T&T will be well represented in the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII, the American football championship game of the National Football League for the 2023 season scheduled for February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, USA.
This is as the 26-year-old Javon Kinlaw is expected to retain his pick on the San Francisco 49ers squad for their clash with defending champions Kansas City Chiefs.
Kinlaw is a defensive tackle for the 49ers who advanced to the Super Bowl final after defeating the Detroit Lions 34-21 in the National Football League Conference Championship clash on January 28 with the T&T-born player making two tackles during the contest.
He also featured in their 24-21 Divisional Round win over Green Bay Packers on January 20, and the final regular-season match against the Los Angeles Rames, a 20-21 loss.
Kinlaw played college football at South Carolina University and was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
His story can be considered a rags-to-riches one as he spent part of his childhood homeless in Washington, D.C. after immigrating from T&T with his mother and two siblings.
He attended Goose Creek High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina, and played one year at Jones County Junior College in 2016 before transferring to the University of South Carolina.
In his first year at South Carolina in 2017, he played in all 13 games with ten starts and had 20 tackles.
One year later he started all 12 games and had 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks and returned to South Carolina for his senior season in 2019 where he played 12 games and tallied 35 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.
He was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 14th overall pick which was acquired originally from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 49ers traded down with the first-round pick (13th overall) they originally acquired in the DeForest Buckner trade.
He signed his four-year rookie contract with the team on June 26, 2020, worth a fully guaranteed $15.48 million, including an $8.8 million signing bonus.
During Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, Kinlaw recorded his first career sack on quarterback Taysom Hill during the 27–13 loss.
He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 18, 2020, and activated on November 27, in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams, he intercepted a pass thrown by Jared Goff and returned it for a 27-yard touchdown during the 23–20 win.
This was his first career interception and a touchdown, and he was later named Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Rams.
At the start of the 2023/2024 season, Kinlaw didn't have his fifth-year option exercised by the 49ers, likely making him a free agent in the upcoming offseason.
Despite that setback, Kinlaw has seen a surge in his workload due to injuries impacting the San Francisco 49ers' defensive line.
And the fourth-year defensive tackle, often hampered by injuries and inconsistent production has seized the opportunity to showcase his capabilities when healthy.
So far this season he has featured in 17 games, six as a start with 13 tackles, and accumulated 3.5 sacks,
Over the past four seasons, he has tallied 41 games in the HFL, 28 as a starter with 31 tackles and five sacks.
Back in 2006 at Super Bowl XL, Verron Haynes, son of former T&T footballer Ulric "Buggy" Haynes and brother of Ralston Haynes, was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers team which won the coveted title beating Seattle Seahawks 21-10 to clinch their first Super Bowl title in 26 years and their fifth overall at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.,
Verron was born to "Buggy" and Harriet Pollock and attended Fatima RC School in Curepe before going away to Brooklyn to live with his mother at the age of ten.
He returned to T&T when he was 12 and attended Tunapuna Secondary for a year before he rejoined his mom after which they moved to Atlanta where he was registered at North Springs High School.
