It's 'every kid's dream,' says first Super Bowl player from London, Ont.
London's Sydney Brown is playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday
3 hours ago
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It won't be a first when the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles square off in the Super Bowl on Sunday in New Orleans.
What will be new is that Eagles safety Sydney Brown will become the first London, Ont., player to be in the big game.
Brown, 24, will also be the only Canadian on the field competing for the NFL title.
"To be the one Canadian in this game, I carry that with pride. I'm excited," Brown said Friday from the locker-room.
London coach proud of twin NFL brothers
Brown and his twin brother Chase, who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, got their start in football in London at South Collegiate Institute.
They helped their high school win the Ontario championships, then both moved to Florida to continue honing their skills before heading to Illinois to play college football.
"I think it's every kid's dream to play in one of these games — not only to play, but to win it. I'm hoping for the best outcome on Sunday," Brown said.
WATCH | David Martin speaks on what it was like coaching the Brown brothers at London, Ont., high school:
As he chases that dream, others will be supporting his accomplishments from London, reflecting on the challenges the Brown twins encountered growing up. They were raised by their mother, who at times relied on the shelter system for housing support.
"They were the kids who showed up every day. They needed football. It was a place for them to put everything else that was going on in their lives aside, and jump in and be fantastic," said David Martin, who coached the Browns from Grades 3 to 10.
Martin called Sydney a natural leader, and said he's skipping a Super Bowl party to concentrate on watching every play of the big game from home.
Brown isn't the only Londoner to play in the NFL. Others include Tim Tindale, who was with the Buffalo Bills in the mid-1990s, and Ryan Thelwell, who was with the San Diego Chargers in the late 1990s.
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