Guerneville man’s son is Falcons center Alex Mack

After toiling for seven years with the lowly Cleveland Browns, Alex Mack hit the jackpot last offseason when he signed a lucrative free-agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Goodbye losingest team in the NFL, hello Super Bowl.

And his father, Steve Mack, manager of the Sweetwater Springs Water District in Guerneville, couldn’t be prouder.

The elder Mack boarded an airport shuttle Friday in Santa Rosa en route to Houston, where he hopes to watch his three-time Pro Bowl son suit up as starting center for the Falcons as they face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI today.

(In Friday’s injury report, Mack was listed as a limited participant for the third straight day following a fibula injury. Falcons coaches said after practice they felt much better about his ability to perform at a high level.)

Steve Mack packed up his No. 51 jersey and will connect with two daughters and other family to cheer on Alex as he takes his position in front of Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan.

“I’m just real happy for him,” Steve Mack said this week. “This is what he’s always wanted. For it to happen so quickly after all the losing years in Cleveland, to switch teams and bam, that year he’s in the Super Bowl. It’s very exciting.”

Alex Mack, 31, who checks in at 6-4, 311 pounds, grew up in Santa Barbara, where he played youth and high school football. Always being the biggest kid on the field worried his dad when Alex was a sophomore and the coach planned to start him on a mediocre varsity squad.

“It was a lousy team,” his father said. “I went to the coaches and said, ‘Hey, you’re going to get my son all beat up here because you don’t have any juniors and seniors good enough to play.’ They said, ‘No, your son belongs on varsity. He’s the best player we’ve got.’ ”

Mack made all-league that year and started attracting the attention of college recruiters. He ultimately won a scholarship to Cal, where he sped through his legal studies bachelor’s degree - with academic honors - and began a graduate program his senior year.

Steve Mack, who worked for 17 years as the water supply and resources manager in Santa Barbara, moved to Sonoma County in 2008 to be closer to his son in Berkeley.

At the Sweetwater Springs district, Mack manages water distribution and maintenance services to five towns along the Russian River: Guerneville, Rio Nido, Guernewood Park, Villa Grande and Monte Rio. Alex became a first-round draft pick in 2009, selected 21st overall by the Browns.

Hearing “...and the Cleveland Browns select Alex Mack” might not have excited too many football fans, given that the Browns have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

But Steve Mack was delighted.

“I actually grew up a Cleveland Browns fan,” he said. “I grew up in Ohio, went to college in a suburb of Cleveland. I had lots of connections with Cleveland.”

Still, it was seven years of losing. The Browns have had two winning seasons in the past 21 years.

Dad tried to encourage his son through the rough times.

“It’s been a losing situation the whole time he was there. But he was always hopeful every year,” Steve Mack said.

Meanwhile, his son was building a stellar reputation as one of the finest centers in the game. He almost went to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a five-year, $42 million deal in 2014, but the Browns matched the offer.

Nearly three years later, he became a free agent and signed with Atlanta on a five-year, $45 million package. He has become the linchpin to the Falcons’ offensive line facing New England today.

Steve Mack has chatted with his son a little this week, although the Super Bowl run-up has kept the player busy.

In an unglamorous position like center, Mack typically isn’t interviewed that often. But the Super Bowl is different, with thousands of media members scrambling around and digging up stories.

Steve Mack isn’t sure how much time he’ll get to spend with his son, but the family will be out in force at NRG Stadium. Steve was able to attend a couple of games this year in Atlanta.

“It’s a 180-degree change from the prior years,” he said. “The biggest difference - even before the Super Bowl - was playing in games after the regular season. This was his first playoffs. It was the first time it was win-or-go-home games.”

Although playing in the Super Bowl was always his son’s goal, Mack said his own dreams were satisfied long ago.

“I was never pushing for a scholarship. I just wanted something to keep him active in school, and it worked out that he got a scholarship to college through football,” he said. “I thought that was great. That’s as far as my ambition went. But this year’s been really exciting.”

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.