Zack Baun made the most of his return trip to the Caesars Superdome.
The former University of Wisconsin All-American and Saints linebacker delivered a second-quarter interception against Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, setting up a touchdown that was part of a dominant performance by the Philadelphia Eagles in a 40-22 victory in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
The “Bald Eagle” finished with a team-high seven tackles, one pass deflection, and a QB hit, but his diving interception with 1:47 remaining in the first half was the play that made an impact. The Eagles scored two plays later, leading 24-0 at halftime while limiting the Chiefs to just 23 total yards of offense in the first half and 275 overall.
The Eagles’ victory denied former UW linebacker Leo Chenal from winning a Super Bowl in his first three professional seasons. Only Pittsburgh’s Mike Webster (1975-76, 1979-80) and New England’s James White (2015, 17, 19) have won more than two Super Bowls among former Badgers.
Signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Eagles in March, the 28-year-old Baun delivered on the deal. Named an All-Pro after finishing the regular season with a career-high 151 tackles, Baun added 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five QB hits, 14 QB pressures, five forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery while playing 95 percent of the snaps. Baun finished fifth in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes.
A Milwaukee native who played quarterback at Brown Deer High School, Baun was the first Wisconsin linebacker to be named a consensus All-American, Baun led the Badgers and ranked second in the Big Ten with 19.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks (ranking second among Power Five conference linebackers in both categories) in 2019.
The Saints drafted him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons with New Orleans, where he played mostly on special teams. He totaled 91 tackles, two sacks, and an interception.
Chenal has been impactful in Kansas City’s last two Super Bowl wins. He played only 18 snaps in the victory over the Eagles two years ago but produced a sack and four defensive stops. In Super Bowl LVIII, he had six tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a blocked extra point as the Chiefs topped the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25-22.
The third-year linebacker had four tackles and a tackle for loss for the Chiefs, who were trying to become the first team to win three straight NFL titles since the Green Bay Packers in 1965-67.
A former Wisconsin Badger has participated in 38 of the 59 Super Bowls, including 15 of the last 16. Twenty-four players have been part of a championship team, including each of the last 11 Super Bowls.
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