A Local Writer's View of the Dorial Green-Beckham Decision

I've been a resident of Springfield, Mo. for over 15 years. Some of you may have grown familiar with the name "Springfield" solely as the location of high school football's most notable star and college football's most alluring recruit—Dorial Green-Beckham.

Before Green-Beckham, there was almost a total absence of noteworthy football stars from the city, with a few exceptions. 

Seth Wand, the Houston Texans' third-round draft pick in 2003, graduated from my former high school—Springfield Catholic High School.

Grant Wistrom, who was a first-round draft pick and a Super Bowl champion with the St. Louis Rams, attended high school in Webb City—a town approximately 60 miles outside of Springfield, actually much closer to Joplin.

No other names immediately come to mind.

Some people may have a predetermined notion that Springfield is a backwoods town with 500 people, but it is far from that. Springfield is a legitimate city with a metropolitan population of nearly half a million people. 

But it is hardly a city known for producing high-profile figures. 

This is why Green-Beckham's situation has had a special significance in the area, more so than if he happened to live in larger city, such as Los Angeles or New York City.

Meanwhile, Hillcrest High School, the school that Green-Beckham attends, was generally ignored and overlooked by the local football coverage for many years. 

Hillcrest is located in northern Springfield in a more worn down and, let's face it, a poor part of the city. It was hardly a school one would hope to attend if there was any way around it. 

Kickapoo and Glendale were the public high schools that drew most of the attention in football, while Springfield Catholic was the local private school that gained the most recognition. 

But now, suddenly, all the major sports networks are focused in on a once-forgotten high school in a camera-shy city that just offered up their biggest celebrity to the Missouri Tigers.

There was really no wrong decision for Green-Beckham—between Mizzou and Arkansas, the city is basically split down the middle as far as their allegiances to those schools, with the exception of a few oddballs who root for Kansas.

The Tigers have generated a considerable amount of respectability during coach Gary Pinkle's tenure, which should only be enhanced once the team is initiated into the prestigious SEC Conference. 

In recent years, the people of Missoui have felt something that they've experienced before—pride in a local college football program. 

The recent surge in quality football has produced a swarm of NFL prospects in recent years, such as Justin Smith (49ers), Brad Smith (Bills), Jeremy Maclin (Eagles), Chase Daniel (Saints), Chase Coffman (Bengals), Ziggy Hood (Steelers), Aldon Smith (49ers), William Moore (Falcons) and Danario Alexander (Rams).  

The addition of Green-Beckham is a strong indicator that Mizzou is indeed trending upwards. The signing also says that the school's recent success is hardly a fluke, but rather the beginning of a winning tradition that is already being established. 

But no matter what Green-Beckham does in college or the NFL, his legacy will always be remembered as one that had a positive impact on his hometown. 

The local media suddenly worships Hillcrest High School. They'll deny that they ever ignored the school's athletic teams, and while they may be fooling outsiders, the locals remember. 

Also, with any luck, Green-Beckham's legacy will put Springfield on the map in the eyes of college scouts, who previously saw the city as being void of any top-tier talent. The end result could allow kids to get scholarships that would not have existed in the past. 

And hopefully, the young receiver will always remain the pride of the city, so maybe, just maybe, we can finally shut up about Brad Pitt attending high school here.