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Sports

Birmingham Resident Mike Lodish Reflects on Super Bowl Runs

Brother Rice graduate has played in more Super Bowls than any other NFL player.

This feature originally ran Jan. 23 at the top of Birmingham Patch. Game time is 6:30 p.m. and Mike Lodish will be watching from his home in Birmingham. Where will you be watching the Super Bowl?

The quest for a trip to the Super Bowl is a rugged, painstaking journey that most football players will never experience.

Longtime Birmingham resident Mike Lodish made it through that grueling journey unscathed an NFL- record six times during his 11-year career playing pro football, proving that internal drive and a resilient spirit can overcome physical shortcomings.

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“It was an unbelievable ride,” said Lodish, 43, of his time playing in the NFL. Lodish retired in 2000. “I got (to) experience things and accomplish things I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t have predicted for me. But you can never overlook perseverance.”

Starring on the gridiron in high school at Brother Rice, Lodish was an all-conference defensive lineman in college at UCLA before being picked as an undersized nose tackle by the Buffalo Bills in the 10th round of 1990 NFL draft.

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Expected by many to be cut by the end of training camp that summer, the 6-foot-3, 270 pound sparkplug surprised the pundits and made the team with flying colors, impressing the Buffalo coaching staff with his tenacity and tireless work ethic. It wasn’t long before Lodish became a staple within the franchise, playing a significant role in leading the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances.

“My ability to break into the league is really a testament to the fact that size and natural athleticism can be overcome by effort, intelligence and toughness,” he said. “I went in there to Buffalo that first year knowing that I was going to have to simply outwork my competition in every way. Whether it was on the field or in a film session, I was relentless. It was like I was a Navy Seal and you were going to have to kill me to stop me.”

The mentality he displayed early in his career never ceased and continued through the next decade. So did his winning ways. After parting ways with Buffalo, he landed with the Denver Broncos and went to two more Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999, earning himself a pair of championship rings by winning both.

“I’m pretty amazed myself when I think back and realize I won two rings and played in more Super Bowls than anyone else,” he said. “There are quite a few great players that never even came close to playing in one. So by that, I’m truly humbled by the achievement.”

While prepping at Brother Rice under the watchful eye and guidance of legendary head coach Al Fracassa, Lodish was selected a Parade Magazine All-American and won a Class A state title as a junior in fall 1983.

“The education I received at Brother Rice both on the football field and in the classroom propelled me to all of my future successes in life,” Lodish said. “I can’t overemphasize how much of a positive impact coach Fracassa and all of the teachers and coaches at Rice had on me as a person.”

Fracassa, the state’s all-time leader in coaching wins, counts Lodish as one of the best to ever suit up for the Warriors.

“Mike was just a gem to coach and had a magnificent career for us,” he said. “He goes down as one of the school’s all-time greats. His ability to think the game and play at such a consistent intensity level made him a special athlete.”

In 2009, Lodish was enshrined into the Brother Rice Athletic Hall of Fame, an elite honor since he is one of only eight people in the history of the school to be selected.

Having kept an offseason residence in Birmingham during his pro days, Lodish moved back to the area full-time following his retirement. Currently, he is a consultant at TVS Communications Solutions in Troy.

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