Fan turned foe: Former Monroe star readies for Super Bowl

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Efton Chism III still remembers a certain Super Bowl play.

If you’re a Seahawks fan, you know the one. Or have you blocked it out?

Chism, a Seahawks fan back then as a sixth grader, sat in disbelief in 2015 as Super Bowl XLIX suddenly flipped from an almost certain Seattle Seahawks win to a New England Patriots shocker.

“I remember it pretty well,” said Chism, a rookie wide receiver for the New England Patriots, who will face the Seahawks in Sunday’s Super Bowl. “When Jermaine Kearse caught that ball, we all thought — us fans — that it was going to be over. Then all of a sudden, it didn’t go that way.”

It’s quite a journey from Monroe to Cheney to the Super Bowl.

Chism, a former star wide receiver at Monroe High School and Eastern Washington University, made the trip quickly, landing in the big game in his first NFL season.

“You couldn’t write a better story,” Chism said on Monday at the Super Bowl Opening Night event held at the San Jose Convention Center. “An undrafted guy from a small school, and all of the sudden, playing in the Super Bowl.”

Chism watched seven rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft go by without his name being called after a season at Eastern in which he broke current Seahawk Cooper Kupp’s single-season receptions record. The 5-foot-10, 198-pound receiver and kick returner finished his senior campaign with 120 catches for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Several teams offered Chism an NFL chance as an undrafted free agent, and he believed the Patriots offered the best path toward an NFL career. He became a fan favorite during the preseason, catching 12 passes for 121 yards. Since then, he’s been working on turning his people back home.

“My friends, my parents and family, they’ve converted,” Chism said. “They’re all Pats fans now, so they don’t get too mad when I get them Pats gear for Christmas.”

Though playing 3,000 miles away in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Monroe remains near and dear to Chism’s heart.

Chism starred at Monroe as a receiver and a defensive back. A Herald All-Area selection, Chism finished the 2019 season with 1,232 yards of total offense and 14 touchdowns. During his Monroe career, the 2020 grad caught 166 passes for 2,581 yards and 31 touchdowns.

“I carry Monroe with me, heavily,” he said. “They always support me. They’re always there for me. Got a lot of friends and family that are excited for this game and are rooting for the Patriots.”

He remains active in the local community, and wore custom-made footwear to support the local Big Heart Big Smile Foundation during the “My Cause, My Cleats” game on Dec. 1.

The organization was created in memory of Kaci Edelbrock, who passed away after a motor vehicle accident at six years old in 2018.

While fame and fortune are nice, Chism hopes he continues to succeed in the NFL so that increased exposure enables him to impact more people in a positive way. The path to stardom for an undrafted player can take some time. Chism has played in eight games this season, returning 16 kickoffs for 383 yards and adding three receptions for 75 yards and his first NFL touchdown on Dec. 28 against the New York Jets.

Chism plans to continue his work with the Big Heart, Big Smile Foundation from afar, as well as when he’s back in town.

“It’s huge to be on the biggest platform, probably in the world, and support them and their foundation,” Chism said. “Hopefully, I’m getting to the point (with a career in the NFL) where I can start to really develop my role with them and kind of bring it to another level.”

Not everyone is rooting for Chism, though.

There’s a certain receiver with the Seattle Seahawks who saw some of his college records broken and wants no part of any world that includes a Patriots win.

Kupp’s path began somewhat like Chism’s, though on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. Kupp starred at Davis High School in Yakima, but was underrecruited. After a prolific career at Eastern, the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He won the Super Bowl MVP in 2021 after his late touchdown helped the Rams beat Cincinnati 23-20.

He’ll root for his fellow Eastern grad just about any time that isn’t this Sunday.

“Efton, obviously followed him and what he did at Eastern Washington,” Kupp said. “Super cool to see him here, and hopefully I’ll be able to see him at the game.”

Asked if he had any advice for Chism, Kupp quipped, “Oh, I don’t know. I’ll give him some advice for next year.”

Though he’ll lack the support of his fellow Eastern grad for a day, it’s been quite a run for Chism.

“So surreal,” he said. “So awesome. My first time playing against the Seahawks is in the Super Bowl. So I’m really looking forward to competing and getting after it.”