Joe Burrow may be the toast of the football world now, but he hasn't forgotten about the people who helped him get there.
The Bengals quarterback is on the verge of starting under center in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, and among those in his cheering section will be an important figure from the formative years of his football journey.
Burrow recently made an unprompted phone call to Nathan White, his former position coach at Athens High School in Ohio, and surprised him with an offer of a pair of tickets to the big game, according to Michelle Steele of ESPN.com.
"He called and said, 'Hey coach, if you're not busy this weekend, I have a couple extra tickets if you and Sarah want to go,'" White said. "So I said yeah, 'I think we can make that happen.'"
"To think about sitting there and watching an Athens Bulldog in the Super Bowl is mind boggling to me."
Burrow, 25, starred at Athens High while his father, Jim, was defensive coordinator at nearby Ohio University.
An ill-fated state at Ohio State eventually brought Joe to LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship, but his affection for the Buckeye State and those he met there are still strong.
Per ESPN:
"They helped make me who I am today," Burrow told reporters this week. "I wouldn't be here without all the people that supported me in Athens. I hope I'm making everybody proud."
White, who also teaches math in addition to his coaching duties at Athens High, said it still hasn't fully sunken in that he once coached a future college football and NFL superstar.
"Having a former player ask you if you want to go to the Super Bowl is something that I truly never dreamed of," White said, according to The Advocate. "It was a very special moment."
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