DENTON, Kan. — It’s a dream No. 99 has been chasing his whole life.
Trey Dishon got the call Saturday from the Cincinnati Bengals after playing football at Kansas State for four years.
“We reached a deal to sign as an undrafted free agent, which is awesome because a lot of people were unfortunate and didn’t have the opportunity to do that this year with everything that’s going on,” the defensive tackle said.
Not even three days later, Dishon found the time to “pop-in” on a few online classrooms close to his hometown.
“Well, it was crazy,” said Maddex Meyer, who’s a third grader at Donaphin West Elementary School.
“He lived — he grew up in my dad’s hometown,” said Karson Greene, also a third grader at Donaphin West.
Star-struck third graders from Doniphan West, in Denton, Kansas, asked questions and learned about Dishon’s journey from Horton, Kansas, to the NFL.
“He started just playing different sports, and then he got up to college and he started playing football, and then he entered the draft,” third-grader Zek Leatherman said. “It’s really cool.”
Some even showed off their local sports championship gear.
Dishon found his passion on the football field. He told students that everyone has a calling and whatever your dream is, run with it.
“Encouraging them just to believe that they can do anything that they want to do in the world, whether that is sports or school,” Dishon said. “Because if you can think it, you can achieve it.”
“He hit it home with our kids,” third grade teacher Janafer Chartier said. “He said school was the most important part, that through school he built relationships with people and that’s gotten him to where he is now.”
Dishon remembers at a young age some people said he’d never reach his goal.
“I think that being in a small town in a small school, it’s hard for us to see all these big opportunities that we can have,” third grade teacher BreAnne Caudle said. “So I hope that for some of them, it’s gotten them excited to dream a lot bigger.”
Like these teachers, Dishon wants students to know the sky is the limit.
“Yeah, ’cause like if they could get drafted, then I can, too,” Greene said.
“I can do anything,” said Mally Meyer, a third grader at Donaphin West.
“He said that if you believe that you can do it, then it can happen,” Leatherman said.