For the first time, a football player from Saskatchewan will be in the Super Bowl, the most-watched football game on the planet.

Punter Jon Ryan's Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl yesterday with a 23-17 come-from-behind win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Being on a team that won the NFC championship is a first for a Saskatchewan-born player.

Ryan, who's from Regina, played football at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate and the University of Regina.

His brother Steve, who was at Sunday's game, said his brother was speechless when the final whistle blew.

"Jon got me down on the field," he said. "We were standing there hugging each other ... 70,000 screaming fans in the stands, the confetti falling."

Jon Ryan started his professional football career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2004, made the jump to the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and has been with the Seattle since 2008.

Super Bowl XLVIII, which pits the Seahawks against the Denver Broncos, is set for New Jersey on Feb. 2. About 109 million people watched last year's Super Bowl.