The small town is all a buzz.
"It's going crazy on Twitter," said one resident with whom we spoke.
"I think it's brave," added Howard Cook of Hitchcock.
The big announcement came last night from the former Hitchcock High School graduate and University of Missouri football star. He revealed to ESPN Outside the Lines that he was gay.
"l came to tell the world that I'm an openly proud gay man," said Sam in the interview.
The All-American defensive lineman and Lombardi Award finalist could be the first openly gay player in the NFL and some people in his hometown, like a 17-year-old Hitchcock high basketball player we spoke with, say it shouldn't matter.
"He still comes up to the school sometimes," he said. "I really don't care about him being gay. He's going to the NFL."
Around town, others feel the same way
"I think there are people on both sides that will and won't accept it, but I think they should," said Cook. "There's no relevance on what kind of athlete he is and what kind of person he is."
Rose Echols, who lived near Sam's mother, says she wishes him nothing but the best.
"Everybody's got a life," she said. "He should live it the way he wants to live it."
While there is a lot of support in Hitchcock, there's one NFL insider who says it could bring baggage to the locker room.
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