CARTHAGE, Texas —
*Editor's Note: This story was originally published on January 31, 2019.
It does not take long to see Zane Dunn's love of football.
When he’s not at school, the 8-year-old spends time outside throwing the football at his home in Carthage.
Though Dallas is three hours and a world away from Carthage, Zane grew up a Cowboys fan.
“He can be a stink bug sometimes, but I still love him,” Kylie Dunn, Zane's 9-year-old sister jokes.
“He loves to run, jump, throw the football,” Zane’s grandfather Al Kopecky says.
Among Zane's heroes is Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.
“I’ve always wanted to meet Dak," Zane says. "Since I saw him play for the Dallas Cowboys."
Last summer at one of Dak's football camps, Zane's wish was granted as he got to meet his football idol.
“Dak was going around every single team, and he wanted to be my quarterback,” Zane said.
When they teamed up, Zane had a message for the Dallas Cowboys star.
“'If you throw this pass to me, then this one is going to be for my mom,'" Zane remembers telling Prescott. "He threw that pass to me and I made the touchdown!"
That special moment between quarterback and receiver marked a connection that extended far beyond the gridiron.
Zane barely had a chance to get to know his mother. He was only 2-years-old when she passed away.
Around the same time, Prescott, then the quarterback at Mississippi State University, lost his mother to colon cancer.
“They made a connection at the camp,” his grandfather says.
Perhaps because of the mutual understanding of losing a mother, Dak continues to keep in touch with his young fan from Panola County.
Since that special moment at Dak's camp, he has sent Zane gifts, including a signed hat with a special message that he holds deep in his heart.
“It says, 'Always remember her and make her proud. I’m always a fan of you! Dak. M-O-M,'” Zane says.
“When you see a kid like that you see yourself," Dak said. "Obviously I lost my mom at a young age. I couldn’t imagine that even being possible."
Dak ended up inviting Zane to a Cowboys game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2018-2019 season. Before kickoff, Dak met up with Zane o the field at AT&T Stadium to share a moment. It was during that meeting Zane got the surprise of a lifetime.
“He said 'Y'all are two good young men,'" Zane recalls. "And he got something out of his hoodie, and he pulled two Super Bowl tickets out."
This was no publicity stunt. There was nothing theatrical about the moment. It was a simple, yet grand, act of kindness from a man that Zane looks up to.
“Dak is just like the average person," Al says. "The way he presents himself, the way he talks."
Now because of Dak’s gift, Zane and his grandpa are attending Super Bowl LIII.
“I wish the Cowboys were there of course, but just to be able to go to the Super Bowl is pretty exciting,” Al says.
“I was going to cheer for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but now I’m cheering for the Rams," Zane says with a smile. "I don’t like the Patriots. Yuck!”
Even with Zane on the Rams side, he is mainly cheering for one person who will not suit up for Sunday's game.
Zane designed a homemade sign he plans to hold high for his hero, Dak.
“I gotta have it done before we go to the Super Bowl," Zane says. "I’m going to have a sign that says: 'Fight. Finish. Faith.' I’m going to write, 'To Dak from Zane. I’ve always been a fan of you."
Super Bowl LIII kicks off in Atlanta on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. only on CBS19.