MUNCIE, Ind. — For many athletes coming out of Ball State, the dream of going to the NFL stays a dream. With only 40 athletes to ever make it to the league in Ball State’s 101 years of action, the thought of going to the league was a long shot to begin with.
“Not to say never, but you just don't think that's in the cards for you. You know, you go mid-major, you go to the Mac and you know, you just shooting to get to the league to get another chance to play,” Jones stated as he gears up for his second straight Super Bowl appearance after getting drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 draft as the 250th pick.
In his first year on the Super Bowl roster, history was guaranteed to be made for Ball State, with Cardinal alumni Willie Snead IV on the other side of the Ball with the San Francisco 49ers. This year, the stakes are higher, with even more on the line.
With a victory over the Eagles on Sunday, Nic Jones could solidify his name in Ball State history even further, being one of three Cardinals to ever win a Super Bowl, and being the first ever to win two.
But Jones isn’t the only Kansas City Cardinal that can make history. Former Ball State teammate, and undrafted rookie free agent signee Carson Steele could become the third Cardinal with a Super Bowl under his belt.
Steele looks past his own history and towards NFL history, with the Chiefs having the chance to be the first team ever to win three Super Bowls in a row.
“I mean, it's just like I was saying again, you know, there's really not words for it just to be able to, you know, be in this position, have this opportunity,” Steele said. “It's really amazing. You know, they put in a lot of hard work these past couple of years. And so I'm very excited to be able to join them, you know, in this last final year. So hopefully we can all get it done. And, you know, bring it back home for this program.”
For these two teammates, it means much more to them than just a Super Bowl. Jones and Steele have been teammates since their crossover time as Cardinals in the nest.
“It's just so special to me,” Steel explained. “You know, a lot of people don't realize Nic Jones was kind of our leader when I came into Ball State and to being able to learn with him, work with him, play football, stuff like that. Being able to grow a relationship with him. And now, playing professional football with him, too. Just been an amazing experience. It's really cool to have somebody kind of tag along with you through the way.”
As Steele viewed Jones as the locker room leader from past and present, Jones recalled his time in the Cardinals a little differently, knowing the fullback was something special.
“Love it, man,” Steele said. “Guys don't understand how young he was when he came in and I got to see that, that raw unadjusted. Pretty much still a high school version of Carson Steele like before, you know, the business comes in and it changes a little bit. When in the NFL I got to see that version of him. He got to see the college version of me. So it was a great dynamic. I love that guy. Everybody knows what he did when he was in there. He was one of those guys. You were just happy to have him on your team. And not go against him.”
Reminiscing on those past times with Steele has been a key way Jones and Steele have stayed connected in the Chiefs locker room to this day.
“I think is so cool that we get to like, we have our insiders and we had a flashback like, man, those remember when we are around here and we can just think about the good old days while experiencing something. That's special, like you said, you know not a lot of guys get to experience this. So it's definitely a badge of honor for us,” Jones said.
Being a second-year athlete, Jones gets to help guide Steele just like how he did in the Cardinals locker room. And with Jones entering his second year in the Super Bowl, the defensive back reminds Steele that it is just another game.
“It's the biggest game of your life, But it's no different than all of the other ones. Honestly, the 60 minutes from start to finish, you feel the moment like as you kind of ease into the game, and you notice the lights and you notice the cameras and you notice, the signs everywhere and you and then you kind of start to ease your way. You know, like after about a quarter of me, it was just another game.”
These Cardinals will take the field at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on Fox News Live.
Contact Max Robson with comments at maxwell.robson@bsu.edu.
