loss.

He was pretty good in the backfield, too, averaging 9.5 yards per carry.

After walking on as a linebacker with the Cincinnati Bearcats, Jason redshirted in 2006 and was Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year.

The following season he moved to the offensive line, where he saw limited time at center before becoming a starter at left guard in 2008, a position he would maintain in Cincy before leaving for the NFL in 2011.

It wasn’t until he came to the Eagles that he transitioned full-time to the center position, taking over as the team’s starter after being drafted in the sixth round.

Travis meanwhile was a standout at Cleveland Heights as well, but mainly behind center, as the former quarterback was a dual threat, throwing and running for over 1,000 yards as a senior in 2007.

He would later follow in his brother’s footsteps with the Bearcats as a redshirt before playing as a QB and tight end in 2009 in the Wildcat formation.

While he missed the 2010 campaign with Cincy for violating team rules, he returned a year later and became their full-time starter at tight end, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Travis racked up 722 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a senior with the Bearcats before the Chiefs took him with the 63rd overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft.

These days the Kelce name is hard to forget if you’re a football fan, but before they each turned pro, neither were a high priority for numerous scouts.

According to 247 Sports, Jason was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school before ending up in Cincinnati.

Travis, meanwhile, was a two-star recruit according to 247 Sports, coming in as the 1,583-ranked player in the 2008 class.

While Travis was offered numerous scholarships, he ultimately chose to join his brother with the Bearcats, and the two had starring roles in 2011.

From barely being on many coaches’ and scouts’ radar before making it to the NFL, the Kelce boys have a chance to become the first brothers to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jason is a six-time Pro Bowl center, and a five-time first-team All-Pro, who captured a Super Bowl with the Eagles during the 2017 season, featuring in all but six games in his professional career.

His streak of 122 straight regular-season starts is the longest for any player at his position since Chris Meyers’ run of 123 consecutive games from 2007 to 2014.

Even though his position does not get much recognition from hall of fame voters, he has a solid case to make it to Canton whenever he decides to call it quits.

He ranks in the top five in the PFF Offensive Grades among centers, and became the highest-paid player at his position when he signed a one-year contract in 2022 to remain in Philly for $14 million.

Over the past two regular seasons, Jason has only allowed one quarterback sack, so Chris Jones and the Chiefs’ defensive line could have a hard time getting to Jalen Hurts this weekend if he has anything to say about it.

Travis, meanwhile, is a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame as he ranks sixth all-time among tight ends for touchdown receptions (69), is fourth in receiving yards (10,344), and fifth in receptions (814).

The younger Kelce was named a first-team All-Pro four times, has been to the Pro Bowl on eight occasions, and, just like his older brother Travis has a Super Bowl ring.

Those are just a few of the many accomplishments for Travis during his illustrious NFL career, as he also holds the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end (1,416), including seven seasons of 1,000 yards or more receiving, more than anyone at his position.

He has more consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving than any tight end in NFL history (seven).

Someone may beat the Kelce brothers to the Hall of Fame beforehand, though, with Peyton Manning being elected in 2021, while brother Eli is eligible in 2025.