It seems like Joe Burrow comes by his talent naturally; his father, Jimmy Burrow, also played football professionally, per Sports Illustrated. The New York Post reports that the elder Burrow was drafted by the Green Bay Packers as a defensive back in the 1970s. Even when Jimmy left the NFL behind, he never really left the game, going on to play for five years in the Canadian Football League, and later, serving as defensive coordinator at Ohio University. Jimmy’s coaching résumé includes stints at Washington State, Iowa State, and Nebraska, though he eventually bowed out of coaching to watch Joe’s senior games at LSU. “At 8:51 Tuesday 2/5 I told the team I was retiring. Emotional day I’ll remember forever,” he tweeted in 2019.
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It should go without saying that Jimmy is proud of his son’s success. “It’s just incredible to be able to watch and see the growth of Joe as a player and [the Bengals] as a team. It’s just a great experience for Robin and I,” he told the New York Post. Likewise, the city of Athens, Ohio is full of pride for their homegrown QB. The Columbus Dispatch reports that murals have been painted in Joe’s honor and that Athens-based restaurants donate a portion of profits to Athens County Food Pantry after Joe spoke out about food insecurity in the area. It’s like Jimmy said (via the New York Post), “I believe in Joe, and I believe in the Bengals.”
