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East Texas hometown of Chiefs QB Mahomes ready for Super Bowl LIV
Everyone is cheering on the town's favorite son. Whitehouse is normally solid Cowboys country, but not right now.
WHITEHOUSE, Texas - Residents in the tiny East Texas town of Whitehouse will be cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs for Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV.
It shouldn’t be a surprise, as the town near Tyler is the place where Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes grew up.
The city has proclaimed Super Bowl Sunday “Patrick Mahomes Day” and people there are waiting anxiously for Mahomes to win it all in Miami.
“We have just been riding in the car and everything has Patrick or the Chiefs on it,” said third grader Tucker Keen.
Everyone is cheering on the town's favorite son. Whitehouse is normally solid Cowboys country, but not right now.
“The Chiefs gained 10,000 new fans,” said Travis Granberry, a Mahomes childhood friend. “It’s the city of Whitehouse and everyone is cheering for the Chiefs. If the Cowboys were playing the Chiefs, everyone would still be pulling for Pat, that is how much he means to this community.”
Adam Cook is Whitehouse HS Athletic Director and was Mahomes’ high school football coach.
“There were times where Patrick just made it look like coach called a good play, he is still doing that with Andy Reid where he is making Andy look good with the plays he is doing,” Cook said.
He enjoys watching Mahomes play creatively in the NFL and creating “wow” moments.
“Not just because what Patrick has done on the field, like wow look at that play. It’s more of like wow, look at the platform he has given us, look at how he is becoming the face of the NFL, wow, we need something like this right now. Our kids needs some hope, something positive to look at, I say wow everyday,” Cook said.
Cook was surprised this week with a ticket to the Super Bowl from Mahomes’ Texas Tech Coach Kliff Kingsbury. He says his emotions will be similar to how he felt when he saw Mahomes in person during a playoff game last year.
“The coolest thing is when he busted out of that tunnel. I don't know what they got planned for Sunday when they introduce that kid, but that's when I will be like, ‘God!’ But then I will remember to watching him here, but then I will remember those other kids, that's what I hope everyone understand, when I see him, yes its Patrick, but it’s all of those kids who were playing with him,” Cook said.
A watch party for Mahomes fans will take place in nearby Tyler on Sunday.