Chiefs, 49ers coaches, players, execs have connections to Pittsburgh, region

Looking for a local rooting interest in Super Bowl LIV with the Pittsburgh Steelers missing the playoffs for the second year in a row and last reaching the title game nine years ago?

There is no shortage of connections to the organization, the region and area colleges when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers meet Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

For the AFC champion Chiefs, it starts at the top. Team president Mark Donovan is a 1984 graduate of North Allegheny. After playing quarterback at Brown, Donovan signed with the New York Giants as a free agent. He worked in sales and marketing in the NHL before spending six years with the Philadelphia Eagles as vice president of business operations.

Donovan is concluding his 11^th season with the Chiefs. He was named the franchise’s fifth president in 2011 after spending two years as the Chiefs’ chief operating officer.

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Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs, arrives for the NFL fall meetings in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018.

The Chiefs also have an offensive coach and two defensive coaches and support staff with ties to Pittsburgh. Rick Burkholder, the team’s vice president of sports medicine and performance, is a former trainer with the Steelers and Pitt, his alma mater.

Wide receivers coach Greg Lewis held the same job at Pitt in 2014, where he worked with Tyler Boyd. Linebackers coach Matt House is a former Pitt defensive coordinator, and quality control coach David Girardi is a New Kensington native who played football at Geneva College.

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David Girardi, Kansas City Chiefs offensive quality control coach, listens to a presentation during the NFL Coaching Clinic Saturday, June 16, 2018 in Frisco, Texas.

On the field for the Chiefs:

• Offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski, of Central Catholic and Penn State, is trying to win his first Super Bowl in the AFC after being a member of the Eagles’ championship team following the 2017 season. The Chiefs signed Wisniewski, 30, in October, and he moved into the starting lineup for the final two games of the regular season and playoffs.

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Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski (61) during the second half of the NFL AFC Championship football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Kansas City, MO.

• Former Penn State safety Jordan Lucas is in his second season with the Chiefs, primarily playing on special teams this season. He has appeared in 14 games.

The NFC-champion 49ers aren’t without their share of coaches and players with ties to the region. Vandergrift native Joe Woods is in his first season coaching San Francisco’s defensive backs. Woods joined the 49ers after spending four seasons with the Denver Broncos, his final two as defensive coordinator.

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San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Joe Woods, back, leads a drill during a combined NFL training camp with the Denver Broncos Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, at the Broncos’ headquarters in Englewood, Colo.

Penn State has three representatives: kicker Robbie Gould and defensive linemen Kevin Givens and Anthony Zettel.

Gould is in his third season with the 49ers and 15^th in the NFL. He made 23 of 31 field goals and 41 of 42 extra points in the regular season. He has made all five of his field-goal attempts and is 7 of 7 on extra points in the postseason.

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San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, second from left, points his phone toward teammates and team personnel as they depart from Mineta San Jose International Airport for Miami in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. The 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

Givens, an Altoona High School grad, spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster Dec. 28 and played in the regular-season finale against Seattle, but he has been inactive in the postseason.

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Penn State defensive lineman Kevin Givens participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019.

Zettel, a fourth-year veteran, began the season with the Cincinnati Bengals but was waived Dec. 17. He signed with the 49ers six days later and suited up for the season finale and both playoff games.

Pitt will be represented in the 49ers secondary by cornerback K’Waun Williams, who is in his third season with San Francisco and fifth in the NFL. Williams started eight of 15 games this season and set a career high with two interceptions.

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, center, runs against San Francisco 49ers defensive back K’Waun Williams (24) during the second half of the NFL NFC Championship football game Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Santa Clara, Calif.

Former Pitt offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith is on the 49ers practice squad.

Emmanuel Sanders, who caught two passes as a rookie with the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, is chasing his second Super Bowl ring. Sanders won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos after the 2015 season, and he remained with the Broncos until he was traded to San Francisco in October. In 10 games with the 49ers, Sanders caught 32 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (17) in the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Baltimore, Md.