Former Poke, Tashaun Gipson Sr. To Compete in his First Superbowl

Former Poke, Tashaun Gipson Sr. To Compete in his First Superbowl

Tashaun Gipson Sr. Courtesy photo of 49ers.com

LAS VEGAS – The current longest-tenured Wyoming Cowboy in the NFL is slated to make his first Superbowl appearance this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, with many speculating he will retire after the game.

Tashaun Gipson Sr. is in his 12th NFL season. He has played in 173 regular season games and has started in 165 of them after going undrafted following his four years at UW. He is tied for third among active NFL players in career interceptions with 33. He has also compiled 492 tackles and 68 pass deflections.

His NFL career started on April 29, 2012, when Gipson secured a three-year, $1.44 million contract with the Cleveland Browns after going undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft.

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Gipson competed for a backup safety position during training camp his rookie year, contending with Ray Ventrone, Usama Young, David Sims, and Emanuel Davis. At the start of the regular season, Gipson was designated as the third free safety on the Browns’ depth chart, positioned behind experienced players Eric Hagg and Ray Ventrone.

Gipson’s first NFL game was a 17–16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he marked his first professional tackle on Brandon Boykin during a 29-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. Two weeks later, in a 24–14 defeat against the Buffalo Bills, Gipson showcased his skills with six combined tackles. His playing time increased notably following Eric Hagg’s disappointing performances in the first two games.

In the subsequent match against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football, Gipson contributed two solo tackles before exiting the game in the second quarter due to a knee injury. This injury kept him sidelined for the next five games.

Making a return during Week 12 in a 20–14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gipson secured his first career start, filling in for free safety Usama Young, and recorded two tackles. The momentum continued in the next game against the Oakland Raiders, where he notched his second consecutive start, amassing a season-high eight tackles in a 20–17 road victory. The following week against the Kansas City Chiefs, Gipson contributed two combined tackles, deflected a pass, and secured his first career interception from a throw by quarterback Brady Quinn in the 30–7 victory.

Closing out his rookie season, Gipson accumulated 33 tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in 10 games with three starts. He would start all but one game he played in for the rest of his 12-year career as he solidified himself as one of the NFL’s top coverage safeties.

Gipson’s best year was in 2014. He was second in the NFL in interceptions with six but only played in 11 games due to a knee injury. At the time of the injury, he was first in interceptions. He also had 52 tackles, eight pass deflections, a pick-six, and a forced fumble. This earned him his first Pro Bowl as he was voted to play but missed it due to damage to his MCL and PCL.

That year, Gipson was ranked 67th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 by his peers. You can check out the video on the NFL’s YouTube Channel here.

Whether it is Gipson’s last NFL game or not, many Wyoming fans will be cheering him on as he competes for his first Super Bowl ring this Sunday against the Chiefs.