NFL's Andrew Billings visits Waco elementary school
WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – The Provident Heights Elementary School had a pep rally on Thursday, with Chicago Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings in attendance!
Billings is a Waco local, and he gifted a couple of lucky kids some special gifts. The pep rally included a song relating to Black History Month and a song about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
During the pep rally, students sang Billings a song – which he says he loved! He then got to ask the kids questions about their favorite subject, their favorite book, and their favorite activity to do after school.
In addition, Provident Heights Elementary gave Billings and his wife a gift for their upcoming child. Billings also spoke on how he has power on the field – but not in the classroom like the teachers.
'Oh, it makes you feel good,' says Billings. 'You know, it's whatever I can do. You know, I'm not a teacher. So I don't you know, I don't have that, you know, that power. But just to bring a smile to homes is, every once in a while and show up and do it, feels great. And I'm going to go with it.'
The pep rally included games, music, Dr Pepper floats, and a whole lot of yelling and cheering. Billings is hoping to do this again next year and expand to even more schools to bring some love back to his hometown.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Bears star Cole Kmet gets married to longtime girlfriend with teammates, rival on hand
Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet married his longtime girlfriend, Emily Jarosz, on Saturday with a number of NFL players in attendance, as seen in Instagram photos and videos the newlyweds shared on social media. Kmet and Jarosz, who got engaged in July 2024, tied the knot knot in a church ceremony and held their reception in his parents' backyard. His sister Frankie Kmet and her boyfriend Lukas Van Ness, a defensive end for the rival Packers, shared photos from the wedding on social media. Advertisement 7 Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet married his longtime girlfriend, Emily Jarosz on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Instagram/Emily Jarosz 'My parents backyard filled with SO MUCH LOVE,' Frankie wrote on her Instagram Story, including a clip of the dance floor. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was seen at the reception during the couple's first dance as husband and wife. It's unclear if his girlfriend, Alina Thyregod, was there. Advertisement 7 Chicago Bears quarterback attends his teammate, Cole Kmet and Emily Jarosz's wedding reception on June 7, 2025. X/@Octane10820 7 Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness and his girlfriend Frankie Kmet at her sister's wedding to Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet on June 7, 2025. Instagram/Frankie Kmet 7 Brock Wright, a tight end and fullback hybrid for the Detroit Lions and his fiancée Carley Johnston attended Cole Kmet and Emily Jarosz's wedding on June 7, 2025. Instagram/Carley Johnston 7 Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet and Emily Jarosz held their wedding reception in her parents' backyard on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Instagram/Emily Jarosz Advertisement Brock Wright, a tight end and fullback hybrid for the Detroit Lions, and his fiancée Carley Johnston attended the wedding. Other videos from the reception showed the couple, who are high school sweethearts, dancing together as a live band entertained their guests under a white tent with string lights. Kmet and Jarosz got married before he'll compete for the Bears' starting tight end spot with Colston Loveland, Chicago's 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft, at training camp next month. 7 Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet and Emily Jarosz dancing with the live band at their wedding reception on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Instagram/Emily Jarosz Advertisement 7 Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet and Emily Jarosz held their wedding reception in her parents' backyard on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Instagram/Frankie Kmet The Notre Dame product has been with the Bears since they selected him with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Bears kick off the 2025 season against the Vikings at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 8.
Chicago Tribune
9 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Bears player D.J. Moore sells Lincolnshire condo for $870,000
Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore on June 6 sold his three-bedroom, 3,272-square-foot duplex penthouse condominium in a building in Lincolnshire for $870,000. A Philadelphia native, Moore, 28, was traded to the Bears in 2023 with several other draft picks in exchange for the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He signed a four-year, $110 million contract extension last year. Through an opaque land trust aimed at masking his identity, Moore paid $825,000 in 2023 for the duplex condo. Located in a building constructed in 2008, the condo has 3-1/2 bathrooms, crown moldings, a dining room with a recessed ceiling, a living room with a custom Carrara marble fireplace wall and custom built-in floating cabinets and shelves, and a kitchen with Calcutta gold marble, white-beveled subway tiles, white shaker cabinets, a stainless steel Samsung refrigerator, a stainless steel Bosch dishwasher, a stainless steel Frigidaire range and microwave, a breakfast counter and a coffee bar. Other features include a primary bedroom suite with two custom-designed walk-in closets, double sinks with custom stone counters and Kohler fixtures. The unit also has a laundry room with finishes to match the kitchen, a private entrance from the second floor, a second-floor family room with a vaulted ceiling and skylights, a custom walnut dry bar with soapstone counters and Hinkley and Hudson light fixtures throughout. Outside, the condo has a large private outdoor terrace, an outdoor balcony with a gas hookup for a grill and parking for two cars in a heated garage. Moore first listed the condo in February for $950,000, and he found a buyer in May. Listing agent Jeff Ohm did not respond to a request for comment. The Lincolnshire condo had a $20,168 property tax bill in the 2024 tax year. It also costs its owner another $12,492 each year in homeowners association dues. Moore has owned other properties. He sold a five-bedroom, 4,498-square-foot house in Charlotte, N.C. for $1.3765 million in 2023. And he long has been trying to sell a five-bedroom, 9,757-square-foot mansion on 3.9 gated, waterfront acres in Charlotte for $5 million. That mansion is located on Lake Wylie, a man-made lake on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina.
