Like many players in Sunday’s Super Bowl, rookie Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nate Gerry will have friends and family cheering in the stands of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, including several who work for Sanford Health.
Gerry’s family will head to Minneapolis Friday for a weekend stay at the team’s hotel. In addition to Super Bowl LII tickets and attending the reception party, the team also offers players’ families passes to take part in several game-related activities during the weekend.
Growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Gerry played football at Washington High School and continued his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before the Eagles drafted him.
“He’s very driven and it was a goal of his to make it to the NFL, and an extra goal to make it to the Super Bowl his rookie year. So it’s pretty surreal,” said his mother, Kelli Gerry, the lead administrative aide at the Sanford Wellness Center in Sioux Falls.
Besides his mother, who has worked for Sanford Health for 17 years, Nate Gerry has several other connections to the organization. He took part in the Sanford POWER programs. His sister, Jennifer Nesbitt, is a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, and her husband, Cody Nesbitt, is a lead graphic designer in marketing.
Nate Gerry’s father and brother also work in health-related fields. His father, Brian Gerry, is an assistant professor and the head athletic trainer at Augustana University, one of the schools for which Sanford Health is the exclusive sports medicine provider. His brother, Matt Gerry, is a former Augustana football player who now lives with Gerry in Philadelphia while working as a trauma sales representative for a medical company.
Kelli Gerry said it’s been difficult not to see her son in person after being able to attend most of his high school and college games.
“It’s hard not seeing my kids. When you go from going to every weekend to watch him play football to not, I mean we were able to watch him on TV because we have the NFL package, but to not actually be in the stands is hard,” she said.
Although the Gerry family is adjusting to life with a professional athlete, Kelli Gerry said that at the end of the day they all still value what is important.
“We’re pretty low-key people. We’re driven, but it’s more about faith, family and work,” she said.
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Posted In News, Sanford Sports
