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Staley Family Excited for Super Bowl

Posted at 12:14 AM, Jan 23, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-23 00:14:19-05
San Francisco tackle Joe Staley grew up in Rockford and played high school football for the Rams.

Now, he and the 49ers are getting ready for Super Bowl XLVII and his family could not be more excited.

“It’s just joy and happiness,” said Butch Staley, Joe’s father. “Knowing it’s been a dream that Joe has had for a long time. Anyone that knows sports knows the Super Bowl is the pinnacle”

Butch and Jan Staley will be making the trip to New Orleans to watch Joe and the 49ers take on the Ravens on Sunday, February 3rd. Daughters Andrea and Alli will join them. The family has been there for every step of Joe’s journey to the Super Bowl. His sisters may have even helped contribute to his training.
“We used to play this game called ‘tackle,'” said Joe’s sister, Andrea Staley. “We would be in this room and we would have to try to run from one side to the other before Joe tackled us. If we made it to the other side before we had our head knocked off or we were clotheslined, we won.We really helped him get to where he is,” sister Alli added with a laugh.

Joe has played six seasons in the NFL but is making his first trip to the Super Bowl. The Staley family has attended quite a few NFL games, but this is a whole new animal.

Ticket requests, hotel and travel arrangements are all in the works.

“This is definitely new to us, we are definitely not the Mannings,” Joe’s mom Jan said with a laugh. “We are new to the whole process but the community has been so supportive and it’s been so neat to see how they’ve embraced Joe.”

“We’re planning everything,” said Andrea. “We’re looking up all the activities in New Orleans because we don’t know when we we’ll be able to experience this again.”

From the glitz and glamour of the big game to watching the little boy they raised one step away from achieving a dream.

Win or lose, the Staley family is one proud bunch.

“Of course we’re proud of him,” said Alli. “He’s worked to hard for this and he totally deserves it.”

“The work is not done,” said Butch. “But regardless of a win or loss we still love him and are proud of him and he knows that.”