Every week during the 2024 season, we’ll go through the Eagles media guide to find an interesting nugget.

The Eagles’ PR interns do a great job filling out these little curiosities in the media guide, and they serve as a great way to get to know the players behind the helmets.

This week we chatted with rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, whose little-known fact is, “There are no stoplights in his hometown – just stop signs and yield signs.” DeJean is from Odebolt, Iowa.

Me: I wanted to ask you a little about growing up in a small town. How was it?

DeJean: It was fun. Somehow created your own fun, whatever did. My friends at home and I basically just walked around the city, especially in the summer. Winter was fun because we had a ranger, so we tied a big plastic sled to the back of it and rode around the cornfields in the snow.

Me: That’s pretty cool.

DeJean: Yes, it was a lot of fun.

Me: What was it like when you first left town and came to Iowa City? Was it a shock?

DeJean: Not much. Because I played a lot of AAU basketball and stuff, so I’ve been to a lot of big cities. But it was slightly different. They didn’t have to drive 30 minutes to a grocery store or buy fast food. You could get something quickly. It was a pretty smooth transition from a small town to a slightly larger city.

Me: Is that one of the great challenges of small town life, the lack of fast food or Walmart or whatever?

DeJean: Yes, when you get to the supermarket you need to stock up for at least a few weeks. You don’t want to drive 45 minutes to the grocery store every week. That was a challenge. But I had fun. I enjoyed growing up in a small town.

Me: Is it a close-knit city?

DeJean: Yes definitely. Everyone knows everyone. I get a lot of support from the people back home, which is cool.

Me: I read the Wikipedia page for the city and you are listed there twice.

DeJean: I am? Really?

Me: Yes, under the story it says “Hometown of Iowa Hawkeyes star cornerback Cooper DeJean” and under “Famous People” it just says you.

DeJean: *Laugh*

Me: It reads: “Cooper DeJean, NFL player for the Philadelphia Eagles.”

DeJean: This is hilarious. I didn’t even know that.

Me: I looked that up too. It’s the “Popcorn Center of the World”?

DeJean: That’s what it says on Google. I don’t think it’s our city. There’s a town probably 20, 30 minutes away, Sac City, that has the largest popcorn ball in the world.

Me: Interesting. What I read was that your city used to be the city that shipped the popcorn to these big companies. I don’t think it’s been that way for a long time. I read it in the brochure on the city’s website, so I think it’s legitimate.

DeJean: I’m not sure.

Me: Do you know how many people live in the city? Because I have the number, at least from the website.

DeJean: Is it almost 1,000?

Me: Apparently it’s over now – 1,013.

DeJean: OK. That’s not too many people. Last time I checked there were under 1,000.

Me: The last census said there were fewer than a thousand. Maybe they’ll just count from there. What do you miss most about it?

DeJean: I think the people. The people who are in the city. As I said, it’s a pretty tight city, everyone knows everyone. Everyone supports each other, everyone works hard. Because if you come from a small town, not much is given to you. You have to earn everything.

Me: Thanks, man. I appreciate it.

DeJean: Yes.

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