Yazoo City High School graduate Fletcher Cox will compete with the Philadelphia Eagles against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
The game will be televised live on NBC on Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m.
Cox went on to play for Mississippi State University after graduating from Yazoo City High School in 2009. He was drafted by the Eagles and has become one of the elite defensive players in the NFL.
Despite his status as one of the NFL’s top athletes, Cox has stayed true to his humble roots and continues to support his hometown. Many Yazooans have voiced their pride in the hometown hero following the Eagles’ Sunday win over the Minnesota Vikings to advance to the Super Bowl.
Bryan Davis, editor and publisher of the Enterprise Tocsin newspaper in Indianola, covered Cox as the sports editor for The Yazoo Herald during Cox’s high school career. Davis said he’s not surprised to see Cox succeed.
“This is the hardest working man in the NFL,” Davis said. “I can remember how well conditioned and prepared he was while in high school. He was the hardest working defensive player when he was at Mississippi State, he was one of the most prepared players at the combine the year of the draft,t and there’s no doubt he’s the hardest working man in the pros.”
Cox will be a key player in the Eagles’ effort to stop the Patriots offense led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady.