Gather a bunch of colleagues together for a meeting this week and the discussion inevitably turns to the Super Bowl. When the people involved also are avid horse racing fans, the conversation then inevitably veers to connections between the two sports.

As we approach Super Bowl LX and the showdown between the Seattle Seahawks (16-3) and the New England Patriots (17-3), one interesting thread that arose was racehorse owners in the Super Bowl and the list was (somewhat) surprisingly robust. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, so feel free to chime in on social media with others who shared a passion for racing horses and competing in the ultimate game.

Tom and Gayle Benson: The couple won the Super Bowl as owners of the New Orleans Saints during the stretch when the team was led by head coach Sean Payton and quarterbacked by Drew Brees, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in the 2010 Super Bowl. Tom Benson died March 15, 2018, but before his passing the couple relished Thoroughbred racing as GMB Racing and had multiple Kentucky Derby candidates over the years. GMB Racing’s best horse, Grade 1 winner Tom’s d’Etat, excelled for Gayle Benson after her husband’s death. She still races horses and owns the New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.

Tom Brady at Gulfstream Park in 2024. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Tom Brady: You cannot have a G.O.A.T. discussion in football without Tom Brady. To many, the three-time MVP and seven-time Super Bowl champion is hands-down the greatest to ever lace ’em up on the gridiron. His foray into Thoroughbred racing ownership is less clear, but in 2007 the Boston Globe reported Brady was a part-owner via Little Red Feather Racing in a filly named Guts Game. The partnership also reportedly included Jay-Z, Major League Baseball player Paul LoDuca, and NBA superstar LeBron James. Guts Game started hot with two wins and three seconds in her first five starts, but she did not win at the stakes level.

Terry Bradshaw: Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl wins in six years as the signal caller for a true NFL dynasty. The “Steel Curtain” Super Bowl wins came in 1975 over the Minnesota Vikings (16-6), 1976 over the Dallas Cowboys (21-17), 1979 over the Cowboys (35-31), and 1980 over the Los Angeles Rams (31-19). Bradshaw was named Super Bowl MVP in 1979 and 1980. Bradshaw is a long-time fan of Thoroughbreds. He was a co-owner of 2010 Louisiana Derby winner Mission Impazible and Grade 1 winner Graydar and races unbeaten 2026 Kentucky Oaks hopeful Taken by the Wind.

Drew Brees: The All-Pro quarterback was the MVP of the New Orleans Saints 31-17 triumph over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl. Brees has been a co-owner of multiple racehorses over the years, frequently partnering with former Saints head coach Sean Payton and sports personality Jim Rome.

Jake Delhomme: Native Louisianan Delhomme is a horse racing fixture in his home state, competing as Set-Hut Stable with his brother Jeff Delhomme (the stable’s trainer) and father, Jerry Delhomme. The family has spent quite a bit of time in the winner’s circle of late with Louisiana standout Touchuponastar. Delhomme led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003-’04, losing a heartbreaker to the New England Patriots despite three Delhomme TD passes, 32-29, in one of the best games in Super Bowl history.

An animated Mike Ditka, center, at 2012 Arlington Million (Eclipse Sportswire)

Mike Ditka: Hall of Fame tight end and accomplished Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka is a longtime racing fan who was a regular at the Arlington Million and attended the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes. Ditka won an NFL championship before the advent of the Super Bowl, lost to the Baltimore Colts 16-13 in the 1971 Super Bowl as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, and caught a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in the 1972 Super Bowl. Ditka also coached one of the most dominant teams in the history of the NFL, the 1985-’86 Chicago Bears, who destroyed the New England Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl.

Marshall Faulk: Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk has been part-owner of racehorses through partnerships, including with the Team Valor syndicate. Faulk was a key cog in “the greatest show on turf” and won the 2000 Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams, 23-16, over the Tennessee Titans. He was on the losing end in the 2002 Super Bowl, when the New England Patriots topped the Rams 20-17.

Rob Gronkowski: New England Patriots All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski enjoys life to the fullest, which was obvious to onlookers at the four Super Bowl parades after he won titles with the New England Patriots in 2014-’15, 2016-’17, and 2018-‘19 and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020-’21. So, when an opportunity came along to buy an interest in the racehorse named after him, Gronkowski, ahead of the 2018 Belmont Stakes, Gronk (the human) jumped at the chance. Racehorse Gronkowski, who had been racing in Europe, finished second to Triple Crown winner Justify in his North American debut.

Sam Huff: West Virginia native Sam Huff was not only a passionate racing fan and Thoroughbred owner, he also co-founded the West Virginia Breeders Classic in 1987 as part of his commitment to the sport of horse racing, specifically promoting West Virginia-breds. Huff, who died in 2021 at age 87, played most of his career before Super Bowl era as a two-time All-Pro linebacker for the New York Giants in the 1950s. While Huff technically did not play in the Super Bowl, he did win an NFL Championship in 1956 with the New York Giants, so he’s grandfathered into this list.

