Mitch Trubisky Comes From a Town of Unlikely Success Stories

Often the best way to understand a person is by where they come from. People born on the west coast almost invariably grow up with different principles and personalities than people from the deep south. Same goes for people from the east coach and Pacific northwest. Chicago Bears fans are dying to know more about their new quarterback Mitch Trubisky. For months experts have dug deeply into his personal background. Granted some fascinating details came to light, but nobody bothered to look at his home town. Trubisky was born and raised in Mentor, Ohio. It's a suburban community about 25 miles northeast of Cleveland. It has a population of roughly 46,000 people and is known best for its abundant rosebushes. CNN recently ranked it as the 37th best place in the United States to live. All in all it's a classic piece of Americana. What people may not know is it has another reputation that isn't explored much. One that may excite Bears fans if they're the superstitious type. Mentor actually has a history of producing people who go from humble beginnings to big success in the world. Some might call them overachievers. This town has done its fair share.

James A. Garfield

Easily the most famous person to come from there is James Garfield. For those who didn't pay attention in history class he was the 20th President of the United States. A classic rags-to-riches story. Raised by a single mother on a farm, he left home at age 16. After working various jobs he got a formal education and entered politics.

"If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it."

His star really rose when the Civil War broke out in 1861. After serving admirably he used that distinction to become an Ohio Congressman in 1863. From there he climbed the ladder to become president in 1881. He was 50-years old. Sadly his reign only lasted a few months before he was shot by an angry office-seeker. Garfield later died of his wounds. Nonetheless, what he'd achieved was no less remarkable given where he'd started.

Katie Spotz

Some may recognize the name for making the news a few times but Spotz was a perfect encapsulation of how people from Mentor just seem to find personal success through sheer hard work. She first reached fame when she became the first person ever to swim the entire length of the Allegheny River. A distance of 325 miles. Little did anybody know she was just warming up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqkV8fkxAtA Just two years later she became the youngest person ever (and the first American) to row the entire length of the Atlanta Ocean from Senegal, Africa to French Guiana, South America. By the time she'd finished, the distance covered stood at 2,817 miles.

Joe Jurevicius

Now for an NFL example for Bears fans wondering where this is going. The Mentor boost has happened to football players as well. In this case a former wide receiver by the name of Joe Jurevicius. Same story setup. He was a relatively unexciting talent from Penn State who made just 94 catches in three college seasons. He never really got a fair shake when he first reached the pros, playing part-time role with the New York Giants. It wasn't until 2002 where he showed the world what he could do. After a quiet regular season, he exploded in the playoffs for 197 yards and a touchdown across three games. This included a huge catch in the NFC championship that helped get his Tampa Bay Buccaneers in position to take the lead. A moment that many hail as the turning point of the teams' fortunes. [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Buccaneers-Eagles-2002-NFC-Championship-Game000131.000-000158.001.mp4"][/video] The Buccaneers won the game 27-10 and went on to crush Oakland in the Super Bowl. If that weren't enough, Jurevicius wasn't done. Three years later he had his best season with the Seattle Seahawks. A year that saw him score 10 touchdowns. He might've been the MVP of the Super Bowl that year had they won given his five catches for 93 yards.

Trubisky is next

Now here he is. Trubisky is an unlikely success story in his own right already. He only started one season at quarterback in college and that was at North Carolina. A school known more for its basketball heritage than football prowess. Yet his endless dedication and laser focus enabled him to become the second overall pick in the draft. People continue to doubt him. They feel he's destined for failure. He didn't get enough college experience. He was drafted by the Bears, a team notorious for its quarterback woes. He's heard it all by this point and the young man doesn't seem to care. The hard work continues regardless. To him the only way he fails is if he stops giving it everything he's got. That may sound corny and cliche and naive to many people. For a native of Mento, Ohio? It's based in a rich history of proven reality.