When the final whistle sounded for Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Philadelphia Eagles had come out on top of the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22.
Eagles safety Sydney Brown was only on the field for a couple of snaps in the game but in doing so became the 17th Canadian to win a Super Bowl ring.
The London, Ont. native also became the first Canadian to be a part of a title-winning team in three years, following in the footsteps of a pair of St. Louis Rams – Michael Hoecht and Alaric Jackson.
It was a lengthy journey for Brown to the NFL, who was drafted by the Eagles early in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
His identical twin brother, Chase, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals a couple of rounds later, making them the first twins to be drafted in the same year in more than 20 years. They also became the seventh set of twins to accomplish the feat.
The two shared an unlikely path to becoming NFL stars, growing up in circumstances tougher than many may have experienced.
According to Sydney’s bio on the Eagles website, the Brown brothers lived in more than 20 homes growing up and were even homeless at points.
“Imagine this kid from London, Ont., that at one point was homeless, is going to be holding up a Super Bowl trophy maybe on Sunday,” his former coach Dave Martin told AM980’s Mike Stubbs on Friday.
Martin coached the brothers while they were growing up in London. He said it was not obvious at first that they would be pros but, as they got older, it became more apparent.
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“When they were young, you don’t ever think that,” the coach said of them advancing to a higher level. “When Sydney and Chase got to high school, you kind of thought, ‘You know what? There’s a chance, these kids could do something special.’”
His father, Darren Isaacs, made an appearance on the Taz and Jim Show, and gave credit to Londoners for helping his sons along the way to the NFL.
“The amount of support these guys have had since this whole journey started, it’s crazy,” he said. “And the community supported him the whole way.”
The Browns starred on the football field at London South Collegiate Institute and were presented with an opportunity to spend their last couple of years at a high school in Florida, where they led Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School to a pair of state championships.
Those two years of school in Florida landed Sydney a scholarship at Illinois University, where he would star for several years before landing with the Eagles. His brother would spend a year at Western Michigan before joining him with the Fighting Illini.
In his first year with the Eagles, Sydney earned a starting spot and picked off a pass for a touchdown a week before he tore his ACL, ending his rookie campaign early.
That injury kept him sidelined into this season until he returned for a Week 7 matchup against the New York Giants.
A week later, the Browns would suit up against each other in Cincinnati. Martin said that he was able to be in the stands for that tilt between the Brown brothers.
“I was lucky enough to be at that first game in the back when the boys played against each other in Cincinnati there,” the coach said.
“And it was pretty special to see them on the same field, but even more special now that, you know, he’s made it almost all the way back and is playing in the Super Bowl.”
Brown has primarily played special teams of the Eagles this season, suiting up 11 times while making seven tackles and also recording an interception and a forced fumble.
But he is still a part of a Super Bowl winning squad, and in football, every play — and player — matters.
Isaacs said family and friends were calling him once the blowout victory appeared secure in the second half.
“We’re still like pinching ourselves,” the proud father said, noting that he expected the two-time defending champion Chiefs to put up more of a fight.
“I’m wondering, like, what the hell happened last night? Because we thought it was going to be a better game and they just totally destroyed the Kansas City Chiefs.”
He said that the gravity of the situation may not have even sunk in with his son yet.
“I don’t think even Sid knows how big it is,” Isaacs said. “Sid hopes he should be home at the end of this week and then we get to really celebrate.”
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