KIRBYVILLE, Texas — Many in Southeast Texas will be glued to televisions on Super Bowl Sunday to watch Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
But for one Kirbyville man, the Super Bowl brings back memories of his own time spent playing on the biggest sports stage.
Godwin Turk's home is at the Lazy T Ranch in Kirbyville. His voice is as loud as some of the hits he used to deliver on opposing players.
"When they tell you time flies, it's the truth," he said. "I'm sittin' up here talkin' to you, 43 years ago, I was playing professional sport."
Turk grew up in Houston, played college ball at Cal-Berkeley and Southern University and was drafted 58th overall by the New York Jets in 1974.
In 1976, he had just wrapped up training camp with the Jets when he was told the team traded him to the Denver Broncos.
"I went to Denver," he said. "When I finally showed up and went straight to the Super Bowl. How 'bout that."
Turk said hearing he got traded was hard at first, but he said God had a better plan for him, a plan that put him in the right place at the right time.
He and the Broncos reached Super Bowl XII in his second season with the team.
Turk was part of the Broncos' legendary "orange crush" defense, and he played a key role as linebacker in getting the team to the Super Bowl.
Similar to Sunday night's big game in Tampa, the Broncos were up against somewhat of a home field advantage.
"We was playing the Cowboys and the Cowboys, you know, we was right in Louisiana, so it was almost like you say, the Cowboys had home field advantage, because Dallas is not far from New Orleans," he said.
The Cowboys would go on to defeat the Broncos at the Superdome that year 27 to 10, capturing their second Super Bowl title.
Since it was the Broncos' first time playing in the Super Bowl, Turk said it may have been a factor in the loss.
Between the hype leading up to the game, the media coverage and having family in New Orleans for the game, Turk said staying focused proved to be a challenge.
"It was like something I've never been exposed to," he said.
Turk said he understands the nerves these players are facing, having been to the big game himself.
He gave his opinion on his pick to win.
"The slight edge probably be with Kansas City, you know," he said. "They have a good scheme. They run a lot of good plays."
But Turk also said do not count out Brady just yet.
"This is Brady's first year with Tampa Bay, and look where they at, in the Super Bowl," he said. "The proof is in the pudding, like they say. The man is good."
Once the work is done at the Lazy T Ranch on Sunday, Turk said he will be enjoying the game and remembering when he played in the Super Bowl 43 years ago.
He might even crack open an Orange Crush soda while watching the game.
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