LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field for Super Bowl 59 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, there are two Arkansans who will receive rings if they win.
Though Chiefs defensive end BJ Thompson is on injured reserve, if they come out on top he will receive his second Super Bowl ring and Senior Personnel Executive Willie Davis will receive his fourth with the team.
Davis and Thompson are part of a long line of Natural State natives to win Super Bowl rings dating back to the first iteration. Several have also won championships in the NFL and AFL prior to the big game’s creation.
Monte Coleman
and Monte Coleman (51) in Super Bowl XXII, Jan. 31, 1988, in San Diego. Elway was sacked five times and threw three interceptions as the Broncos lost 42-10, their second consecutive Super Bowl loss. (AP Photo)
Pine Bluff native Monte Coleman was the first player drafted to the NFL from the University of Central Arkansas and ended up winning three Super Bowls with the team now known as the Washington Commanders. He played with the team his whole career, which included parts of three different decades during his 16-year tenue.
Keith Traylor
Keith Traylor from Little Rock also won three Super Bowls in his career and did so with a pair of Hall of Fame quarterbacks. His first two rings came with John Elway when the Broncos won back-to-back in the late 90s. He won a third ring with Tom Brady as part of the New England Patriots when they beat the Eagles to conclude the 2004 season.
Rod Smith
Wide receiver Rod Smith from Texarkana also won two Super Bowls with Traylor and the Denver Broncos, serving as one of John Elway’s prime targets. Smith spent his whole career with Denver and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame and also included on their 50th Anniversary Team.
The Dallas Cowboys Connection
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President Bill Clinton puts his arm around Larry Lacewell, Dallas Cowboys director of college scouting, during a ceremony, in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 5, 1993 where the president honored the Super Bowl champs. Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, left, and owner Jerry Jones, center, take part in the ceremony. Lacewell is an old friend of the presidents from Arkansas. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) -
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, shown in the team’s headquarters in Irving, Tex., Dec. 29, 1993, has brought his marketing expertise to the organization. Jones is not only eyeing a spot in the Super Bowl, but also wants a season sellout of the 63,000-seat Texas Stadium. (AP Photo/SAA) -
FILE – In this Jan. 31, 1993 file photo, Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, right, and owner Jerry Jones, hold up the Vince Lombardi Trophy as they celebrate their 52-17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, Calif. The New England Patriots earned a record ninth Super Bowl berth with a 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, in the AFC championship game. The Steelers, Cowboys and Denver Broncos, all with eight Super Bowl trips apiece, must wait another year before trying to join the Patriots in rarefied company. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) -
Dallas Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer celebrates while he lifts the Super Bowl trophy after his team beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 at Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 1996. To the left of Switzer is NBC commentator Greg Gumbel. (AP Photo/USA Today, H. Darr Beiser) -
Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer gets soaked by Robert Jones (55) after the Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX Sunday, Jan. 28, 1996, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Eric Draper) -
A woman disrupts the Dallas Cowboys football players in a huddle during Super Bowl X at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., Jan. 19, 1976. She was escorted off the field by police. The players from left are, Burton Lawless (66), Ralph Neely (73) and Preston Pearson (26). The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Dallas 21-17. (AP Photo) -
Rams wide receiver Harold Jackson (29) is knocked off his feet by Cowboys Cliff Harris (43) on a pass play during NFC Championship at Los Angeles, Jan. 5, 1976. The Cowboys won the game 37-7 and the right to play Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. (AP Photo) -
The team that has won the most Super Bowls featuring Arkansans is the Dallas Cowboys. The team’s first two Super Bowls featured players from the Natural State including Cliff Harris, Ralph Neely and Ike Thomas as well as coach Red Hickey. When the Cowboys won three more in the 90s, they did so with former Razorback Jerry Jones as their owner and former Hog coaches Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson, as well as former Arkansas State coach Larry Lacewell, as the director of scouting.
Arkansans that have won Super Bowl rings:
- Monte Coleman – 1982, 87 & 91 – Washington Commanders
- Willie Davis – 2019, 22 & 23 – Kansas City Chiefs
- Jerry Jones – 1992, 93 & 95 – Dallas Cowboys
- Larry Lacewell – 1992, 93 & 95 – Dallas Cowboys
- Keith Traylor – 1997, 98 & 2004 – Denver Broncos & New England Patriots
- Maurice Carthon – 1986 & 90 – New York Giants
- Cliff Harris – 1971 & 77 – Dallas Cowboys
- Red Hickey – 1971 & 77 – Dallas Cowboys
- Jimmy Johnson – 1992 & 93 – Dallas Cowboys
- Ralph Neely – 1971 & 77 – Dallas Cowboys
- Elijah Pitts – 1966 & 67 – Green Bay Packers
- Rod Smith – 1997 & 98 – Denver Broncos
- Dennis Winston – 1978 & 79 – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Chris Akins – 2003 – New England Patriots
- Stacy Andrews – 2011 – New York Giants
- Ray Brown – 1991 – Washington Commanders
- Jake Bequette – 2014 – New England Patriots
- Ran Carthon – 2006 – Indianapolis Colts
- Cedric Cobbs – 2004 – New England Patriots
- Tank Daniels – 2007 – New York Giants
- Brett Goode – 2010 – Green Bay Packers
- Priest Holmes – 2000 – Baltimore Ravens
- Keith Jackson – 1996 – Green Bay Packers
- Todd Jones – 1992 – Dallas Cowboys
- Mickey McCarty – 1969 – Kansas City Chiefs
- Clinton McDonald – 2013 – Seattle Seahawks
- Jermey Parnell – 2009 – New Orleans Saints
- Mitch Petrus – 2011 – New York Giants
- Billy Ray Smith – 1970 – Baltimore Colts
- Barry Switzer – 1995 – Dallas Cowboys
- Ike Thomas – 1971 – Dallas Cowboys
- B.J. Thompson Jr. – 2023 – Kansas City Chiefs
- Vince Warren – 1986 – New York Giants
- Travis Williams – 1967 – Green Bay Packers
- Dennis Woodberry – 1987 – Washington Commanders
Some notable former Razorbacks who have won the Super Bowl over the years include Steve Atwater, Ravin Caldwell, Trey Flowers, Tony Ugoh, Dan Hampton and Lance Alworth. A few other former Hogs coaches that have won the Super Bowl include Raymond Berry, Pete Carroll and Joe Gibbs.
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