Cooper DeJean’s Super Bowl TD could get him a street named in his tiny Iowa hometown

NEW ORLEANS — Cooper DeJean sprinted Sunday night across the field, dancing away from would-be tacklers and racing towards the end zone as it suddenly became believable that the Eagles really would steamroll their way to a Super Bowl title.

It was the definitive play of a 40-22 win over the Chiefs, a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown on DeJean’s birthday that felt like a knockout blow.

Back in Iowa, DeJean’s old high school coach was watching at home with with his wife. Larry Allen reacted in Odebolt just like they did in Philadelphia when DeJean dashed across the TV screen and into living rooms across America.

“I’m sure they could hear us downtown when we were screaming,” Allen said.

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DeJean grew up in Odebolt, a tiny Iowa town with no stoplights and roughly 1,000 people. He already did enough to be a small-town hero as he won a state championship in 2020 with Allen at OABCIG High and starred at the University of Iowa.

But this — an interception of Patrick Mahomes and a dramatic score on football’s biggest stage — pushed DeJean to even bigger heights.

“I have no say in the matter,” Allen said. “But there may just be a street named Cooper DeJean Avenue somewhere in Odebolt.”

DeJean’s first NFL interception was the perfect finishing touch to his fantastic rookie season. He helped transform last year’s Swiss cheese defense into Cooper sharp as the Eagles finished the regular season with the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

The Eagles arrived at the Superdome after allowing just 18.3 points per game in their first three postseason wins. The Chiefs didn’t score on Sunday until the final minute of the third quarter. They were even better in the Super Bowl.

“I was trying to find the fastest way to the end zone,” DeJean said. “Luckily, I got some blocks out there. I had to avoid some of those big guys, but it was just our defense working together like we have all year. It fell right into my lap.”

DeJean’s old high school was covered this week with posters and signs celebrating the hometown hero. They sent him a video before the game and every kid seemed to get a DeJean jersey in December for Christmas. This was big.

“It was the talk of the town,” Allen said.

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The TD was reminiscent of the play DeJean made in November 2020 to win OABCIG High’s state title. DeJean, who played quarterback in high school, faked a handoff in the fourth quarter and weaved his way through the defense for a game-winning touchdown. He had already blocked an extra point and scored the tying touchdown. So of course he scored the winner.

DeJean, just like Sunday, seemed to shine on the biggest stages. He simply makes plays. He never looked like a rookie this season and he sure didn’t as he weaved through the Chiefs’ would-be tacklers. Allen often rewatches that old championship game on YouTube when he can’t find anything else to watch on TV. DeJean gave him a new highlight to rewatch on Sunday.

“Unbelievable,” Allen said. “That was special. It was the same thing as that play. He ran all the way across the field, made some guys miss, and just his athleticism took over.”

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Sure, the Chiefs had Mahomes. But that was no advantage against a defense that regrouped after the Week 5 bye and became a unit that can make a Super Bowl opponent look like a practice squad.

The Eagles rushed Mahomes all night, sacking him six times without ever needing to blitz. The Eagles seemed to be everywhere Mahomes threw, from DeJean and fellow rookie star Quinyon Mitchell locking down receivers to Avonte Maddox swatting away a fourth-down pass in the third quarter. Milton Williams, who will become a free agent, sacked Mahomes twice and forced a fumble.

“We just played our defense, like we have all year,” DeJean said. “What we’ve done all year: working together as a group. The biggest thing is try to contain the quarterback and I think our D-line did a great job of that all night: group rushing up, keeping him in the pocket, not allowing him to create explosive plays when he gets outside the pocket.”

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In January 1993, the early ’90s Gang Green defense won its only playoff game in the Superdome. DeJean and Co. did Eric Allen & Co. proud in the same building. This was Gang (Midnight) Green.

“To be able to do it with this group of guys, I come in and since day one – all of us rookies, they brought us in, taught us everything they know,” DeJean said. “Now, to be here on the biggest stage and be able to hold that Lombardi Trophy and do it on my birthday and Saquon’s birthday. It’s pretty crazy.”

In the last Super Bowl, Mahomes carved up the Eagles defense in the second half to erase a 10-point deficit. But this defense isn’t that defense. There was no rally for Mahomes this time.

The Eagles defense that placed the Super Bowl in a stranglehold is built mostly around young players who will be in green for years. The lopsided win was a statement that this Eagles team — and its punishing defense — is just opening its championship window. And it might even be enough for your hometown to name a street after you.

“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid, watching this game growing up,” DeJean said. “Now it’s here and now I get to wear a big old ring on my finger whenever we get it, hold that trophy. It’s amazing.”

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