NewsWest 9
Midlanders noticed a familiar face during the opening of the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday.
Midland native Richard Vasquez, Junior sung the National Anthem in Hawaii.
Vasquez says he was chosen to sing 30 minutes before the show.
They needed him to fill in for the original singer who got sick that morning.
Vasquez is stationed in Hawaii as a Technical Sergeant
This isn't the first time he's had to belt out a tune, he's currently part of the Air Force Band.
The crowd of 50,000 screaming fans shook him up a little bit at first but he says his small town beginnings made the experience even more special.
"It was amazing. Just a guy from small town in Midland, Texas, on a national stage in front of 50,000 people. I was nervous at first but soon I relaxed. It felt good. It was amazing to feel like a celebrity for a day," Vasquez said.
So how was Vasquez picked to sing the anthem?