Joe Burrow

Joseph Lee Burrow was born December 10, 1996, in Ames, Iowa, into a football family that shaped every aspect of his upbringing. His father Jimmy Burrow played in the NFL and CFL before a long career as a college defensive coordinator, most notably at Ohio University. His mother Robin was a middle-school principal, and Burrow grew up alongside older brothers Jamie and Dan, both of whom went on to play college football at Nebraska. The family eventually settled in The Plains, Ohio, in the Appalachian foothills.

Burrow attended Athens High School in Athens, Ohio, where he was the state's Mr. Football and a three-time league MVP despite playing in a small-town program that rarely produced Division I prospects. He signed with Ohio State and sat behind Dwayne Haskins for three years before transferring to LSU for his final two seasons. It was at LSU that his career exploded into all-time territory — his 2019 campaign produced the most statistically dominant college football season of the modern era: a Heisman Trophy, a College Football Playoff national championship, 60 passing touchdowns, and an undefeated 15-0 record.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Burrow first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, a homecoming of sorts given his Ohio upbringing. His rookie year ended with a torn ACL and MCL, but he returned in 2021 to deliver one of the most dramatic turnarounds in franchise history, leading the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI — the team's first Super Bowl appearance in more than three decades. He has since become the face of a sustained Cincinnati contender.

Burrow's statistical résumé is headlined by his Heisman, his college national championship, Super Bowl appearance, and multiple Pro Bowl selections. He has repeatedly proven himself as one of the league's most surgical pocket passers, with an uncanny ability to deliver in big moments — a trait that earned him the nickname 'Joe Cool' and an $11 million signing bonus that briefly made him the highest-paid player in NFL history when he signed his extension.

Away from football, Burrow has become one of the NFL's most distinctive personalities, known for his unusual fashion choices — he arrived at one season's opener in a cream-colored suit that became instantly iconic — and his laid-back Ohio demeanor. He has deep endorsement partnerships with BodyArmor, Fanatics, Nike's Jordan Brand, and others, and he has built a thoughtful, deliberately cultivated media presence that emphasizes craft over celebrity.

Burrow maintains strong ties to southeastern Ohio and the Appalachian region where he grew up, famously using his 2019 Heisman acceptance speech to highlight poverty in Athens County. The speech sparked a grassroots fundraising effort that raised more than $650,000 for the Athens County Food Pantry — a movement that became one of the most inspiring stories in recent Heisman history. He remains a central figure in the region's identity and continues to support local causes even as his NFL career has lifted him into national stardom.