This, of course, is Cowboys country.
But many fans will be cheering for the Chiefs this weekend, and not just because Patrick Mahomes has strong ties to Texas.
Nick Bolton, a linebacker for the Chiefs, grew up in Frisco and graduated from Lone Star High School in 2018.
“If you walk in our school building, you'll see a lot of Nick Bolton signs and Kansas City Chiefs signs because everybody's so proud,” said Lone Star Head Coach Jeff Rayburn. “From the time he stepped on campus, he was the ultimate leader for us. He set the example on the field, off the field.”
Rayburn says Bolton started all four years in high school, lead the team to a state title game and helped elevate Lone Star from a 3A to a 5A program.
At a young age, Bolton’s sister was diagnosed with cancer. Just as she overcame the battle, his mom was also diagnosed with cancer.
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“He taught me how to lead in adverse situations because going through some of the things that he's gone through in his life and to handle it like a grown man, as a young man showed us all here how to go about your business and how to handle adversity,” said Rayburn.
Bolton became an All-SEC linebacker at the University of Missouri.
He was selected 58th in the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.
This season, just his second in the league, Bolton broke the Chiefs' single-season tackle record.
“I remember watching his first game for the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie and he had the green dot on his helmet which allows him to communicate with his coaches and there's only one guy that gets to wear that, and for a rookie to have that, it showed the trust that his coaches had in him,” said Rayburn.
It’s the same trust and tenacity that Rayburn says he remembers from Bolton's time at Lone Star.
As a Cowboys fan himself, he says for the Super Bowl, he’ll be wearing his Nick Bolton t-shirt jersey.
“We're going to root for the Kansas City Chiefs as hard as we can because it’s another opportunity to celebrate Nick,” said Rayburn.
Ronald Jones who attended McKinney North High School is also a running back for the Chiefs.
