Fil-Ams in the Super Bowl
Alfredo G. Evangelista | Assistant Editor
After all was said and done, Super Bowl LX resulted in a win by the Seattle Seahawks over the New England Patriots, 29–13.
There were a lot of interesting storylines/sub-plots to SBLX:
• Will Sam Darnold be able to exorcize his demons and play turn-over free football?
• Will Seattle’s defense now called “Dark Side” surpass the previous “Legion of Boom” defense?
• Will the Seahawks find redemption from that infamous decision in Super Bowl XLIX (2015) to pass from the one-yard line instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch?
• Will the Patriots begin a new dynasty under quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel?
• Will the half-time show featuring Bad Bunny be entertaining?
• And yes, how many field goals will Seattle’s Jason Myers—a Fil-Am—kick?
That’s right, you read it right. Jason Myers is of Filipino ancestry. Myers’ paternal great-grandfather arrived in Pensacola, Florida from the Philippines and served in the U.S. Navy. Myers—although he hasn’t visited the Philippines yet—is proud of his Filipino roots. “I wish I would take more opportunity to dig into my Filipino roots, but I am proud to say I am Filipino,” Myers said in an interview with ABS-CBN. “It’s made me who I am. It’s a tiny little group when you get to pro sports. There are some names that don’t sound Filipino, but once you find out, it’s always met with a smile and a hug.”
Myer’s NFL story is one of hard work and patience. He grew up in the San Diego area (Chula Vista which has a sizeable Filipino community) and went to high school at Mater Dei High. He enrolled at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he set records. But yes, Marist College is NOT a feeder school to the NFL. After graduating in 2013, he returned to San Diego, worked as a valet, and in 2014 kicked in the Arena Football League. In 2015, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars but was cut in 2017. He signed with Seattle in 2018 but was released and signed with the New York Jets. In 2019, Myers returned to Seattle as a free agent.
Myers’ signing with Seattle paid dividends. In Super Bowl LX, Myers set the record for the most field goals made—five (and tied the record for the most field goals attempted—five).
In fact, for the first three quarters, Myers scored all the points for Seattle:
• 1st quarter – 51 yard field goal;
• 2nd quarter – 55 yard field goal;
• 2nd quarter – 34 yard field goal; and
• 3rd quarter – 37 yard field goal.
Seattle was only able to score touchdowns in the fourth quarter—one via a 16-yard pass from Darnold and another by an interception by Uchenna Nwosu (both of whom are USC alums, by the way). Myers would successfully kick both extra points as well as a 26 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, for a total of seventeen points! Some argued Myers should have been selected the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player but those honors went to Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 135 yards on twenty-seven carries. (Walker had the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl since 1997.)
Myers joined a small (hopefully growing) group of Filipino-Americans playing in the Super Bowl.
Over ten years ago, the Seahawks also featured another proud Fil-Am–wide receiver Dwight Baldwin in Super Bowls XLVIII (2014) (catching five passes for sixty-six yards and a touchdown) and XLIX (2015) (catching one pass for three yards and a touchdown).
Baldwin grew up in Gulf Breeze, Florida and played high school football at Gulf Breeze High School. For four years, he starred as a wide receiver and kick returner for Stanford. After college, he was undrafted and signed as a free agent with Seattle in 2011. Baldwin would play with Seattle until he retired in 2019.
Baldwin traces his Filipino roots to his maternal grandmother Pica from Tacloban City. Baldwin’s grandfather was stationed in the Philippines and they eventually moved to Florida. On November 17, 2013—nine days after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, Baldwin entered the Seahawks game against the Minnesota Vikings and carried the Philippine flag upside down (with the red instead of the blue on top, done only during times of war.) Baldwin explained “We are fighting the devastation of Haiyan which has been worse than many war-torn regions of the world.” Baldwin’s maternal family suffered property loss because of Haiyan.
Another Fil-Am who played in the Super Bowl is three-time Super Bowl champion Tedy Lacap Bruschi, who played for the New England Patriots. Bruschi won championships in Super Bowls XXXVI (2002), XXXVIII (2004), and XXXIX (2005) while losing in XXXI (1997) and XLII (2008).
Bruschi was born in San Francisco and played college football at the University of Arizona. He was drafted by the Patriots in 1996 and played linebacker for New England until he retired in 2008. (He suffered a stroke in February 2025 and was able to play in October 2025.)
Bruschi is half-Filipino (the other half being Italian) through his mom Juanita Lacap, whose roots are from Pampanga. Bruschi’s parents divorced when he was five years old. To honor his Mom, Bruschi uses her maiden name as his middle name.
