WHO DEYTON, Ky. — While on the other side of the Ohio River, Northern Kentucky is still very much part of Bengals country. Fans are getting fired up as the team looks to continue its improbable run, and become Super Bowl champions.
There’s so much excitement. One city with historical ties to the franchise even changed its name.
Ben Baker has been a fan of the Cincinnati team his whole life through the ups and downs the Bengals have experienced. Baker has been the mayor of Dayton, Kentucky, for three years, but for the last month or so, the title has been slightly different.
“I am the mayor of Who Deyton, Kentucky,” he said.
Greetings from Who Deyton adorns the city’s welcome sign.
Baker signed an official proclamation changing the name after the Bengals first playoff win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, Jan. 22, to coincide with the Cincinnati Bengals’ divisional playoff game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tennessee.
“How do we have some fun with this exciting football team? And we said, ‘Who Dey, Dayton, Who Deyton.’ And we’re all like, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to do this man. We gotta rename the city and have some fun,’” Baker said.
The Bengals beat the Titans and Kansas City Chiefs en route to the Super Bowl. Dayton city leadership decided it might as well keep Who Deyton through the Super Bowl.
It’s a perfect marriage of the team’s chant “Who Dey,” and the name of the city that actually played host to the first iteration of the Bengals. That team, one of seven members of the American League of Professional Football, held its first workout under Coach Hal Pennington at Tacoma Park in Dayton.
The team also held its first scrimmage game on Sept. 27, 1937, before 2,000 fans at Dayton’s O.W. Davis Field. The stadium, which was only three years old, continues to serve as home of the Dayton High School Green Devils football team.
John McAfee, a football coach and teacher at Dayton High School, played halfback on that original team, which eventually fizzled out in 1941.
The current version of the Bengals came along in the 60s when Paul Brown founded the team.
Robert Wescott, who lives in Who Deyton, has been a fan ever since.
“Since they started in 1968. I was like 12 years old. I’ve been here my whole life,” he said.
Having also experienced the team’s lows, Wescott too is riding this current high into Sunday.
“You can’t describe it. There’s no words. It’s special. Even for Kentucky fans,” he said.
It’s that connection to the team that has made this run so special, Baker explained.
“You can jog to Paul Brown Stadium from our main street here. You can see it from our rooftops. We have members of our community that play for the Cincinnati Bengals, so having that type of connection between the team and this community, it makes this whole season that much better,” he said.
As for the Who Deyton name, Baker said it will stay until the day after the parade, which he said he’s hoping will be celebrating his favorite team from right across the river.