There's a slogan at Mentor High School: "Once a Card, always a Card."
But on Sunday, Mitchell Trubisky took his alma mater's motto to another level.
Appearing in his first Pro Bowl, Trubisky took the field at Camping World Stadium in Orlando alongside some of the top players in the NFL. In doing so, the now-Chicago Bears quarterback found a way to rep his high school team, wearing a Mentor High School sticker on his helmet as he took the field for third quarter action.
Trubisky's familiar decal was captured by Mentor head coach Steve Trivisonno, who shared the image along with the #OnceACard hashtag.
Replacing Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff as an alternate, Trubisky completed five of his nine pass attempts for 34 yards in what was ultimately a 26-7 AFC victory over the NFC. Despite the defeat, merely making the Pro Bowl was nothing short of an encouraging sign for the 24-year-old Trubisky, who made significant strides in his second season as the Bears' starter.
The No. 2 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, Trubisky improved his numbers across the board in 2018, completing 66.6 percent of his passes for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 95.4. The North Carolina product helped lead the Bears to a 12-4 record and NFC North Division title before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.
With Trubisky's progress and Chicago laying claim to one of the top defenses in the league, there stands reason to believe this won't be the second-year signal-caller's final Pro Bowl appearance. And as Trubisky finds himself increasingly in the spotlight, so too will Mentor High School.
