CLEVELAND — On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Florida.
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And is often the case, Northeast Ohio will be well represented in "The Big Game."
As the Chiefs look to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004, they'll once again find themselves relying on three key players from the Cleveland area. Those players, who also played a role in Kansas City's win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54 a year ago, are:
Travis Kelce (Cleveland Heights)
After catching six passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs' victory over the 49ers in last year's Super Bowl, Travis Kelce further established himself as arguably the best tight end in football in 2020. Ranking second in the league with 1,416 receiving yards, Kelce set a new single-season NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end.
A six-time Pro Bowl and five-time All-Pro selection, Kelce was born in Westlake, Ohio, and went on to star at Cleveland Heights. At just 31-years-old, the former Cincinnati Bearcat has already compiled a Hall of Fame-worthy resume as one of the top players to ever play his position.
Frank Clark (Cleveland Glenville)
While the Chiefs are more known for their offense than their defense, Frank Clark is one of the standout players on Kansas City's defensive unit. Now in his second season with the Chiefs, the two-time Pro Bowl selection tallied six sacks in 15 regular-season games, as well as two sacks in Kansas City's win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
Prior to starring at Michigan, Clark played for legendary head coach Ted Ginn Sr. at Cleveland Glenville. The 2015 second-round pick was traded to the Chiefs prior to the 2019 season after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Seattle Seahawks.
Anthony Hitchens (Clearview)
Like Clark, Anthony Hitchens has served as a cornerstone of Kansas City's defense during the Chiefs' runs to back to back Super Bowls. Appearing in 14 games this season, the linebacker totaled 78 tackles, two of which came for a loss.
A native of Lorain, Hitchens starred at Clearview before spending his college career at Iowa. After being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, he joined Kansas City as a free agent in 2018.