CANTON — A Texas boy from a small town of around 4,000 is now wearing a Seattle Seahawks jersey and is set to play on sports' biggest stage.
Keavon Milton, a Canton High School graduate and football player is headed to the Super Bowl.
For Tampa Whitaker, it's her big brother. Whitaker, a Senior at Canton High, is days away from the trip of a lifetime, heading to Phoenix to watch Milton play in the big game.
It will be her first live NFL game, and what she hopes will be the first of many Super Bowl appearances of her brother's career.
"To know that he's out there having fun, and he's not just doing it for the ring or the money, he's doing it because he's having fun, that's our expectation," said Whitaker.
Kevin Milton is not a star, but a role player, something he's always been.
Jeff Priest, now the head baseball coach for Canton, coached Milton in football for three years until Milton graduated in 2008.
"As far as physical aggression, I always thought that Keavon was real soft-hearted, tender-hearted," Priest said. "He was just so strong [...] you couldn't move him."
Milton developed that toughness. He left Canton for the University of Louisiana-Monroe and started almost every game during his last few years.
"The more he started to develop himself in college, I think that opportunity opened the door for him," said Priest.
He excelled, and earned an NFL contract with the Saints. Last year, he became a Seahawk, and Sunday, he'll be in the Super Bowl.
Canton will always claim Milton. The signs around town won't let you forget where No. 66 came from.
In the next few days, Whitaker will watch her brother play in person.
Hoping he'll have a new piece of jewelry to show off the next time he comes back to Canton.
