Joe Burrow’s parents discuss NFL star’s upbringing, career
CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — The longest season in the National Football League’s history will conclude Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Los Angeles Rams for Super Bowl LVI.
Both teams are being led by first overall draft picks — Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford and quarterback Joe Burrow for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The parents of Joe Burrow, Jim and Robin Burrow, joined “The Donlon Report” on Monday ahead of the Big Game to talk about their son’s upbringing and his outstanding career.
Burrow grew up in Athens, Ohio, where he played football and basketball in high school. Jim credited the example set by his parents and his wife’s parents for helping them put Joe on the right path.
“We pretty much took the things that we had learned from observing our parents and core values,” Jim explained. Jim said they taught Joe about respect, discipline, hard work and — first and foremost —perseverance.
“[We] tried to concentrate on that and introduce him to that different kind of core values over the years and he seemed to buy into them. And he is who he is today,” Jim said.
When it came down to the choice of football and basketball, Jim said he always knew that his son had a chance to play football at a higher level.
“We thought he was a good athlete, certainly growing up all different sports,” Jim said. “Tenth grade was when he really started being the quarterback at the high school … won a couple of playoff games and we could see then that he had a chance to be a Division One major college quarterback.”
You can say the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree when it comes to talent in this family. Jim was also a college football standout at Ole Miss and Nebraska before playing one season for the Green Bay Packers and several more in the Canadian Football League.
Joe took a similar path to football. He first went to college at Ohio State University but transferred to LSU, where he played for two seasons. In 2019, Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to win the national championship that same year.
Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, made a remarkable comeback from ACL surgery during his rookie season to lead the Bengals to an AFC North title and first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.
Jim’s mother Robin said when they first learned about Burrow’s injury, they were skeptical about his chances of getting back on the field.
“We were very concerned about that, but we were very lucky,” Robin said. “Joe has a very strong team around him and his agent was able to connect with a great surgeon. Dr. Ella and his whole team of rehab people and physical therapists really helped Joe to come back from that injury quickly, faster than we expected.”
Now, he is looking to become the first quarterback in history to win a Heisman trophy, college national title and Super Bowl. The Burrows’ said they plan to head out to Los Angeles on Thursday.
“We’re excited to get there and start taking in the whole atmosphere of the Super Bowl,” Robin said.
The Rams are stacked with experienced veterans such as defensive lineman Aaron Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp, while the Bengals have younger stars, such as Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who are looking to make a name for themselves on the biggest stage in football .
Both Jim and Robin believe that Burrow has what it takes to lead his team to victory.
“We have confidence in Joe and his teammates and the coaches to have a great showing and we’re hoping and praying for to bring home a victory to Ohio,” Robin said.
“He likes being an underdog,” Jim said. “He’s always looking for something to put a chip on the shoulder. So I’m sure he knows exactly how many points they’re underdogs, and he’s going to use that as motivation.”
The state is also behind Burrow. The governor of Ohio announced Monday via Twitter that he temporarily renamed Burr Oak State Park in Glouster, Ohio to Burrow Oak State Park to honor the Bengals’ Super Bowl run. The park is about 25 miles from his hometown in Athens.