WHITEHOUSE, Texas —
The "Mahomes Madness" continues in Whitehouse.
In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LIV, Whitehouse residents and other East Texans have been creating Patrick Mahomes-inspired goods, but there’s one item you probably haven’t seen yet.
Chris Ervin, a Whitehouse alum (Class of 1990), has designed a number of different ties over the last several years.
"It was just something random,” Ervin said. “When my mom and my grandmother passed years ago I was kinda depressed. I wanted to create something in remembrance of them."
His latest include Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ervin says his hobby is sparking a lot of conversation this time of year.
"I wanted to be part of the Whitehouse tradition and honor him,” Ervin said. “I said hey I'm gonna make myself a Patrick Mahomes tie. I'll be out of town anywhere people say, 'hey, I love your tie it's cool. Hey, I love your tie'."
He never sells ties, just gives them away, even creating several for his two friends he's kept in touch with since their days at Whitehouse High School.
“I told him, 'man, you have something going right here',” Gerald Ray, a Whitehouse alum and friend of Ervin said. “He made me an Earl Campbell tie.”
“This tie is a symbol of my daughter,” Quinten Mackui, a Whitehouse alum and cousin of Ervin said. “He made this tie for a daddy daughter dance."
Ervin started designing ties long before Mahomes upcoming Super Bowl LIV appearance.
“When I see this tie, I see someone who's come out of a small town, who is making a change in life,” Ervin said. “He's making kids believe in him and want to be better, even in just how he carries himself as a person. He's not an 'I' person. He's always talking about 'we,' and you know the team and anything like that. I told my family he's going to be great. That makes him the person he is. That's why I want to put him on my chest. He's not an 'I' person. He's the superman on my chest when I wear him."