Barry McNamara | Published February 07, 2023

Scots Have Super Bowl Brothers, II

With Mitch Tanney and Alex Tanney, Monmouth College has its own take on siblings in the NFL’s biggest game.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Leading up to Super Bowl LVII, Jason and Travis Kelce are making plenty of headlines as the first brothers to go head-to-head in the NFL’s championship finale.

Jason is the center for the Philadelphia Eagles, starting each offensive play by snapping the ball to quarterback Jalen Hurts, while Travis is the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and the favorite target of Patrick Mahomes.

But with Philadelphia’s return to the big game, Monmouth College now has its own pair of brothers with Super Bowl experience. Record-setting Scots quarterback Alex Tanney ’11, a member of the Eagles’ staff who works closely with Hurts as the assistant quarterbacks coach, has again followed in the footsteps of his older brother.

In 2015, Mitch Tanney ’06, who led the Fighting Scots to a 19-2 record in his two years as the starting quarterback, made it to Super Bowl 50 (a one-year exception was made for Roman numerals, to avoid having Super Bowl L) with the Denver Broncos. It turned out to be a Super Bowl “W” for the Broncos, who defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10, led by their star linebacker, Von Miller.

A summa cum laude mathematics and Spanish major at Monmouth, Tanney earned his Super Bowl ring as Denver’s director of football analytics, a role he held for five years. A Sports Illustrated article from 2020 summarized Tanney’s contribution to the Broncos’ success:

“Tanney had been the Broncos’ analytics guru the past five seasons. His job entailed providing objective research and analysis that influence football decisions for personnel executives (in particular evaluating draft prospects and free agents), coaches, trainers and strength-and-conditioning coaches.”

Ironically, the younger Tanney’s success in coaching is easier to quantify in terms of statistics. The work that he and other coaches did behind the scenes helped the Eagles lead the NFC in yards per game (389.1) and points per game (28.7) and helped Hurts become one of the main contenders for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. The Eagles’ passing offense had a quarterback rating of 98.4, good for sixth in the entire NFL.

Now completing his second year on Philadelphia’s staff, Tanney entered the coaching ranks with the reputation of being a valuable mentor to younger quarterbacks during his nine-year NFL playing career, which concluded with him serving as a backup to Daniel Jones with the New York Giants.

Made to be broken

In one other bit of Alex Tanney news, the former Scots All-American no longer holds his 11-year-old NCAA all-divisions record for touchdown passes in a career. His 157 TD throws remain the mark in Division III, but Shepherd University’s Tyson Bagent topped it during the ’22 season, concluding his Division II career with 159.

Fighting Scots Athletics

Did you know?

<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 99% of Monmouth students received some type of scholarship or financial assistance.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/offices/student-financial-planning/types-of-aid/scholarships/" target="_blank">Scholarships</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p><strong>Monmouth College is the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement. Pi Beta Phi, the first such collegiate women’s organization, was founded at Monmouth in 1867. It was followed three years later by Kappa Kappa Gamma. The two pioneering organizations today boast a total of 275 active chapters nationwide.</strong></p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/student-life/sororities-fraternities/" target="_blank">Sororities & Fraternities</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We’re no stranger to winning. Last year the Fighting Scots won Midwest Conference championships in Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Track and Field. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthscots.com/" target="_blank">Fighting Scots</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We offer a certified Peace Corps Preparation program that gives Peace Corps bound graduates a leg up in the application process.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/peace-corps-prep/" target="_blank">Peace Corps Prep</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College is proudly test optional. Applicants may choose whether or to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission and scholarship consideration. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/admission/apply/test-optional/" target="_blank">Test Optional</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 98% of Monmouth graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/wackerle-center/career-services/" target="_blank">Career Preparation</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an educational garden and 6.7 acre farm. Students grow and harvest fruits and vegetables to sell at the local farmer’s market. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/academics/only-at-monmouth/educational-garden-farm/" target="_blank">Garden & Farm</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College covers the cost for all current students to get a U.S. passport. Unlock access to over 198 different countries! We’ll even help with the paperwork :)</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/study-abroad/" target="_blank">Study Abroad</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an active Pipe & Drum Band. Each year on Scholar’s Day in April the bagpipers wake students up at 6:00 a.m. by playing in the residence halls!</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/music/pipe-band/" target="_blank">Pipe Band</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers unique academic minors in Global Public Health and Global Food Security for students who want to use their education to address global challenges. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-public-health/" target="_blank">Global Public Health</a></li><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-food-security/" target="_blank">Global Food Security</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers several international trips each year during 2-week Scots Terms in January and May. Recently students have traveled to Botswana, Greece, Scotland, Japan, and more. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/offices/global-engagement/" target="_blank">Scots Term</a></li></ul></div></aside>

Scots Have Super Bowl Brothers, II

Made to be broken

Related Stories

Nutting ’11 in Teeth of Storm

Episode 22: March 4, 2022

Did you know?