Even if you and your buddies are divided over which team to root for, the Super Bowl brings you together in an annual ritual of football, friends and family − and possibly a chance to cheer on someone from your hometown.
Players in Super Bowl 59 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are from those towns, from places large and small. Many of them are familiar to you, others perhaps not.
Of the 159 players on Chiefs and Eagles rosters, 153 grew up in towns in 35 states in the continental U.S., and six came from other countries.
USA TODAY reviewed team rosters for a closer look at this year’s Super Bowl players. Here’s what we found.
Super Bowl roster: Where are the players from?
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This year, the Southeast and East Coast are well represented among players’ hometowns, with a healthy scattering of places in the eastern-central portion of the country.
Texas has the most hometowns for players, 19 of them. Florida and California are next with 15 and 14 players, respectively.
Super Bowl roster: How old are the players?
Thirty-one of the players, or 19% of both teams, are age 25. The next closest are the 26 players, or 16%, who are age 24.
The oldest player is Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, of Detroit, who is 36. The two youngest players are Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean and Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, both 21 and both rookies.
DeJean will turn 22 on Super Bowl Sunday.
Super Bowl roster: How many years as a pro?
Most of the players are two- or three-year veterans, though 27 of them, 17%, are rookies.
Brandon Graham of the Eagles has 15 years in professional football.
Super Bowl roster: Where did they go to college?
No single American college has a lock on Super Bowl players, but six Eagles players graduated from the University of Alabama and six from the University of Georgia.
Six Chiefs players came from the University of Oklahoma. Four Chiefs players graduated from the University of Southern California.
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; chiefs.com; philadelphiaeagles.com; 247sports.com; Reuters; Sports Illustrated