Rams’ Van Jefferson Names Baby ‘Champ’ After Wife Went Into Labor At Super Bowl LVI
Van Jefferson’s Super Bowl Sunday will be a day he never forgets. The wide receiver went from winning the Lombardi Trophy on his home turf to rushing to the hospital and meeting his newborn son.
On Monday, Jefferson revealed his son’s name on ESPN’s “The Adam Schefter Podcast.” He and his wife, Samaria, picked the name Champ.
“I think it’s very fitting to name him Champ,” Van said. “We looked it up and Champ is like a warrior and my wife is a warrior like what she did throughout this whole week of Super Bowl, the week of Super Bowl being so crazy.
“He’s a champ, and she’s a warrior. So Champ Curtis Jefferson.”
Heading into the contest, Samaria told The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue that she was not going to miss the Super Bowl, saying, “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. I am 100% going to be there. I would not miss this moment for anything. I will be 40 weeks pregnant at the Super Bowl, supporting my husband 100%.”
Van said on the podcast that traffic stopped him from being present during his wife’s labor, so he watched over FaceTime. The wide receiver was not told she was giving birth until after the 23–20 victory over the Bengals. A video emerged showing Jefferson, his father and his daughter running through the locker room to get to the hospital.
Jefferson caught four receptions for 23 yards in Los Angeles’s win.
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