New York Times
10 hours ago
- New York Times
Why Rome Odunze, stronger and playing ‘freely' in Year 2, has high hopes for 2025
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Rome Odunze's birthday present included getting back to work at Halas Hall last week. He turned 23 on June 3, the first day of the Chicago Bears' mandatory minicamp. And for as much as Odunze has welcomed a more informed outlook entering his second year in the NFL, he knows he has untapped potential. He's young. Younger than Bears second-round rookie offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and just three days older than sixth-round rookie running back Kyle Monangai. Advertisement 'I just turned 23,' Odunze said on Thursday. 'I don't have many things to focus on other than getting better.' This offseason, Odunze said, he's focused on putting himself 'in peak condition spiritually, mentally (and) physically.' He's added a few pounds of lean mass and lost some fat. He's dialed in on his upper-body strength, which he said he learned was particularly important to come out on the better side of 50-50 catches. 'There's a lot of nitpicking and grabbing in this league that isn't always shown,' Odunze said. 'I feel like I needed to build upper-body mass to be able to combat some of those things.' Unlike this time last year, when the former University of Washington receiver was joining his new team after months of pre-draft questions and evaluations, Odunze knows what's ahead of him. 'It's a different game than college football. There are different windows, different ways to get open, and there's a different pace that you have to get adapted to,' Odunze said. 'Having a full season under my belt, I feel like I'm aware of those things. 'I can now play the game freely in a way that I know where I need to be when I need to be there.' The ninth pick in the 2024 draft, Odunze's rookie season was a mixed bag. He made 54 catches for 734 yards, both ranking third among Bears receivers behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, and three touchdowns. He showed glimpses — like his 47-yard catch in a loss to the Colts in Week 3, which remained the longest reception for the Bears all season — but faded into the background at other times. It wasn't all on the rookie, though, as the Bears finished last in the league in total offense (283.5 yards per game). But the worst part about Year 1? Odunze didn't hesitate to answer: It was losing. The Bears finished 5-12, losing 10 of their last 11 games, as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and then head coach Matt Eberflus were fired in-season. As Chicago welcomes a new regime led by head coach Ben Johnson, an offensive makeover is in progress. Odunze already noted the explosiveness that the new offense will prioritize. On Thursday, minicamp fun and games were the early signs of trick plays in progress. 'I think Ben (Johnson) and crew have great offensive minds,' Odunze said. 'I feel like they can help put me in positions to succeed, and that's all I can ask for. 'But at the end of the day, I've got to get out there and make plays and get the job done regardless.' Moore, who has led the Bears in receiving in each of the past two seasons, said earlier in minicamp he noticed Odunze's improvement from last year. That progress included a few highlight-worthy plays, such as Thursday, when Odunze snagged a catch through traffic from a scrambling Caleb Williams (at the 25-second mark of the clip below). Every rep counts 💪 — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 6, 2025 With his added comfort, developing that chemistry with Williams is Odunze's next step forward, and a particularly important one if he plans to take on a larger role. Allen is a free agent and not expected back in Chicago, which could open up more targets for Odunze, although the Bears also added two pass catchers early in the draft, taking tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 and wideout Luther Burden at No. 39. Advertisement It's still too early to write his goals in stone, but Odunze is eyeing 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in the 2025 season. For the team, he didn't shy away from singling out a playoff appearance, which would be the Bears' first since 2020. Chicago has just two playoff appearances and no trips past the wild-card round since reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2010. 'When you're doing the right things and you're having success, and the team is having success, all the statistics and those numbers will come,' Odunze said. For the new 23-year-old, a 'Jordan Year' breakout would be exactly what he and Chicago desire.
