LOS ANGELES (WCMH) — Joe Burrow grew up in Athens, Ohio, when being a Cincinnati Bengals fan was not something to brag about.
All of that has changed with him at quarterback.
Burrow and the Bengals are one win away from history when they face the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI on NBC4 this Sunday.
“Being from Ohio and being the quarterback of the Bengals is something that I’m really proud of.”
Burrow has said he did not grow up a Bengals fan but saw firsthand what that experience was like for other kids at his school who rooted for what many called the “Bungals” — for finding ways to bungle a game.
“There really weren’t a lot of Bengals fans in high school and middle school. Growing up, it was all Steelers and Browns and then there were a few Bengals fans here and there that kind of got made fun of a little bit,” Burrow said Monday with a smile. “As a team, we’re excited to put a product on the field that the fans are proud of and gives them bragging rights. They haven’t had that in awhile so I’m excited to give that to them.”
They’ll be even more elated if the second-year quarterback delivers the first Super Bowl in franchise history. The last quarterback from Ohio to win a Super Bowl was Findlay’s Ben Roethlisberger, who won Super Bowl XLIII in 2008.