Cedar Hill Alum Dedicates Chicago Bears Jersey To Cedar Hill & CHHS
CEDAR HILL – Cedar Hill Longhorn turned Chicago Bear Linebacker Trevis Gipson came home last week to Texas to dedicate a jersey to both the City of Cedar Hill and Cedar Hill High School.
“Trevis’ Chicago Bears Jersey Dedication symbolizes his appreciation of what the high school, district, and city has done to contribute to his level of success today as well as his intent to give back to the community,” his mother Cassundra Ross-Gipson said.
Gipson is a Cedar Hill High School Class of 2015 Graduate who became the CHHS player drafted the highest in the NFL Draft when the Chicago Bears selected him out of Tulsa in the fifth round last spring. He starred on Cedar Hill’s 2014 State Championship Team.
In his rookie season, he had five tackles to help lead the Bears to the NFC Playoffs.
Gipson before the Chicago Bears
But that is now. At one time Gipson was living in Cedar Hill and playing football and living at home under the guidance of his mother, Ross-Gipson [who also happens to be an assistant principal at Cedar Hill HS] and that is where the story begins.
“That’s quite a story that became more complex with COVID,” Ross Gipson began. “He’s always been athletic and active from the very start. And I do mean active. The warmest example of this was when we lived in Seguin, Texas on 19 acres. The family had a horse trailer that he used as a jungle gym. He was only two years old and he would cry if we tried to prevent him from climbing. Determined and always has been.
Trevis has never gone a season without playing at least one sport since he was four years old. He loved football and basketball evenly all the way through high school. He was slender but tough as nails so once he made a decision to play football he was all in. That’s that determination again. He gained roughly 50 pounds of muscle within three years of college. He started to peak in performance his junior year and continued his senior year.
The recruitment process was exciting and stressful all at the same time. Finding an agent was a hectic process because you had to interview and check credentials as well as the resources of each agent, and there were a lot. We made a great decision. Then came training in Phoenix, the invitation to the Reese’s Bowl Game, the NFL Combine, and the finale of NFL Draft. The stress of waiting for two days in front of the television and by the phone can’t be put into words. At every level I was on pins and needles but Trevis handled the stress better than I ever could. When the call came from the Chicago Bears it was relief. He had reached a goal he had worked so hard for.”
Spoken in the words of a mother, and Gipson definitely appreciates his family and certainly when he was in high school.
“They were extremely supportive,” he said. “Grandparents and parents were there and didn’t miss any of the games.”
As for playing for the Bears, Ross Gipson said “We have always been sports fans on every level as it relates to football and basketball. As a family, that’s how we found entertainment. We have always been fans of the NFL… Trevis being drafted has definitely created Chicago Bear fans of all friends and family now.”
She said she also thinks this is an “excellent opportunity for Trevis to be a player of such a historical organization. He gets to play along side of the best defensive players in the nation. Iron sharpens iron. Who could ask for more?”
Gipson said “Cedar Hill prepared me. It is a winning town ever since we won state in 2014. I feel like they molded me for college.”
And in case you need a trivia question – Gipson’s number in Cedar Hill and Tulsa was 15, but on the Chicago Bears it is 99. Fifteen is his lucky number.
