A lot of people in Illinois were rooting for the 49ers this past weekend simply because they were playing the Green Bay Packers, but for many, rooting for them every week is becoming more common. It's not because of a quick turnaround from a year ago, their love for the colors red and gold, or because they simply got tired of the Bears breaking their hearts. It's because the face of the franchise is from right here in Illinois.

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Jimmy Garoppolo, or Jimmy G, is an Arlington Heights native. He played his high school football at Rolling Meadows and then went on to play at Eastern Illinois University. The day he was drafted into the NFL, May 8th 2014, the village honored him by declaring it Jimmy Garoppolo Day in Arlington Heights, according to the Daily Herald.

Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes is even trying to get Jimmy G to come to a board meeting sometime after the Super Bowl to honor his recent accomplishments.

It reminds me a lot of the buzz around Rockford when Fred VanVleet was competing for the NBA Championship. Sure, the Toronto Raptors probably weren't your team, but if your team can't win the next best thing is for someone from your community to win.

I may be a little biased as a 49ers fan, but I invite you to jump on the bandwagon, even just for one game, to root on the Illinois kid to win a Super Bowl. Maybe he'll take the mayor of Arlington Heights up on his offer and hopefully bring the Lombardi Trophy with him.

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