BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Whenever Chris Maragos sizes up his Super Bowl LII ring from the Philadelphia Eagles — a self-described "big, bulky and blingy" eye-catching bauble — he becomes very reflective.
Racine. Western Michigan University. The Badgers.
Those are some of the earliest flashbacks on his timeline.
"It brings my mind back," he said, "to so many of those moments."
Beyond the seminal reckoning, Maragos is grateful to add a second ring to his jewelry collection. Four years ago, he was with the Seattle Seahawks, who won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos.
"You know how hard it is to win any kind of championship — let alone a Super Bowl," sighed the 31-year-old Maragos, an undrafted, overachieving free agent safety out of Wisconsin in 2010.
During a private ceremony last Thursday in South Philly, the Eagles handed out their rings; the coveted reward for a championship run that culminated with a 41-33 win over New England.
"I enjoy it a little more now because I was fortunate enough to have already gone through it," he said. "You're able to experience it, so you know what to expect going through it a second time."
After undergoing season-ending knee surgery in October, Maragos, the Eagles' special teams captain, was relegated to the Super Bowl sidelines at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis last February.
But when Philadelphia owner Jeffrey Lurie presented him with his coveted prize — the ring — it was still an emotional moment for Maragos, one of the Eagles inspirational leaders.
"I'll be honest with you, it's definitely surreal to see your name attached to something like that ring," admitted Maragos, who was reminded of all the sacrifices that he has made to play this sport.
Dating back to his formative prep years, his stints at Racine Park and Racine Horlick, he remembered, "All those times where I was the only one working out at the high school."
After transferring from Western Michigan to Wisconsin, he remembered, "When I was at home from college break running hills when all my friends were down at the beach or doing something else."
After bouncing from the San Francisco 49ers to Seattle to Philadelphia as a free agent, he remembered, "Leaving one team to go to another for a specific reason and with a purpose."
Savoring these flashbacks, while eyeing his name on the side of his second Super Bowl ring, he said, "It's just so cool to reflect on these things … it brings you back to these moments."
Asked to compare the Philadelphia ring with the Seattle ring, he pointed out, "It's heavier, that's for sure. They went to all lengths to make it spectacular."
For comparison, the Eagles' pure, 10-karat white gold ring features 219 diamonds and 17 green sapphires while the Seahawks' ring was made up of 183 diamonds and other jewels.
"There are a lot of hidden meaning things," Maragos said of both rings.
For instance, on the inside of the Seattle ring is inscribed, "Leave no doubt. What's next?"
The Eagles ring acknowledges the team's underdog status, the commitment to family values and highlights a popular locker room refrain, "We All We Got. We All We Need."
Explained Maragos, "Everyone sacrifices within their roles."
The sum of the jersey numbers of Corey Clement (30), Trey Burton (88) and Nick Foles (9) is represented on the ring by a waterfall of 127 diamonds honoring the trick play, "Philly Special."
On fourth-and-goal, the ball was snapped to Clement, who ran left and flipped it to Burton, who threw it to Foles for a memorable touchdown.
Thus, Clement, the first-year tailback from Wisconsin, became a part of Super Bowl lore.
"Gosh, he had about as an impactful rookie year as you can have," Maragos said. "He's a really important piece to our team. By refining the little things in his game, he will propel himself forward."
Joining Maragos and Clement at the ring ceremony was another former Badger: nose tackle Beau Allen, the erstwhile Eagle who signed a free agent contract with Tampa Bay.
"I was so happy to see how he was rewarded during free agency to where he will have an opportunity to expand his role with the Buccaneers," Maragos said.
Despite coming off the injury, Maragos has no thoughts of retirement.
"I feel like I've got a lot of good football left," said Maragos, who's in the second year of a three-year contract. "There's still a passion that burning deep inside of me to play the game.
"When I had this injury, I was in the prime of my career and as productive as I've ever been. I'm attacking rehab and trying to get back on the field as fast as I can. And I will play as long as I can."
Although he spends 12 months of the year in Philadelphia, Maragos has stayed in touch with many of his friends from his college days in Madison, including two UW assistant football coaches.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, for one, has been a mentor to Maragos.
"When I was switching to safety at Wisconsin, Jim was in the league and would come back and coach me up," he said. "We would go through film and he would show me different stuff.
"You could see then that coaching was in his bloodlines."
Meanwhile, Maragos was teammates with Mickey Turner, the Badgers tight ends coach.
"He earned the respect of the guys in the locker room and you see that in him as a recruiter," Maragos said. "He's very personable and trustworthy. Very genuine. Parents who want their kid in the right program with the right coaching staff trust him. People gravitate to him."
By his own admission, Maragos bleeds Badger red. As such, he's part of a brotherhood.
"As I look back," he said, "my most memorable and favorite years of my life were wearing that 'W' and representing the state of Wisconsin and the pride and tradition that comes with that.
"I feel so proud of being an alum. I know the football program is recruiting the right kids and they're going to get great educations while learning the game the right way.
"That's why you see a lot of Badgers players transition so well to the NFL. They're prepared to play because of the way they've been coached and trained. They've done things the right way."
Maragos obviously has done something right to wind up with two Super Bowl rings.
Is a third in the offering?
"Our mindset is not on, 'Let's go do this again,'" he said of the Eagles. "Our focus is on, 'What does it take to be great?' We're more interested in the process and what it takes to be successful.
"The rest will take care of itself."
But, in almost the same breath, he conceded, "We expect to do great things."
