Kickers don’t always get a lot of attention, but one Lyons alum is the exception to that rule.
Jake Elliott, has established himself as one of the greatest kickers in Super Bowl history after helping the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 8 in New Orleans.
Elliott set a Super Bowl record with 16 kicking points on four field goals and four PATs. He also improved to 9-for-9 on field goals in Super Bowls, another record for accuracy. And he was the first kicker to make at least three field goals of 48 yards or more in one Super Bowl.
Back home in the western suburbs, Lyons’ current kicker, AJ Vavrik, was watching with understandable pride.
“He’s a symbol of hard work to our team,” Vavrik said of Elliott.
By now the story has been told many times: Elliott, then a tennis player, was recruited to kick for the Lions and made a long field goal to win a homecoming game.
He went on to Memphis and then to the Eagles, where he has been to the Super Bowl three times, winning twice, in eight seasons.
Elliott hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
“Right outside our weight room we have a signed Jake Elliott jersey,” Vavrik said. “He gives back a lot to this community.”
Elliott had some ups and downs during the regular season, when the weather in Philadelphia can be tricky. But his big game in the NFL’s biggest game demonstrated again his staying power.
Vavrik had a great season of his own for the Lions, who won the West Suburban Silver, reached the Class 8A quarterfinals and finished 11-1. He was a perfect 49-for-49 on extra points and was 10-for-13 on field goals.
He’s a Dallas Cowboys fan and is a booster of their kicker, Brandon Aubrey. But civic pride is king.
“In 2018 (after winning the Super Bowl, Elliott) came back and they gave him a little parade,” Vavrik said. “(People) ask me a lot about Jake Elliott. He was clearly an inspiration to me.”
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