By Cody Thomason

The Vicksburg Post

One play changed everything for Malcolm Butler. The now famous game-winning interception in Super Bowl XLIX by the then-rookie cornerback made him a New England Patriots legend.

Meanwhile, 1,436 miles away in Vicksburg, it also made Butler a hometown hero. A legion of local residents not only took pride in their friend and neighbor, they changed their football allegiances to root for him.

His former high school and junior college teammate, Los Williams, has rooted for the Patriots since Butler landed with them and said it was unbelievable to see him come down with the game-winning play.

“I felt like I made the interception,” Williams said.

Today a No. 21 Patriots jersey with “Butler” on the back is a common sight at sporting events in Vicksburg. Teachers and former classmates are quick to share fond stories of him. Even though the New Orleans Saints are geographically the closest team, the town has rallied around the Patriots to keep up with Butler.

“I have not always been a Patriots fan, I used to be a Steelers fan, and when Malcolm got on with the Patriots I became a Patriots fan,” Vicksburg resident Kim Wilson said.

Vicksburg resident Nathaniel Guice, 19, had a similar sentiment.

“I became a Patriots fan when Malcolm joined the Patriots,” Guice said. “It’s really awesome, to see someone in my hometown play in the NFL and also having an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl.”

For most in the area, the fandom is definitely tied to Butler and not the actual team.

“A lot of people say, ‘I’m not a Patriots fan. I’m a Malcolm Butler fan,’” Butler said in a telephone interview with the Vicksburg Post leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. “All the Malcolm Butler fans or Patriot fans, I’m going to try to bring this one home. I just thank them for all the support.”

Vicksburg resident Sammie Rainey said he was one of those fans.

“You have to support the hometown guy. It doesn’t matter what team they are on, they still belong to us, they’re one of ours,” Rainey said.

The inspiration Butler’s unlikely rise to stardom in the NFL has created can be felt throughout the community. Butler famously was booted off of Hinds Community College’s football team and worked at the Popeye’s Chicken restaurant on Pemberton Boulevard before getting his life and football career in order.

Butler went on to star at Hinds and Division II West Alabama before signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has since helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls, with a third possible on Sunday.

“I think that it’s a wonderful thing for anyone that’s going to be spurred to notice that you can do anything if you just really strive for it,” Wilson said. “He shows that hard work and dedication can get you anywhere, and I think that’s awesome and it’s good for people in Vicksburg to be able to see him there as well.”

His former guidance counselor at Vicksburg High, Missy Tello, hung a signed poster of him in her office onto which he inscribed, “Anything is possible.”

“I’ve used his story over and over again with kids if they want to drop out, or they don’t think they’ll amount to anything. I’ve told kids, you can go anywhere, you can do anything, and Malcolm is the perfect example of that,” Tello said.

Ultimately the ties between the Vicksburg community and Butler have proven to be much stronger than just his play on the field. It’s what he’s done off the field that’s made such a strong impact on this town’s citizens.

Butler has returned to the city often during his offseasons, whether it was for a parade in his honor following Super Bowl XLIX or to host his annual youth football camp the past three summers. He has also made a number of other charitable contributions on a smaller scale.

“It’s not because he’s a football player, we have a lot of football players,” Tello said. “When we had the water crisis, Malcolm sent water to us. He doesn’t tell everybody that, but he buys turkeys at Thanksgiving. He insists that his camp is free because he was never able to go to camps growing up. He’s an NFL player, he could be paid a lot of money for that, but he will not charge. That’s what makes him special, really.”

Butler is a free agent this offseason, and there’s a chance the Patriots will not match the offers other teams throw at him. For the majority of his Vicksburg fans, the choice of whether to stick with New England or embrace his new team is an easy one.

“If Malcolm leaves the Patriots, I’ll follow Malcolm, not the Patriots,” said Lucy DeRossette, Butler’s eighth grade English teacher.