Aiken Native DeMarcus Lawrence Wins First Super Bowl Title With Seattle Seahawks

DeMarcus "Tank" Lawrence, who graduated from Silver Bluff High School in Aiken, claimed his first Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks. The pass rusher spent 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before making the move to Seattle.

Lawrence's route took him through junior college and Boise State before he landed in the NFL. His cousin Kendall Rogers, a 2011 Silver Bluff graduate, played ball with him since childhood. "He went to junior college, then he went to Boise State, and then went to the league," Rogers said, per WRDW. "You know, he was with the Cowboys for like 11 seasons."

When Lawrence joined Seattle, Rogers knew what was coming. "He said back then 'we were going to the Super Bowl', and I said, 'come on, I'm riding with you'," Rogers said. "Because I've been liking Seattle for a long time."

Dorian Jones, a Silver Bluff senior graduating in 2027, learned about Lawrence way back in sixth grade. "All of us looked up to him, wanted to meet that standard he was at," Jones said. The win puts their school on the map. "It gives us more exposure to colleges and more guys like Demarcus Lawrence coming through here, talking to us, giving us more motivation to keep following our dream," Jones said.

Rogers talked about what this means where they live. "Not everyone gets to see pro bowlers or see people from their school or family members go to a Super Bowl," Rogers said. "So for everyone in the community, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Lawrence hasn't forgotten where he came from after winning it all. "He's just happy and thanking God to be in the position that he's in now," Rogers said.