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Kyle Van Noy is a linebacker for the New England Patriots. The team will be taking on the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, tonight; plenty of fans will be counting on Van Noy to make some serious plays on defense. In fact, Dessert News columnist Dick Harmon referred to Van Noy as a “difference maker” ahead of Sunday’s big game.
As Van Noy came into his own this season, many fans started wondering about his personal life and his background.
Here’s what you need to know:
He Was Adopted When He Was Young & Raised Mormon
Not too much is known about Van Noy, when it comes to his ethnicity. He was born in Las Vegas. His biological mother couldn’t raise him and put him up for adoption with Latter-day Saints Family Services. Although his mom wasn’t Mormon, she wanted her son raised in an LDS family, according to Brigham Young University Magazine.
He was adopted by a Mormon family living in California. Layne and Kelly Van Noy raised Kyle as their own.
Van Noy attended Brigham Young University, a school owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he played football. While in Utah, Van Noy met his now-wife, Marissa, who was Miss Utah USA back in 2013. Marissa is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Van Noy was selected 40th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was traded to New England on October 25, 2016. He and his wife live a quiet life in Massachusetts. They do not have any children together.
He & His Wife Founded an Organization Dedicated to Helping Kids in the Foster Care System & Beyond
Being adopted, Van Noy feels a connection to those who are just like him. He used his experience to start a foundation that focuses on helping kids who have been adopted or gone through the foster system.
The Van Noy Valor Foundation was created by Van Noy and his wife in 2014.
“It’s meaningful because I’ve lived it, it’s a part of me, it’s a part of my wife and her family. We really understand what it’s like, what the process is like, and we’ve been positive outcomes of the situation we were in. So we like to share our message and hopefully, it may go to someone else, or bounce off someone, like ‘Man, if they made it through that situation.’ I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s telling people it’s OK to be born into this world in a different way and be with the family you’re supposed to be with and still be successful. That’s kind of our message. It doesn’t matter — you can do it if you put your mind to it,” Van Noy told ESPN in January 2018.
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