Dak Prescott: The story of a small town hero with a big heart
By Ethan Levine
Published:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The city of Starkville, Mississippi claims a population of close to 24,000 people, many of which are affiliated with Mississippi State University.
It’s easy for locals to form personal relationships with one another just by being about town, and it’s virtually impossible for the few superstars in town to maintain any semblance of anonymity.
Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott learned that lesson this fall upon leading MSU to unprecedented success on the football field. In a matter of just four months, Prescott transformed from student-athlete to local hero, and it’s had an effect on his life both on and off the field.
“It’s a little busier, even going to eat or running to the grocery store you have to take pictures and sign things,” Prescott told SDS at the College Football Awards show on Thursday night.
There’s no avoiding the obligations that come with serving as the savior of a small town. Starkville has waited for generations for a player like Prescott and a season like the Bulldogs’ 2014 campaign, and in the aftermath of its arrival the town is abuzz.
Prescott set 10 individual single season and career records at Mississippi State, led the school to its first 10-win season since 1940 and its first Orange Bowl berth since 1941, and finished higher in the Heisman voting (eighth) than any MSU player in history. It’s easy to see why he’s so captivating to the fan base and so significant to the Starkville community.
And the junior embraces that role with class, just as he approaches his role as the leader of the Bulldogs. Prescott has stopped for every photo with a fan, has signed every piece of memorabilia presented to him and has shaken the hand of every supporter who’s gone out of his or her way just to share their admiration with the 21 year old.
“If I can do a little simple signature, a smile to make somebody’s day that’s what it’s all about,” Prescott said on Thursday. “For this season, for this team, what we’ve done this year, breaking a lot of school records and doing something we’ve never done, that’s special to the state, to the program and our players.”
Prescott has even been cooperative with fans from opposing schools. He was spotted in photographs with Ole Miss fans at the presentation of the Conerly Trophy, given annually to the best collegiate football player in the state of Mississippi. Those same fans likely rooted against Prescott during last month’s Egg Bowl, but when presented with a chance to meet the star Prescott played along as if they’d been his biggest supporters all season.
That’s just the kind of person he is. He’s no longer the same kid from humble beginnings in Haughton, Louisiana, but he’s maintained the same humility that helped him earn first-team All-SEC honors just four years after being recruited primarily as a tight end.
When asked if the impact of his 2014 season has affected him, Prescott calmly replied “I guess a little bit,” but never led on that it has changed his core values or his approach to his role on the team or in the community.
“(The attention) doesn’t really mean anything,” Prescott said. “Expectations are greater, people expect us to win and we’re embracing that.”
So what do people often say to him in Starkville? During the season it was often praise, but Prescott said more recently fans have been interested in his plans for next season. The fourth-year junior, who graduated from Mississippi State on Saturday, has one year of eligibility remaining but may forgo that season in favor of beginning an NFL career in this spring’s amateur draft.
Bulldog fans would love for their historically great quarterback to return for one more season, but even if he doesn’t Prescott has already cemented his legacy in the Mississippi State history books. His accomplishments on the field speak for themselves, but it is his kind demeanor and maturity that have made him one of the most popular Mississippi State athletes ever.
Whether he stays or goes, he’ll be a hero in Starkville for the rest of his life. That’s just one of the perks of being a big hero in a small town.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
