Eagles linebacker Zack Baun's Wisconsin ties ahead of Super Bowl

He's a menace in Kelly green.

Brown Deer's Zack Baun has made highlight play after highlight play for the Philadelphia Eagles.

What we know:

In the postseason alone, he's racked up 26 tackles, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

But only one thing matters and that's getting a chance to play against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

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"It's wild, it's wild, but at the end of the day, I think we prepared so well and I think we expected this out of this team," said Zack Baun, Eagles linebacker.

Baun's first year in Philadelphia has been a magical one.

The linebacker is one of the league's best and this season, he earned a Pro Bowl nod and an AP First-Team All-Pro selection as well. He's also a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

The backstory:

Now, before he was harassing opposing quarterbacks, he actually was one himself.

"Hi, I'm Zack Baun, senior quarterback at Brown Deer High School," said Baun to FOX6. "I got started in football in sixth grade. I went out and I actually did play quarterback my first year and yeah it was just great. I loved it and I've been doing it ever since."

How about that, we caught up with a young Zack Baun a decade ago.

Here's Rob Green, Baun's football coach at Brown Deer.

Local perspective:

"We got him to our camp and our quarterback threw him the ball, and he caught it and the next thing you know, he was in the endzone, and it was a good 40-yard run," said Rob Green, former Brown Deer football coach. "He got in there and turned around and threw the ball back to the quarterback on a rope, and myself and the offensive coordinator kind of looked at each other and we're like, oh my, we've got something here. At that point, we just realized, put the ball in his hands and we moved him to quarterback and the rest is history."

It certainly was. Baun was named the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association's state offensive player of the year his senior year.

He also excelled at track and field and basketball.

Years later, his accomplishments still adorn the high school.

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"No matter what sport he played, he was the ultimate competitor and very deserving to be on this wall with all the other great athletes from Brown Deer High School," said Green.

After high school, Baun's football career took him to the Wisconsin Badgers, where he switched over to defense to play linebacker. Then, he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints, where he spent four seasons, before he found his new home with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In just one season, Baun has put together a strong season in Philly.

"One, he's in the middle of the field again, so for the first time since high school, he's in the middle and I know that they play him in some different packages where he comes off the edge, but he has full vision," said Green. "It wasn't a big surprise to me that he adapted that quick."

For Green, who knew Baun before the bright lights of the NFL, his current success is no surprise.

"Zack definitely is in that top shelf of athletes that have come through here and based on his character and his power and his agility, I truly believed he was going to go the NFL," said Green. "He was that special and he has that extra piece that they're looking for, which is character."

And hopefully this special season ends with the greatest gift of them all, a Super Bowl ring.

What's next:

The Eagles and the Chiefs square off in Super Bowl 59 this Sunday, right here on FOX6.

The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.

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