In this February 2023 photo, David Hinson, right, is joined by Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame president Randy Anderson and Kirsten Green at the CSHOF induction banquet at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Club. Hinson and Green were both enshrined that evening. Photo courtesy of Missy Paterniti

When Super Bowl 59 kicks off on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, Jamestown will be well-represented at Caesars Superdome.

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, will be there, of course. He was born here in 1959.

And Nick Sirianni, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, will be patrolling the sidelines with a healthy share of family in the stands rooting him on. He graduated from Southwestern High School in 1999.

The third person from Chautauqua County’s largest city who will also be in attendance is David Hinson. He grew up on Jamestown’s southside and is currently the co-director of college scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs, who are seeking their third straight Lombardi Trophy. For those who need reminding, that has never been done before.

Of the three men, Hinson’s journey to the upper echelon of America’s most-watched sport is not as well known, but it is equally as impressive. Now in his 25th NFL season, the 1995 Jamestown High School graduate was previously a scout for Buffalo, New Orleans, Cleveland, the New York Jets and Philadelphia before joining Kansas City in 2017.

In 2021, he was named senior college scouting director, and then was promoted to his current position in 2022. As the co-director of college scouting, he oversees the team’s college scouting efforts, identifying and evaluating potential draft prospects for the personnel department.

That only tells part of Hinson’s story, however. I know that to be true, because I dug into the archives on Monday, less than 24 hours after the Chiefs defeated the Bills in the AFC Championship Game, and found the text of the induction speech he gave at the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame banquet in February 2023.

“Those of you that know me know I am not big on individual awards,” he told a full house at the Lakewood Rod & Gun that night.

So Hinson, who was an all-state athlete in track and the New York State Player of the Year in football his senior year at JHS, didn’t mention any of those accolades during his talk. Instead, he chose to thank his family, his coaches, his friends and an elementary school teacher, Maureen Dimas, instead.

“She would not let me use my little tricks to get out of doing my schoolwork,” Hinson said of Dimas. “She did not give up on me, even when I cried or yelled. If I tried to skip an after-school meeting with her, she would hunt me down. She saw things in me that I never saw in myself. She taught me that with enough effort, you can overcome even your most difficult obstacles in school and in life.”

And look where he is now and where he’ll be in a couple weeks. The married father of one has been literally and figuratively dressed for success virtually his entire life.

“As a kid, my grandfather always made me wear a suit to all my award banquets from a very young age,” Hinson said. “At the time, I hated it because all the other kids were wearing regular clothes, running and playing around.”

George Hinson was teaching his grandson a lesson.

“He was showing me how to carry myself, respect people and make sure they respect you,” the younger Hinson said. “He said many things over the years that shaped and molded me into the man I am today.

“So …as I accept this wonderful honor, I bring all the friends and family I talked about today with me. Yes, I put in the time and hard work to make it all happen, but without them I would never be standing here.”

As a postscript, Hinson was on a tight schedule on his return home for the CSHOF banquet. He needed to catch a flight to Kansas City early the next morning to prepare for the NFL Combine, a week-long showcase where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. Time was of the essence, but guess who was among the last to leave the Lakewood Rod & Gun that night?

Hinson.

It was just another reason why I’m guessing the Chiefs are glad to have him on their “team.”

He’s a true Hall-of-Famer in every sense of the word.