The Eagles' Saquon Barkley just got engaged to Anna Congdon. Here's a timeline of their relationship.
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- When Saquon Barkley plays in Super Bowl LIX this weekend, his new fiancΓ©e will cheer him on.
- Barkley and longtime girlfriend, Anna Congdon, recently got engaged.
- They have been together since 2017 and share two children.
It's been a big year for Saquon Barkley. Not only will the Philadelphia Eagles running back play in the Super Bowl this weekend, but he also recently got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Anna Congdon.
"I can't be the athlete I am and have the success I have so in my career without the help of her," Barkley, 27, told People when he announced the news.
Barkley and Congdon, 26, met at Penn State University, where the football star played for the Nittany Lions. They began dating in 2017 and share two children.
Here's a timeline of their relationship, from college sweethearts to becoming parents to getting engaged.
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Congdon grew up in Forest City, Pennsylvania, while Barkley lived in the Bronx before moving to Pennsylvania as a child. He attended Whitehall High School and almost quit football as a sophomore.
"Barkley was frustrated, struggling with his self-confidence," his former coach told The New York Times. "Some kids had matured faster than him."
However, Barkley stayed on the team and, in 2015, became a running back at Penn State.
Meanwhile, Congdon became a freshman at the same university in 2016.
By December of that year, Congdon posted an Instagram picture of the two of them at a fraternity formal with the caption, "he's alright on the field but you should see him on the dance floor."
A month later, they became a couple, according to Parade magazine.
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After the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants had theΒ second overall draft pickΒ in 2018. The team selected Barkley, who was 21 at the time.
In Barkley's first year on the team, the Giants had a rough start to the season.
"No one on the team can say that we're happy where we're at, but we're aware that it's a long season," Barkley told Business Insider then. "We have to continue to grind and continue to believe in each other."
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"Everyone pushed me," he told Giants.com in 2022, referring to his parents and Congdon. "I'm happy I was able to accomplish something that was a goal of mine."
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"He lights up the room," Barkley told Giants.com in 2022. "Amazing smile. Jada is being an amazing big sisterβ¦We've got a beautiful little family."
Now 2, Saquon Jr. is "all into toys and trucks and cars, and he's just a boy," Barkley told People, while 6-year-old Jada "knows it all already."
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Last year, several teams were vying for the running back. The Giants wanted to keep Barkley, but not necessarily at the price he wanted.
Giants owner John Mara said he would have trouble sleeping if the team lost Barkley. "He's the most popular player we have by far," he said during an episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants."
Ultimately, Barkley signed a three-year contract with the Eagles for $37.75 million.
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The Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on January 26, clinching their spot in Super Bowl LIX.
"If I could wrap my arms around this memory, I wouldβ¦," Congdon wrote in a caption after posting the above picture on Instagram.
Coincidentally, Barkley's first Super Bowl is on February 9, his 28th birthday. His family will undoubtedly support him on his big day.
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The couple, who lives in Philadelphia, didn't reveal many details about their engagement. However, Barkley did tell People that Congdon has always supported him on and off the field.
"I'd be naive to think that I've made it, and all the stuff that we are able to accomplish this year was all alone and by myself," he added.