'Just a Kid from Southeast Ohio': Athens shows pride in Joe Burrow before AFC championship

Monroe Trombly, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
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A T-shirt at 10 West Clothing Co. in uptown Athens refers to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The college town is rallying around its native son, who will be playing in this weekend's AFC championship game.
A T-shirt at 10 West Clothing Co. in uptown Athens refers to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The college town is rallying around its native son, who will be playing in this weekend's AFC championship game.
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ATHENS - The Cincinnati Bengals are playing in Sunday's AFC championship game for the second year in a row, and this small Ohio college town is once again aflame with pride for its native son.

Along South Court Street, a giant poster of Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow sits in the front window of Uptown Costumes; "Just a Kid from Southeast Ohio" T-shirts and sweatshirts are being sold at the Ohio Is Home apparel and goods store; and the game ball from the Bengals' recent playoff win against the Baltimore Ravens ― delivered by Burrow's parents ― sits proudly on display at Courtside Pizza.

A Cincinnati Bengals game ball from a recent playoff win against the Baltimore Ravens is on display at Courtside Pizza in uptown Athens.
A Cincinnati Bengals game ball from a recent playoff win against the Baltimore Ravens is on display at Courtside Pizza in uptown Athens.

While born in Iowa, Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow grew up in Athens, more specifically The Plains, after his father, Jimmy, took a job as defensive coordinator for Ohio University's football team.

Burrow went on to become starting quarterback for the varsity football team at Athens High School. In three seasons, Burrow recorded 11,416 passing yards, 157 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, boosting his completion percentage and lowering his number of interceptions over the course of three seasons, according to MaxPreps.

A T-shirt at the Ohio Is Home store in uptown Athens refers to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and Athens native Joe Burrow.
A T-shirt at the Ohio Is Home store in uptown Athens refers to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and Athens native Joe Burrow.

As with last year, some Athens businesses are running specials on food and drink, with proceeds going to the Athens County Food Pantry.

Burrow has used his national platform to highlight food insecurity and last year established The Joe Burrow Foundation, which is dedicated to addressing food insecurity and children's mental and behavioral health in Ohio (Cincinnati and Athens) as well as Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he played his final two years of college football at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Hot off beating the Buffalo Bills on their home turf last weekend, the Bengals will travel to Kansas City this Sunday to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bengals beat the Chiefs 27-24 to advance to last year's Super Bowl, which they lost to the Rams in Los Angeles.

A poster of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who grew up in the Athens area, hangs in the front window of Uptown Costumes.
A poster of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who grew up in the Athens area, hangs in the front window of Uptown Costumes.

Dispatch reporters Colin Gay and Ceili Doyle contributed to this report.

Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@monroetrombly

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow is celebrated in Athens, Ohio