Mother of Fresno's Xavier Worthy feeling all emotions ahead of Super Bowl LIX
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- X marks the spot on Nicky Jones' heart.
"Now that he's gone, I kind of wear this when he's gone," she said. "It's almost like having all my kids here."
The x stands for her son, Xavier Worthy. now known to millions of fans as the Kansas City Chiefs' recording-setting rookie.
"My first kid, my only boy absolutely changed my life," Jones said.
Nicky says she knew Worthy was special the moment he started walking.
"Played football for the first time when he was in kindergarten, and that's when i knew for sure because I could measure him up against the other kids out there and he was definitely different," she said.
RELATED: 'Xavier Worthy Day' officially proclaimed in Fresno
Always the fastest kid on the track, always the fastest kid on the football field.
"About four or five, he (Xavier) said he wanted to go to the NFL, he wanted to play football," Jones said. "That's when he was amazed by DeSean Jackson. "He wanted to play for the Eagles, which is funny we're facing them."
After an undefeated state championship run with Central in 2019, colleges came calling.
With more than 20 offers on the table, Xavier still had another season to impress programs from across the country.
RELATED: Fresno's Xavier Worthy prepares for Super Bowl LIX
His senior year was sidelined by COVID.
"That was tough for him and that class of athletes," Jones said.
With no track and no football to play, Mom's backyard became the training ground before his move to play for the Texas Longhorns.
"He did his little training, kept himself motivated," Jones said. "He didn't put full pads and everything until he went to Texas."
After three seasons in Austin with All-American honors and a College Football Semifinal appearance, Worthy declared for the draft.
"He has this drive in him to be the best and if he says he's going to do something, he's going to do it," Jones said.
That "it" was attempting to be the fastest man at the NFL Combine.
"Zay got the juice -- he ran that 4.22, and we were screaming our heads off," Jones said.
Not only was he the fastest in his class, his time of 4.21 seconds was the fastest in NFL history.
RELATED: Central High graduate Xavier Worthy breaks NFL Combine 40-yard dash record
That performance raised his draft stock to a first-round pick.
"He said he was going to go to the Chiefs," Jones said.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champions would trade up in the first round, taking Worthy with the 28th overall pick.
The move matched him with three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
RELATED: Fresno native Xavier Worthy drafted in first round by the Kansas City Chiefs
In Nicky's office, you'll find a special keepsake from his rookie year.
At the start of the 4th quarter against the Saints, Worthy would burst into the end zone on a handoff from tight end Travis Kelce. He then gave the touchdown ball to his mother.
Three months later, Worthy was just one win away from making the Super Bowl, with Firebaugh's Josh Allen standing in his way at Arrowhead.
"By the time we got to the AFC Championship, I was holding in too many good emotions in -- I had to let them out," Jones said.
Worthy was the leading receiver against the Bills, helping Kansas City move on to the big game - once again - against the Eagles.
RELATED: Fresno's Xavier Worthy takes podium at Super Bowl's opening night
It's a chance to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to three-peat as champions.
"He's (Xavier) always a part of some history, but it would be awesome to be a part of that, and I know that's something he wants to do," Jones said.
With tickets in the third row booked at the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans, Nicky is hoping her son can play a part in another record-setting moment.
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