Rams Player Van Jefferson Has Perfect Name For Son Born On Super Bowl Sunday
February 13 was a memorable night for every Los Angeles Rams player, who led the franchise to its second Super Bowl title and first in more than two decades. But the evening was arguably more so for wide receiver Van Jefferson. As Van attacked the Cincinnati Bengals on the field, his wife exited SoFi stadium on a stretcher. It was for a good reason, though; Samaria Jefferson was 40 weeks pregnant and went into labor right in the middle of her husband's most important game to date.
She gave birth to a healthy baby boy later that night. Van, instead of going out to celebrate with his teammates after the game, changed out of his football uniform and rushed to the hospital, NFL GameDay showed on Twitter. "It was a great day, bro," Van said on Instagram Live, per ESPN. "I got three prizes today — my wife, my son and the Super Bowl."
Samaria's due date was February 17, so she and Van knew there was a possibility their child would come around Super Bowl night. But Samaria wouldn't let it deter her from supporting her husband. "Just like any other game, I'm going to be there this Sunday and I'm going to stay calm ... and pray to God my water doesn't break," she told The Athletic ahead of the game. Their son had other plans — and the parents aren't complaining. In fact, they used the circumstances of his birth to pick a rather fitting name.
Van Jefferson named his son Champ
When his Los Angeles Rams teammates were likely still out celebrating their big victory at home, wide receiver Van Jefferson was taking to his Instagram Story to announce the birth of his son. Van and Samaria Jefferson didn't have a name picked out beforehand, according to ESPN. They finally settled on one and it couldn't have honored the day he was born better. "We decided on Champ Jefferson," Van told People on February 22. "It's very fitting. That's very fitting for the type of situation we just had." But the meaning of the name goes beyond the Super Bowl LVI. "Champ has a meaning of warrior, and I'm all about having meaning [in] a name, so I think that's a perfect fitting for him," the proud father added.
Champ is not the only "warrior" Van is proud to have in his life. Since the boy was born, Van has used every opportunity he's had to rave about Samaria. "My wife is a warrior. What she did that whole game... He's a Champ and she's a warrior," Van said on "The Adam Schefter" podcast (via NFL) on February 21. Throughout the big day, Samaria felt slight contractions, she told ESPN. "But they were super spaced out, like it wasn't that painful," she said. That began to change as soon as she arrived at SoFi stadium. By halftime, her contractions were two minutes apart. "And that's when I went, 'Look, OK... it's time to go."