Rob Ninkovich and wife Paige on their wedding night. (Facebook)
Rob Ninkovich is the underrated defensive end for the New England Patriots, who battled knee injuries and many roster cuts early in his career.
Despite not making much of an impact on the field during his rookie season as a New Orleans Saint, off it, he made perhaps the biggest play of his life.
That’s when he met Gretna, Louisiana, native Paige Popich, who would later become his wife.
Paige’s husband has a pretty big football game next weekend – the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will meet in Super Bowl XLIX.
Here’s what you need to know about Paige Ninkovich:
1. Paige & Rob Met at a New Orleans Nightclub
(Twitter)
Paige met Rob during his 2006 rookie season at The Red Eye, at late-night hot spot in New Orleans’ Warehouse District.
A few blocks from where Paige and Rob met is a restaurant called Manning’s, owned by … yes, these Mannings.
2. Paige & Rob Stayed Together Through 4 Roster Cuts & Multiple Moves
(Twitter)
Rob obviously didn’t use his celebrity status to woo Paige. He was a no-name Saints rookie at the time. And the couple didn’t stay in New Orleans very long.
In his second season, Rob hurt his knee in training camp and was waived before the regular-season opener. Ninkovich was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins. He was then waived by Miami, re-signed and waived by the Dolphins again. The Saints gave Ninkovich another shot, signing him in December 2008. But they waived him during the 2009 training camp, his 4th time being cut.
Days later, the Patriots signed Ninkovich and he and Paige have been in New England ever since.
3. Paige & Rob Married in The Summer of 2012
(Getty)
After nearly 6 years of dating and engagement, Paige and Rob married on June 29, 2012, at the Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church in New Orleans.
A few months prior to the big day, Rob told the NOLA.com:
She’s the best thing that has come out of New Orleans for me. (The wedding) will be hot and sticky, but it’ll be fun.
The band GROOVY 7 played at the wedding and had this to say about it on their Facebook page:
We had a blast Playing for Rob and Paige Ninkovich Last night AMAZING couple VERY much IN LOVE !!!!!!! It was an honor for us. Thank you both for choosing G7 to celebrate with ! Rob good Luck with the Patriots !!!!! Love, peace, and happiness to you both !!!!! G7
4. Paige & Rob Have 1 Child
(Facebook)
Paige became pregnant a few months after the nuptials and the two welcomed their first child in July of 2013.
Avielle is the couple’s only child.
5. Paige Went to School For Nursing
Paige with Rob Ninkovich’s sister, Laura. (Boston.com)
Paige attended LSU for her bachelor’s degree and was a nurse at the time she met Rob. She worked in the Ochsner hospital system of Louisiana.
It is unknown if she is currently employed in the medical field.
But helping others to be in Paige’s DNA as she has been involved in numerous charitable drives, many of them set up by the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. Paige has participated in coat drives and other events to benefit needy children.