Sean Payton now has company.
Six years to the day after Payton, a 1982 Naperville Central alumnus, coached the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl XLIV victory, Naperville Central returned to the Super Bowl spotlight courtesy of Owen Daniels.
The Denver Broncos’ defense dominated the Carolina Panthers en route to picking up a 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50 – garnering the third Super Bowl title in franchise history – netting Daniels a Super Bowl ring.
Daniels, a 2001 Naperville Central alumnus, caught an 18-yard pass from Peyton Manning on the Broncos’ first play from scrimmage – his only reception of the night.
His 10th year in the National Football League now complete after spending his first eight years with the Houston Texans and one with the Baltimore Ravens, Daniels spoke of the journey.
“Oh my goodness – it’s really why you play the game,” Daniels said Jan. 27 of the impact a Super Bowl victory would have on his career. “I know it’s a real cliché thing to say. I know a lot of guys say it and it’s a lot easier for me to say now because of where I am in my career and everything that I’ve seen.
“I feel like I’ve been on some really good teams that haven’t even played in a game up until this point, up until this past weekend, haven’t even played in the game to get you to the Super Bowl. So really, I think, just staying committed to everything, wanting to get another shot.
“At this point, I’m really playing football to have this opportunity. I guess you could say the contracts I’ve signed at this point aren’t changing my lifestyle. I’m not a spring chicken. I’m limited in practice during the week. I do everything that I can to make sure I’m ready to go on game days, but I’ve had my fair share of surgeries on my knees.
“That’s just kind of the result of playing in the league for 10 years, but it means everything to have a chance to get a ring. It’s been a 10-year wait, but in a lot of ways that’s kind of made it more meaningful to me to be in this position. So I can really, really appreciate the moment and all the experience that we’re kind of going through right now.”
Daniels’ two touchdown receptions in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots on Jan. 24 was a driving force for the Broncos’ 20-18 victory.
The franchise’s eighth Super Bowl appearance came in Gary Kubiak’s first year at the helm after playing in three Super Bowls with the Broncos as a player.
On Mike Shanahan’s staff for the franchise’s back-to-back victories in Super Bowls XXXVII and XXXIII, Kubiak’s nine-year connection with Daniels brought the former Redhawk to Denver with one goal in mind.
Fifteen victories later, mission accomplished.
“I knew what type of football team that they had out here and which players they had on offense and defense,” Daniels said. “So once he moved out to Denver, this team was definitely on my radar, probably at the top of my list of places I would have liked to play. So once the whole free agency stuff started and we were able to communicate, I was on the horn with them.
“They made it easy for me to make the decision – in terms of contract and just the whole situation that I was walking into. So, for me, I thought this team out here probably gave, had the best chance in my mind to go to the Super Bowl and get a chance to get a ring. So I took a lot of things into consideration, but the No. 1 thing was having Coach Kubiak here and being that link.”
Including the postseason, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end ended his first season with the Broncos with 51 receptions for 578 yards and five TDs.
“As a younger guy, I can’t honestly say that I would have cherished it as much because if you go when you’re young, you kind of say, ‘Hey, we’re here in year one or year two, whatever it is. This is going to happen over and over,’” he said on Jan. 27. “But I think all the years of grinding and sticking to the plan has paid off and just we’re very thankful, honestly. I’ve gotten tons of great support along the way. You get tons of mentions on social media throughout the years from friends back home in Naperville saying that ‘Naperville’s proud and everyone there is supporting you.’ I know that.
“My parents still live back there and they can feel that. Having spent eight years in Houston, I got tons of love from the people of H-Town over the weekend supporting me and wanting to see me get a ring. And I spent one year in Baltimore and I got some support from out there. So all that has meant a tremendous amount to me.”