Bruschi was a beast while playing for the Patriots. In Super Bowl XXXI against the Green Bay Packers, he registered three solo tackles and two sacks. In Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams, he registered four solo tackles. In Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers, he registered four tackles, including two solo tackles. In Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, he registered seven tackles, including six solo tackles plus one pass deflection. In Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, he registered eight tackles, including five solo tackles.
Jordan Norwood played for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl L (2016), helping to defeat the Carolina Panthers.
Norwood was born in Honolulu and later moved to Pennsylvania. He played college football at Penn State and even played basketball for the Nittany Lions for one season. Despite receiving Big Ten honorable mention honors in his senior year, Norwood was not drafted. He was signed and released by the Cleveland Browns (twice), the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Denver signed him in 2014 but spent the entire year on injured reserve. Norwood retired in 2017.
Jordan’s mother Tiffany is half Filipina and half Black. On the website of photographer Levi Norwood, he is quoted as saying: “I think I realized I was mixed pretty early on. Though, my skin is dark and I probably look more ‘black’ than anything else, I was born in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, amongst my, mostly, Filipino side of our family. My mom is half Filipina and half Black, while my dad is 100% Black. I can remember in my teenage years when I was in an interracial relationship with a Caucasian girl.
One of my female, African American classmates asked me why I didn’t want to date someone that looked like my mom—as if my mom would be offended by me bringing home someone that wasn’t black. My classmate, obviously, didn’t realize I was part black and part Filipino, nor had she ever seen my black and Filipina mother before. Basically, any relationship I could find myself in would be interracial—which is fine by me. I feel that I identify with being both black and Filipino. My outward appearance, unlike some of my siblings, leans toward African American rather than Asian, so I suppose that internal identification could be ever so slightly stronger.”
As the punt returner for the Broncos, Norwood excelled during the Super Bowl. He returned a punt for sixty-one yards, which at that time was the longest punt return in a Super Bowl.
Another Fil-Am NFL professional who played in the Super Bowl that was born in Hawai‘i is Aaron Francisco. Francisco was born in Lā‘ie, played high school football at Kahuku High School. After starring for BYU, he went undrafted in 2005. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals and released, signed with the New York Jets and released. He was re-signed by the Cardinals, with whom he played until 2009. He was later signed by the Indianapolis Colts, the Carolina Panthers, the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans, who released him in 2012.
In Super Bowl XLIII (2009) against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the defensive back against Santonio Holmes, who caught the game winning touchdown.
Francisco had one solo tackle and one pass deflected in that Super Bowl game.
Super Bowl LIX (2025) featured Fil-Am player Nikko Remigio on the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Remigio was born in Orange California. His Pinoy roots are through his father, whose roots come from Muntinlupa and Iloilo. Remigio attended the University of California, Berkeley before transferring to Fresno State, earning honors as a wide receiver and punt returner.
At Berkeley, Remigio wrote a first person narrative for the school newspaper: “I love being Filipino: The family dynamic, the music, the dancing and the get-togethers—where you know there’s going to be like a thousand trays of lumpia and massive pots of rice to go with pounds of meat and fried fish—and the next morning you know we’re going to heat those leftovers up, fry an egg and make that a Filipino breakfast. I’m all about it. I took a trip to the Philippines with my dad, my brothers and my lolo (grandfather) a few years ago, and it felt good to go back to the motherland to be where your family comes from. At the end of the day, it is considered a Third World country, but I loved just being there to get a new perspective and to connect with my relatives that are still over there. I know I stuck out as a mixed kid from America, but I still felt that sense of belonging I have longed for—I’d love to go back again. Because my mom’s side of the family lives on the East coast, I have been exposed more to my Filipino side.”
Remigio was not drafted in the 2023 draft and signed as a free agent with the Chiefs. During the Super Bowl, Remigio contributed with three kick returns totaling eighty-four yards (averaging 28 yards, with a long of 35) and one punt return of five yards.
Remigio’s 2025 season was cut short due to an injury.
Although he never played in a Super Bowl, Roman Gabriel was the first Fil-Am NFL player. Gabriel was born in North Carolina; his father immigrated from the Philippines. He played college ball at North Carolina State University and was an Academic All-American.
He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1962 in the NFL draft (#2 overall) and the Oakland Raiders in the AFL draft (#1 overall). The quarterback decided to play for the Rams, where he had a stellar ten-year career, owning many of the passing records at that time. Gabriel was later traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and retired in 1977.
Gabriel died in 2024, and he is recognized for opening the doors for Filipinos in the NFL albeit Gabriel never played in the Super Bowl.
Assistant Editor Alfredo G. Evangelista is a life-time fan of the Raiders. He did cheer for the Rams early on and watched Roman Gabriel throw passes to Jack Snow. His wife Bessy is an avid Seattle Seahawks fan.