Joe Burrow just beat out a hippo for this annual award

Joe Burrow may not have a Super Bowl ring yet, but he did just secure a different elusive prize.

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was recently named best Cincinnatian in CityBeat’s 2023 Best of Cincinnati awards. He beat out a beloved hippo who’s held the title for the past five years.

“Well, it was a good run! After five years at the top spot, it took Bengals quarterback (Joe Burrow) to finally dethrone Fiona the hippo as the #1 Cincinnatian! Congrats Joe Burrow!” the Cincinnati Zoo tweeted on March 31.

Fiona the hippo rose to fame in 2017, when she was born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo. People around the world followed her health journey, and she was eventually profiled by The New York Times.

“By sharing her ups and downs with the world (every day for almost two years), (Fiona) became a beloved symbol of hope and a source of inspiration for millions of people,” the zoo website explains.

Six years later, Fiona is still a fixture on the Cincinnati Zoo’s social media accounts. So are her mom, Bibi, and new brother, Fritz.

Zookeepers share videos of the family swimming around, enjoying treats like watermelon and interacting with visitors.

Burrow, meanwhile, is also a celebrity in Cincinnati and around the world. He claimed the national spotlight in late 2019 and early 2020 when he led LSU to a national championship and hasn’t let go of it since.

Burrow and the Bengals competed in the Super Bowl in February 2022, and they were one win away from returning to the big game this year.

CityBeat’s annual Best Cincinnatian award is voted on by readers.