Former Ball State Stars Jones and Snead Represent Cardinals in Super Bowl LVIII

Never before have two former Ball State football players appeared on rosters in the same Super Bowl. Not since 1997 has a former Ball State football player been on the winning side in a Super Bowl.

Sunday, both could happen, when rookie cornerback Nic Jones and veteran receiver Willie Snead IV are anticipated to represent the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, to be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Only four previous Super Bowl participants have ever come out of Ball State, leaving Jones and Snead in some pretty rare air. It will be just the seventh out of 58 Super Bowls in which a former Ball State player is on a team roster.

Cardinals fans surely would like to see cornerback Jones playing head-to-head on the field at the same time against receiver Snead, lined on opposite sides of the ball. In the interest of full disclosure, however, it is fair to imagine Snead inactive for the contest – a full member of the Niners' 55-man roster in the NFC Championship, yes, but inactive for that game as part of the club's 48-man game day roster.

Snead, now a part of his sixth NFL team since entering the league in 2014, was elevated from San Francisco's practice squad just days ahead of the NFC Championship win against the Lions. He reverted back to the practice squad on Monday following the game and his Super Bowl status is uncertain.

With Ball State, Snead bypassed his senior year in order to enter the draft – though he went undrafted and has worked his way through stints with the Browns, Panthers, Saints, Raiders and Ravens before signing with San Francisco in August 2022. He has bounced between the 49ers' practice squad and active roster over the past two seasons while playing four games in each. His last game action this year was on Oct. 1 against Arizona when he caught one pass for nine yards.

In just three seasons with Ball State, Snead is third in the program's record book for career receiving yards (2,991) and second in touchdowns (26). He holds Cardinals single-season records for yards (1,516), catches (106) and receiving TDs (15) during the 2013 season. Overall, his 13 games with 100 or more receiving yards is a Ball State record.

Both native to the state of Michigan, Snead, 31, missed playing with Jones in Muncie by six seasons. Snead grew up in Muskegon Heights, near the shores of Lake Michigan, while Jones, 22, was raised just outside of Detroit. Both pursued their college careers just a few hours south, wearing Cardinal red, and both will don red again Sunday, head-to-head, in the biggest game on the planet.

Jones' arrival on the NFL scene this season began with his seventh-round selection by the Chiefs last spring. While appearing mostly with special teams units so far, he has appeared in 12 games overall, including all three playoff games.

Barely 15 months ago, Jones was completing his junior season at Scheumann Stadium where he paced the Cardinals with 14 pass deflections and a pair of interceptions to rank fourth (tied) in school history with 16 passes defensed in a single season. Jones began his college career while appearing in all 12 games a true freshman in 2019, and he played an integral role in the Cardinals' MAC championship team in 2020, playing in all eight games and blocking a punt to set up a touchdown in the Arizona Bowl victory over No. 19-ranked San Jose State.

Jones sustained a season-ending injury midway through his sophomore campaign in 2021, and following his fourth year with the program in 2022, he opted for the NFL Draft. Needless to say, it's worked quite well for the youngster – drafted by the Super Bowl champions and making his own Super Bowl debut less than a year later.

Whether we see Jones on defense and special teams, or whether we see Snead on the field extending his 10th NFL season, both vie to become just the second former Ball State player to earn a Super Bowl ring. In the first of two consecutive appearances with the Green Bay Packers, linebacker Keith McKenzie earned distinction as the first, in a 35-21 win over New England in Super Bowl XXXI (Jan. 26, 1997).

Ball State Players in the Super Bowl
2024 – SB LVIII (58) – Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers | Las Vegas
2007 – SB XLI (41) – Brad Maynard, Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts | Miami
2001 – SB XXXV (35) – Brad Maynard, New York Giants vs. Baltimore Ravens | Tampa
2000 – SB XXXIV (34) – Blaine Bishop, Tennessee Titans vs. St. Louis Rams | Atlanta
1998 – SB XXXII (32) – Keith McKenzie, Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos | San Diego
1997 – SB XXXI (31) – Keith McKenzie, Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots | New Orleans
1969 – SB III (3) – Timmy Brown, Baltimore Colts vs. New York Jets | Miami
winning teams in bold

Former Ball State Stars Jones and Snead Represent Cardinals in Super Bowl LVIII

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