Former Buckeyes Lachey, Byars relish memories of playing in the Super Bowl

“You know what? I don’t know, man, because life gets so frantic after that,” Lachey said of the aftermath of Super Bowl XXVI.

In January 1992, the former St. Henry Redskin helped paved the way for the then-Washington Redskins’ 37-24 win over Buffalo in Minneapolis, a game his team led 24-0 early in the third quarter and was not as close as the final score.

Mark Rypien threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns and was not sacked while Ricky Ervins and Earnest Byner combined for 121 yards on the ground behind Lachey and the rest of an offensive line affectionately known as “The Hogs.

“You’ve got to do your job, and certainly our whole group did our job,” said Lachey. “You’ve got to be able to run the football against a great pass-rushing team and we were able to do that and mix it up a little bit.”

The win was just the beginning of a happily hectic time in Lachey’s life.

“We had a lot of friends and family there, and then at that time the Pro Bowl was played right after the Super Bowl,” Lachey recalled.

That meant he was headed to Honolulu less than 12 hours after becoming an NFL champion, but that was not all he had going on.

“I was there for two weeks and by time I got back, my wife was pregnant and ready to have our first child,” he said. “Life changes in a hurry.”

In more ways than one, Lachey was on top of the world.

He had just finished his third All-Pro season as an offensive lineman, and he was set to be a new dad.

He also reached the pinnacle of football in his seventh season after being drafted in the first round out of Ohio State by San Diego.

“That is what it’s all about — winning a championship in the NFL,” he said. “You go in there with the goals of, ‘Hey, I just want to make the team,’ then, ‘I’d like to be a starter.’ Eventually if you’re good enough, you’d like to be an All-Pro. Those are all things that I was able to accomplish with the Chargers early in my career, but ultimately I had friends like Mike Tomczak, John Frank, Pepper Johnson and William Roberts all winning Super Bowl rings. These are all guys I played with in college, so I was like, ‘I want to get on one of those teams.’ And it worked out. I got one, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Five years later, another Dayton-area prep star was on the same stage.

Keith Byars, who also played with Lachey at Ohio State, was in the latter part of his career but still a productive player for the New England Patriots when they made it to Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997.

His team came up short, but the Roth High School grad has no regrets.

“I remember winning the AFC Championship game in New England, and it was cold — below zero — but I was warm inside,” said Byars, who also played for the Eagles, Dolphins and Jets. “I’m like, ‘Finally I’m getting the opportunity to play in my dream game. The Super Bowl. Oh I can’t wait.’”

Before he qualified for one, Byars though the two-week gap between games was too much, but he soon learned that was not the case.

“It flew by, but I cherished it all and couldn’t wait to get to the game,” he said.

Byars caught four passes for 42 yards in the game and scored a touchdown, but the Packers came out on top 35-21 in New Orleans.

“We came up short,” Byars said. “I scored a touchdown in the game and that was like a childhood memory come true.”

He said while he normally spiked the ball after scoring, this time he looked around the stadium and located his family in the stands.

“I pointed to them, and there was really just a lot more to it,” he said. “And then I knew how special it was to get to the Super Bowl.”

Byars played two more seasons, but he did not get back to the Super Bowl.

He still feels fortunate to have made one, something many great players never achieve.

“Certainly more sweet than bitter. A dream come true,” he said. “You know, all the good things that come with playing in the Super Bowl far outweighs the final score. If the final score would have been in my favor, it would just be even more icing and more cherries on the top.”

Just playing in the game he described as “the ultimate high.”

“It’s hard to come down, especially when you’ve given it all you have, and that’s what you’re supposed to do, give it all you got, leave it all on the field,” he said. “You say that before every game, but that game is always going to be a little bit more special than others.”