Two Players With NC Ties To Take The Field In 2021 Super Bowl

TAMPA, FL — Two Tampa Bay Buccaneer players with ties to North Carolina are set to compete against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV this weekend.

Buccaneers punter Bradley Pinion's ties to the Charlotte metro stretch back to his days playing for Northwest Cabarrus High School, where he graduated in 2012. Pinion went on to play at Clemson University, and still lives in the area, in Lake Keowee, South Carolina, according to the Independent Tribune.

Training during the pandemic was a challenge for the Carolina native, who was forced to get creative when his traditional off season training space at Clemson was shut down.

“Even finding a field to kick on right now is trying,” Pinion said, according to the newspaper. “All the high schools have shut down; nobody wants you out there on their fields. I’ve been able to do it, but finding them has been hard at times. Some fields at parks and stuff have been open that I’ve used, and there have been high schools that have been gracious enough to let us use the fields.”

Buccaneers cornerback Ryan Smith also has ties to the North Carolina. The 27-year-old grew up in Clinton, Maryland and attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, where he played defense while earning a degree in criminal justice. In 2016, he became a fourth round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signing a nearly $3 million, four-year contract. He resigned with the team last year.

Smith is only the third player in NCCU's history to make it to the Super Bowl, and the first in about four decades.

"It's a big deal in that aspect as far as like, a lot of people don't make it out of Central, or small schools period, so for me to be in this situation, it's a big thing," Smith told WTVD earlier this week. "Me coming from Central, putting them on notice like you know we got dudes who can ball too. It's a big deal."

Sunday's game marks the Chiefs' fourth-ever Super Bowl appearance. Tampa Bay will be making its second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, and their first since they won in 2003. Tampa Bay will be the first Super Bowl team to play in a Super Bowl at its home stadium.
Super Bowl LV will be played on Sunday, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

Mark Hand, Patch staff, contributed