Two Army grads are facing each other in the Super Bowl for the first time

It's well-known that Super Bowl LVII will see the big game's first brother vs. brother matchup between Travis and Jason Kelce. While the family rivalry between Kansas City and Philadelphia has captured the public's attention, what a lot of people may not realize is that 2023 will also be the first Super Bowl between two graduates of the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point. In fact, the two Old Grads played together on the 2016 and 2017 Army football teams.

Playing for the Chiefs with Travis Kelce is linebacker Cole Christiansen, USMA class of 2020. A native of Virginia, Christiansen played football and lacrosse at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. During his junior and senior year, he was named the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year.

Christiansen played four seasons for the Army Black Knights. He became a starter in his sophomore season and was named a team captain going into junior year. As a senior, he led the team with 112 tackles, finishing his collegiate career with 275 tackles. Following his graduation from West Point, Christiansen was granted a waiver allowing him to serve in the reserves and delay his active duty service commitment until after his playing career is over.

On April 25, 2020, Christiansen signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent. He bounced between the practice squad and active roster, being temporarily elevated to the active roster for three games before he was promoted to the active roster on January 1, 2021. On August 30, 2022, Christiansen was waived by the Chargers and signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad the next day. He made the active roster on October 15, 2022 and made his first tackle with the team against the Buffalo Bills two days later.

Joining Jason Kelce with the Eagles is offensive tackle Brett Toth, USMA class of 2018. He attended West Ashley High School in Charleston, South Carolina where he was a team captain and received all-state and all-conference recognition as a TE. Toth spent one year at the U.S. Military Prep Academy in 2013 before enrolling at Army to study physics and nuclear engineering.

With the Black Knights, Toth was a two-year starter at tackle and had 28 starts in 31 games. Over his final two seasons, he started all 26 games. In 2017, Toth was ranked as the nation's 5th-best run-blocking tackle by Pro Football Focus. The next year, he became the first Army player to be invited to the Senior Bowl.

In 2018, Toth served as a graduate assistant for the Black Knights and completed the Army's Engineering Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He served a year as a lieutenant before he was granted a waiver to defer the remainder of his active duty commitment and play pro football. In August 2019, Toth signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals but was claimed back by the Eagles off waivers in 2020, making his NFL debut that year.

Are you in Phoenix? Join us at the USAA Salute to Service Lounge. Sponsored by USAA for service members and their families, you'll have access to exclusive player and NFL legend experiences! When you’re not lounging, enjoy the NFL’s football theme park with interactive games like the 40-yard dash, get star player autographs, take photos with the Super Bowl Rings and Vince Lombardi trophy, and visit NFL Shop. It’s the ultimate Super Bowl Week event with fun for all ages. All military members and their families, including veterans, will receive 50% off their General Admission tickets (not applicable to SBXtra fast pass tickets) when using the following link.