Former Notre Dame OL Andy Heck wins Super Bowl as Chiefs assistant coach
Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Andy Heck can add another championship to his collection. He played on the Irish’s 1988 title team as an offensive lineman. Now, he has won his second Super Bowl as an assistant coach.
Heck and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII, the franchise’s second title in four seasons. Heck was on staff for the first one in that span, a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
The 56-year-old Heck has been Kansas City’s offensive line coach since 2013. The Chiefs were fourth in the NFL in sacks allowed per game this year, at 1.5. They surrendered 1.9 in 2021. Their offense has ranked top-six in points per game each of the last five years, including No. 1 this season. They have reached five straight AFC Championship Games.
Heck was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive line coach from 2006-12 and the assistant offensive line coach from 2004-05. He began his coaching career as a grad assistant at Virginia, a job he held from 2001-03.
Heck played 12 NFL seasons as an offensive lineman before transitioning to coaching. The Seattle Seahawks drafted him out of Notre Dame with the No. 15 pick in 1989. He spent five seasons there, five more with the Chicago Bears (1994-98) and two with the now-Washington Commanders (1999-2000). He was a PFWA All-Rookie team selection. He played in 185 career games and started 164 of them.
Notre Dame recruited Heck as a tight end, and he played his first three seasons there before moving to tackle. He caught 16 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns from 1985-87. He switched to tackle as a senior and was named a tri-captain of the 1988 team. The Irish went 12-0 in his final season and beat West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. They were voted the Associated Press national champion.
The Chiefs do not have a former Notre Dame player on their roster. Their victory ended the Irish’s chances of having a Super Bowl champion player in consecutive years. The Eagles’ No. 3 quarterback is Ian Book, who set the Notre Dame program record for most wins by a starter during his career. He played for the Irish from 2016-20. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek (played for Notre Dame in 2020) won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
