Racine native plays for Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII



RACINE (WITI) -- One Racine family traditionally throws a Super Bowl party every year, but this time around the family will be celebrating in a big way -- as their loved one is playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

27-year-old Racine native Chris Maragos wears #42 and plays safety and special teams for the Seahawks. His parents and brother are in New Jersey to watch him play in Sunday's big game, but nearly 300 others will gather together at Roma Lodge to watch Maragos go after the Lombardi trophy on February 2nd.

"Whatever he wanted to do, that's what he did," said Maragos' grandmother Anita Bonanno. "He just kept going and kept going and he did it."

Maragos played in 26 games during his two-year career at Wisconsin. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2010 before being cut in 2011. Maragos got another shot and was signed to the active roster from Seattle’s practice squad in October of the same year.

"By all standards, relatively small, relatively light weight, but he really took advantage of everything that he had -- which I think, in this case, is a huge heart," said Rick Bonanno, Maragos' uncle.

One of Maragos' uncles, who lives in Italy, is flying back to the U.S. to cheer on his nephew. The rest of the family is ready to root, as well, giving Maragos a little advice before Sunday.

"You've worked this hard and you've gotten to this point -- now the only thing left is to win," said uncle Rick.

"Just hang in there and do your best. That's all I say -- do your best. That's all you can do," said grandma Anita.

Kickoff for the Super Bowl is set for 5:30 p.m. Sunday, February 2nd. The big game between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos can only be seen on FOX6.