Lawmaker wants to name Ohio highway after Joe Burrow
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An Athens area lawmaker wants to name an Ohio highway after Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow.
The legislation introduced in the Ohio House Thursday would name the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. Route 33, between North Plains Road and Columbus Road in Athens County, "Joe Burrow Highway."
"We have a lot of low opportunity we would say compared to other areas of the state," state Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, said. "Joe Burrow is a shining light. He's a beacon of hope for kids to realize you can come from our area and be on the biggest stage."
More: Joe Burrow talks admiration for Cincinnati and Ohio: 'I love the people'
Burrow means a great deal to Appalachia, said Edwards, who sponsored the bill.
When Burrow won his Heisman Trophy, he didn't talk about himself, Edwards said, but he chose to talk about hunger in Southeast Ohio and raised millions of dollars for hunger. Burrow also has his own hunger relief fund.
"He's just been such an asset, somebody we're so proud of," Edwards said. "We're so proud to call him an Appalachian. We're so proud to be from that area."
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When children drive down the highway, Edwards wants them to know the story of Burrow — that you can grow up in Southeast Ohio and Athens and become anything you want to be.
"We want kids, not just from Appalachia, we want kids all over the country, all over the state, to realize where Joe Burrow came from, what he means to us, and why in fact, we're choosing to name this highway after him," Edwards said.
Edwards, who normally doesn't do road naming bills, said he thought this was a worthy cause and that Burrow and his family are deserving of the gesture.
"He just never seems to forget where he comes from and always remembers to give shout outs and do what he can to try to help people that didn't come from maybe situations like he came from," Edwards said.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Legislation to name Ohio highway after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
