Former Nutley Resident Dave Merritt Wins Another Super Bowl Ring

NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley football fans who were rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl had an extra reason to cheer: defensive backs coach Dave Merritt.

Merritt – who lived in Nutley for more than a decade and still has fond memories of raising his children in the township – now has a whopping five Super Bowl rings after the Chiefs’ nail-biting overtime win.

Merritt joined the Chiefs as a coach in 2019, and has since won three rings with the team. He also contributed to victories in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI as a coach with the New York Giants.

The former Nutley resident played four years in the NFL as a linebacker, and is nearing his third decade in the league.

Last year, Merritt joined the “Inside Nutley” podcast to talk football, adding some local nostalgia into the mix. He shared stories about such legends as Eli Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Don Shula, Andy Reid, Tom Coughlin and Michael Strahan, as well as his favorite memories of his 14 years in Nutley.

• See Related: NFL's David Merritt Talks Sports, Life In Nutley (VIDEO)

According to Merritt, he chose to live in Nutley partly because of its proximity to his former job – especially because he knew he’d be working late nights.

But when he and his wife saw the town, they were charmed, he said.

“She said this is where we need to be,” Merritt recalled. “She said there’s something about this town that I think is going to be good for my boys … it’s small, it’s a great community, everyone here knows each other.”

Merritt wasn’t the Garden State’s only connection to this year’s Super Bowl. Three former Rutgers football players were on the rosters for the big game on Sunday: Isiah Pacheco, Logan Ryan and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

• See Related: 4 Rutgers Ties To Super Bowl: 3 Players, 1 Grad Who Works For CBS

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