The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers suiting up for tonight’s Super Bowl have something in common with anglers that the casual observer might not realize.

But Youngstown businessman Ed Muransky can see it clearly. He is a passionate angler who happens to own a Super Bowl XVIII championship ring earned when his Los Angeles Raiders toppled Washington 38-9 in the 1984 NFL title game.

Our series of columns exploring the “Why?” behind anglers’ passion for fishing brought us to Muransky on Super Bowl Sunday. We asked him about football and fishing – two sports in which he has a lifetime of experience.

“When you look from a 1,000-foot view, you can see how fishing is competitive,” he said. “The first question back at the dock is ‘What did you catch?’ Like in football, when you get the thumbs up, you know you’ve done your job. We’re always competing. Who got the first fish, the biggest, the most?”

Muransky noted world-class athletes train year-round, which is gaining traction in professional fishing as competitors prepare for the physical demands of standing in rocking boats under broiling sun and freezing cold while making 2,000 casts a day for weeks. Competitive anglers also face mental pressure as they confront the realities of fishless days and no-play, no-pay work schedules.

“In fishing, you’ve got to figure it out. It’s like football. What you practice during the week isn’t necessarily what they throw at you on game day. At the end of the day, things are going to happen. Things are going to change – on the football field and on the water. It takes mental preparation. You have to calm yourself down, control your mind and do your job.

“To me, that’s the peace that fishing delivers,” Muransky said.

As the long-time title sponsor of the Muransky Companies Bass Classic, benefiting the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, he has seen the competitive side of tournament angling at the lakeside weigh-ins.

“I’ve seen it at Evans Lake on the faces of everybody waiting in line to weigh-in. The competitive streak is in all of us, whether we’re fishing or playing in the annual Cardinal Mooney-Ursuline football game.”

Our question, “Why are you a passionate angler?” drew a chuckle from Muransky.

“Did my wife put you up to that? She asks me that all the time when I’m out on the boat. It’s simple. I love being around the water, whether it’s Lake Erie, Evans Lake, wherever. There’s something calming and refreshing when I’m out there.

“Part of it, of course, is it’s a challenge. I’m always thinking, like last week the bass liked a purple wacky worm and today I’m out here for an hour and not had a hit yet.”

He values the peace and quiet on the lake.

“For me, it’s almost a selfish standpoint. I fish alone a lot. It is a time to meditate. No two days are alike out there. The whole challenge of figuring them out is rewarding.”

But he also loves a day on the water with friends. “When you fish with others, it’s about what you catch and the camaraderie. Out on the boat, everybody waves to each other. There’s a spirit that is kind of unique to a couple of sports.”

Muransky began fishing when he was literally old enough to hold a reel. “It’s something I’ve always loved. I used to fish with Dad at a lake in Cortland owned by his friend. We also went to Evans Lake and I remember my first ever fish from Evans.”

He literally stays in touch with Evans Lake. The Lake Club, the country club and golf course he owns on the south shore of Evans, is one of the two competition venues for the annual United Way benefit bass tournament on Aqua Ohio’s waters.

Throughout his life, from childhood to his football days as a Michigan Wolverine, NFL Raider and USFL Orlando Renegade, and today as a businessman running a diverse portfolio of businesses, Muransky keeps fishing high on his list of priorities.

“Somebody like my wife (Christine) who never fished will say, ‘I don’t get it.’ But for me, it’s the cumulative effect of all the good things, even the fact that no two days are the same. Whether I’m fishing for bass in Youngstown, or perch and walleye on Lake Erie or tarpon in Florida, we anglers are all kind of the same people. It’s still the same challenge. You can put us all in the same box.”

Muransky works, too, at passing along his passion for fishing to youngsters. He transported hundreds of inner city children to the kids fishing event at Evans during the United Way tournament.

“I wanted to help create the fun we talk about, to see the kids on the side of the lake getting a fishing pole and package, to open their eyes to that. To see the kids fishing and having fun was as important as the pros fishing for the win.”

Jack Wollitz is the author of “The Common Angler,” a book featuring stories about experiences that help define the “why” behind anglers’ passion for fishing. Email Jack at jackbbaass@gmail.com.