NFL
Patrick Mahomes' humble Texas beginnings
Mahomes wasn't always just a football star - he had a bright future in baseball. As luck would have it, Texas Tech shaped him into the QB we love today.
We all know the name Patrick Mahomes these days. But where did he come from and how did he end up where he is today? That is, a two-time Super-Bowl quarterback in the NFL with a Super Bowl win and Super Bowl MVP title under his belt at just 26 years old.
Mahomes' Texas beginnings
Mahomes grew up in a town called Tyler in Texas. Being (somewhat) near Dallas, he grew up watching Tony Romo and was a big fan of the Cowboys. No stranger to the sports world, his dad was a professional baseball player, and so Mahomes followed in his footsteps and played baseball in high school too. He also played basketball and of course, football.
There was actually a time when Mahomes thought he might quit football and just focus on baseball. His mother influenced his decision not to, and he happened to have a hugely successful football game during a Texas rainstorm one night. In the audience was a recruit from Texas Tech University who Patrick Mahomes left impressed.
From that moment on, Mahomes was sought after by colleges for both baseball and football and even by Major League Baseball. He ended up being chosen 37th by the Detroit Tigers and would likely have been picked higher, but at that point, it was clear he was committed to attending Texas Tech University to play football.
Mahomes' college career
He ended up playing both baseball and football to start out, but after gaining the starting quarterback position as a true freshman, he quit baseball after his sophomore year so he could put all his energy into football. That seemed to have paid off. Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes Mahomes' stats as a college player. Under former Red Raider quarterback and current Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury's guidance, Mahomes finished his junior year at Tech as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.
He chose to join the NFL rather than finish out his degree at TTU. He was selected 10th overall in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs and went on to win NFL MVP in 2018, take the Chiefs to the Super Bowl two years in a row, win the Super Bowl championship in 2019, and win Super Bowl MVP that same year.