When Lowell and Star Lotulelei were younger, they used to talk about how one day they were going to play in the Super Bowl.
Now, that dream is being fulfilled — at least, for one of them.
Lowell will be making his way to San Francisco late next week to support his brother and former Ute star, who will be competing in the Super Bowl for the Carolina Panthers. Although Lowell is a bit envious, seeing as he’s not the one stepping out on to the field, he could not be any prouder of his older brother.
“That’s the big one, the Super Bowl,” Lowell said. “I’m jealous, but I’m happy for him.”
Growing up, Lowell and Star were always competitive with each other, but it’s made their bond that much stronger. Whether it was Lowell stating at the beginning of his freshman year that he was better than Star when he first started at Utah, or the trash-talking the two engage in constantly about what they would have done on the field in a certain situation, they lean on each other for support.
The brothers talk to each other on a weekly basis, and even though Star is on the other side of the country, they manage to act as though there is no distance at all. After every Utah game, Lowell receives a text from his brother analyzing his game, giving him pointers on what to do better and congratulating him on the good plays he made.
When Carolina played Seattle and Star had the chance to tackle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Lowell texted him that he probably would have knocked him down on the ground instead just getting a hit in.
After watching the game with his friends on Sunday night when Carolina beat the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 to advance to the Super Bowl, Lowell sent a congratulatory message to Star, to which he responded that he was going to celebrate in a way he’s been doing since he was a kid — with video games.
“I texted him and told him ‘Good win bro, this is it, this is the top game you’re about to play in,’” Lowell said. “And he said ‘Yeah man, I’m about to go home and celebrate with some video games.’ He’s a game addict. It’s kinda his thing. When he was in college, that’s all he did. Go to school, go to football, come home and play games.”
While playing in the Super Bowl has always been a goal, Lowell said that a more important one for Star was being able to take care of his family.
As the two were growing up, aside from talking about football aspirations, they always talked about how they wanted to be able to give back to their parents for supporting them through all their ups and downs. They witnessed other people doing this for their own families, and for Star, finally being able to cross this one off the list means more to him than anything else.
“I think it’s just a compliment to him and his drive to provide for his family,” Lowell said. “That’s been his main goal his entire life, to grow up and provide for his family.”
For now, Lowell knows that his immediate family — his parents and his seven sisters — will be going to watch Star live. Although he wouldn’t necessarily say the moment has yet hit them, they’ll realize it soon enough, but the excitement is definitely there.
While Lowell can regularly be seen wearing his Carolina attire in support of his brother, he knows Star is doing pretty much the same thing throughout the year, wearing his Utah gear, supporting his brother and former school.
“We love the state, and we love the school, and we’re going to rep it until the end,” Lowell said. “He definitely reps it over there, and he still has some of his old Utah clothes.”
@kbrenneisen