Before Joe Burrow was an NFL star, he was a small-town kid growing up in southeastern Ohio.Those who have coached him along the way say Burrow has not forgotten where he came from.Sam Smathers coached Burrow as a youth. Smathers assisted author Scott Burson in writing "From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story Through the Eyes of His Hometown."Ahead of its release, Smathers walked WLWT through the making of a champion."We're just, we're very proud, very proud of him. He's just Joe," Smathers said. Plains, Ohio is where it all started for Burrow.Smathers has video footage from when Burrow was a quarterback in third grade. With no one open downfield, he decided to run the ball. Videos from sixth grade show Burrow executing more plays."They bring back all the memories. All the memories come back," Smathers said as he watched a highlight reel. "I've watched him grow up, and I've watched damn near every game he's ever played.Fast forward to high school, Burrow became more competitive."He was very competitive in practice and the game, but he wasn't a rah-rah guy," Smathers said. Burrow led by example."Everybody can see that. He's a silent leader," Smathers said. Burrow led Athens High School to the playoffs and the state championship his senior year."That whole group of kids that came through there was just a talented group. You get that every so often, a good group of kids coming through, and Joe was part of that," Smathers said. Burrow also excelled in basketball. Academics came easy to him. Teachers described him as shy and likeable. Students voted him most likely to become famous in addition to most athletic.Smathers gives a lot of credit to Burrow's parents, Jim and Robin Burrow. "They're just that type of people. Down to earth, well-grounded, and that's where Joey gets it," Smathers said. "He hasn't forgotten. He knows where he's from. He's proud of where he's from. I know he is," Smathers said. That was evident throughout college at Louisiana State University and during his Heisman trophy moment, where he highlighted the issue of food insecurity in Athens County."People here understand that he's fed a lot of people, and they're very grateful for what he's done here," Smathers said. And what he continues to do as a Cincinnati Bengal."When we win it, we're gonna win it, and it'll be our way, and way we're going to do it," Smathers said. Smathers said he helped write the book with blessings from Burrow and his parents.It's set to be released in the spring.More information can be found, here.

President Joe Biden will be landing at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport by Wednesday afternoon preparing to take part in a CNN Town Hall in Delhi Township.It'll be the president's first visit to Cincinnati since he took office in January.The visit has created a bit of a buzz around the city, and people said there are topics they hope will be clearly addressed.The Brent Spence Bridge is at the top of the list for people in the city, as presidents have made promises before, but the bridge looks more bandaged up right now as it undergoes maintenance."We need it. It's long overdue," one man said.It has been an eyesore and a cramp in our commute."That's a concern every day regardless of who is coming to town," a woman told us.As Biden arrives in Cincinnati, people are hoping he will get a first-hand look and address the Brent Spence Bridge."It's really annoying, yeah," another woman we talked with said.They're also bracing for the motorcade madness."I think I'm going to have to get out of town by noon to beat the traffic," another man said.Biden is set to take part in the CNN Town Hall debate at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, speaking at Mount St. Joseph University, a Catholic university in Delhi Township.It is expected to tackle topics including infrastructure, the economy, COVID-19 and slowing vaccinations.People shared concerns about jobs, rising homicide rates, police reform and immigration."Some concerns about income inequality. I think that's becoming more obvious. Problems with people going back to work and people are really enjoying working from home," Ian Iliff said.In Delhi Township, students said Mount St. Joseph University is buzzing with interest as satellite trucks are staged on campus."It just gives us a chance to actually get to know... what's going on and what his plans are for the U.S., and like, what he can do for students in general," student Destiny Chambers said.When the president makes his first visit since taking office, people said they'll be watching for solutions, not speeches."I think it's really interesting to be part of a community that is so close to what is going on," Chambers said.The Archdiocese of Cincinnati released a statement regarding the visit:"Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr has not been contacted by any involved party about the upcoming visit of President Joseph R. Biden to Cincinnati to participate in a CNN town hall meeting at Mount St. Joseph University. Archbishop Schnurr has therefore not been asked for, nor would he have granted, his approval for any such event to occur on Catholic premises. Mount St. Joseph University operates under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Charity and not under the direct oversight of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati."Mount St. Joseph University also released a statement regarding the visit:"We are humbled and honored that both CNN and the White House have recognized Mount St. Joseph University as an outstanding institution of higher learning that is capable and willing to host such an important event. The University has always been and will continue to be a diverse and inclusive place where people from different races, ethnicities, social backgrounds, beliefs, and religions can come together to discuss and share their unique perspectives. We look forward to introducing the Mount to a nationally televised prime time audience."

Hearing the word "cancer" is scary for anyone, especially when you're just 9 years old. Sammy Strawn can call himself a survivor, and one heck of a baseball player too.You don't have to be around Sammy for long to know he's anything but quiet on the field."My dad taught me when I was like maybe 3 or 4, so baseball's life to me," Sammy said. But last October, he wasn't feeling like his normal self. "We first found out after he had a prolonged headache at school and had to come home from school," his dad Joe said.That long headache turned out to be caused by a brain tumor. "It was a pilocytic astrocytoma," Joe said. But baseball stayed on Sammy's mind. So when his parents told him what was going on, Joe said Sammy had just two questions: "First one: 'Am I going to live?' The second one: 'Am I going to play baseball again?'" Joe and his wife Sarah Wemhoff-Strawn say they caught the tumor early on. "(It was) not genetic, it was just a formulation of bad cells," Sarah said. Between October and November, Sammy had two surgeries within weeks of each other. And just three days later, he was back to playing catch again."I didn't want to lie to him and say 'you will play baseball again,'" Joe said. "That was never a guarantee," Sarah chimed in. Joe said he "was hoping by April he would be playing baseball and even that, I wasn't sure it was going to happen."Sammy's impact inspired his parents so much that they started Sammy Strong, a foundation aiming to provide resources for families and everyone else involved in the life of a child facing what Sammy did. Meanwhile, Sammy hasn't missed a single game or practice since his surgery.He's grateful for his teammates."It's like they didn't even notice that I had cancer, and I was just a normal kid on the baseball team," Sammy said."I think grateful is the biggest understatement in the world," Sarah said.Joe and Sarah say it's unlikely that the tumor will come back. But Sammy gets a check-up every three months to make sure everything is alright. For more about the Sammy Strong foundation, go here.