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Florida State QB Jameis Winston was honored by his hometown over the weekend (Photos)

sam cooper
College football writer
Florida State QB Jameis Winston was honored by his hometown over the weekend (Photos)

More was being celebrated than just the fourth of July in Bessemer, Ala., this weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, the city of Bessemer, Ala., along with nearby Hueytown, celebrated July 5 as “Jameis Winston Day” to honor the achievements of Florida State’s Heisman trophy-winning quarterback – a Bessemer native and a graduate of Hueytown High School.

According to ESPN.com’s David Hale, the celebration included “stops at a local children’s hospital” and a “reception at the chamber of commerce” before local politicians lauded Winston in a ceremony at his high school stadium.

Per Hale:

A plaque was unveiled to commemorate Winston's football and baseball heroics here from 2008 through '12. The mayor of Hueytown and a city councilwoman both offered official proclamations of Winston's success. His high school coach and the commissioner of his youth football league both retired his jerseys, the latter praising Winston as "a young man of character on and off the field."

Hueytown mayor Delor Baumann admitted that there “was some brushback locally” concerning Winston’s off-the-field incidents in the past year, but the event took place without any issues. Winston was accused of raping an FSU student but was never charged. Additionally, Winston was cited in April for stealing crab legs from a Tallahassee grocery store.

As a redshirt freshman, Winston threw for 4,057 yards and 40 touchdowns as he led the Seminoles to an undefeated season and a BCS National Championship.

For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!