Travis Kelce (WikiMedia Commons/All-Pro Reels )

Travis Kelce: The four-time first-team All-Pro tight end and beau of pop icon Taylor Swift will not participate in the Super Bowl this Sunday for the first time since 2022 after his Kansas City Chiefs played for the NFL title in five of the last six seasons, winning three Super Bowls. A frequent attendee of the Kentucky Derby, Kelce got into racehorse ownership in 2024 when he bought an interest in Swift Delivery, in large part because of the horse’s name. The gelding gave Kelce his first graded stakes win in the 2025 Seagram Cup Stakes.

Marshawn Lynch: In August 2025, John G. Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa acquired a half-interest in 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, a deal that included Super Bowl Champion Marshawn Lynch. At the time the deal was announced, Lynch was at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale checking out future racehorse prospects and appeared on America’s Best Racing’s livestream. A first-team All-Pro running back with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012, Lynch won the 2014 Super Bowl with Seattle, 43-8, over the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl the following year.

Bill Parcells: Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Parcells’ racing stable is August Dawn Farm. He’s raced stakes winners such as Saratoga Snacks, Play Action Pass, Hit It Once More, Forty Under, and Maple Leaf Mel. Parcells won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants: defeating the Denver Broncos 39-20 in 1987 and the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in the Scott Norwood wide-right Super Bowl in 1991. Parcells also led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl, falling 35-21 to the Green Bay Packers in 1997.

Sean Payton: Payton’s Denver Broncos came up just short of reaching this year’s Super Bowl, losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. He guided the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl win in 2009-’10, a season capped by a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts for owners Tom and Gayle Benson, who also were involved in Thoroughbred racing with GMB Racing. Payton attended the 2016 Kentucky Derby when the Bensons had two starters, Mo Tom and Tom’s Ready, and gave the “Riders Up” call in the paddock before the run for the roses. Payton partnered on several horses with Last Mango Racing Stable, a partnership that also included singer Jimmy Buffett along with Saints executives and quarterback Drew Brees.

Wade Phillips: An accomplished defensive coordinator and head coach in the NFL, Phillips oversaw the defense for the Denver Broncos in 2015-’16 when they capped the season with a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Phillips competed in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships with Hang the Moon, a multiple graded stakes winner he raced as part of the CJ Thoroughbreds partnership. His dad, Bum Phillips, developed a love of racing at Fair Grounds while coaching the New Orleans Saints and also owned Thoroughbreds.

Jacob Tamme (WikiMedia Commons/Jeffrey Beall)

Jacob Tamme: It’s no surprise that Kentucky native and University of Kentucky standout tight end Jacob Tamme has Thoroughbred racing in his blood — he is a big fan of Keeneland Race Course — and he’s transitioned to farming in retirement. Tamme, who won a race at Royal Ascot in 2017 with Con Te Partiro and has owned numerous horses over the years, now operates Tamme Valley Farm, which is an Angus cattle operation in Danville, Ky. Tamme reached the Super Bowl twice, once with the Indianapolis Colts (a 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints in 2010) and once while playing for the Denver Broncos (a 43-8 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in 2014).

Wes Welker: Undrafted out of college at Texas Tech, the diminutive wide receiver made many teams regret that decision. Welker played for two NFL teams before finding a perfect spot with the New England Patriots as a top target for future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady (Hall of Fame eligible in 2028). He led the league in receptions three times and was twice named first team All-Pro. Welker was part of two Patriots teams that went to the Super Bowl and played in the big game once with the Denver Broncos, but he was on the losing side for all three. A long-time Thoroughbred enthusiast, Welker made headlines in the sport of horse racing with his multiple graded stakes winner Undrafted, who won the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2015 and competed in three editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Vince Wilfork: An All-Pro defensive tackle and two-time champion with the New England Patriots, Wilfork raced graded stakes winner Great Minds among multiple racehorses he campaigned alone or in partnership. Wilfork and the Pats defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in 2005 and beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in 2015. He also was on the losing side in the Super Bowl in 2008 and 2012, both times against the New York Giants.

Ralph Wilson: Wilson, who died March 25, 2014 at age 95, owned the Buffalo Bills from 1960 until his passing. During that stretch, the Bills reached the Super Bowl four consecutive years from 1990-’91 through 1993-’94, While the Bills came up short in each of their four Super Bowl appearances, the franchise did win the AFL Championship before the Super Bowl era in 1964 and 1965. Wilson owned and raced horses for many years but is perhaps best known as the breeder of 1971 Santa Anita Derby winner Jim French, runner-up that year in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and third in the Preakness; and 1991 champion 2-year-old male Arazi, whose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile win was one of the most breathtaking victories in the history of the World Championships.