Felix De Leon Jr. has a nickname — and it comes with a story.
"When I was a kid, I was in elementary, and I used to come home crying to mama every day because they would be calling me Felix the Cat. And I used to cry to mama, and I say, mama, I don't wanna be a cat. She goes, mijo, you like flexing. From now on, your given name is Flex. and that's how i came around," De Leon said.
For the past decade, "Mr. Flex" has been a fixture in the Flour Bluff student section every Friday night, leading cheers for the Hornets.
"All right, Hornet fans, here we go. When I say FB, I'll say Hornets. FB, Hornets, FB, Hornets, FB, Hornets, FB, Hornets," De Leon said.
His connection to Flour Bluff runs deep. His family moved to the area in 1958, his parents both worked for the school district, and he graduated from Flour Bluff in 1976.
But the man who now gives so much to the community nearly lost everything. In 2009, De Leon suffered a brain aneurysm and multiple strokes.
"i ended up having two strokes while i was in the hospital. I lost nerve damage on my left side. I lost my vision on my left side. and I give all the glory to god that I'm blessed to be here and blessed to do what i do," De Leon said.
After moving back to his mother's house in 2012, De Leon found his way back to the Hornets.
"i moved back in 2012, and right away, as soon as i moved back to mama's house, i came to the game, and i just, out of the blue, i just started cheering to see if people would follow me," De Leon said.
They did. The cheerleaders eventually recognized his dedication in a memorable way.
"I was cheering, and the cheerleaders called me down, and they presented me with my first original jersey. And my gosh, I mean, the pride... it just boosted me," De Leon said.
When asked why he keeps showing up, De Leon's answer has nothing to do with sports.
"I want them to feel appreciated. I want the crowd to get involved and show the love for our kids," De Leon said.
And he has no plans to stop.
"I just want you to know that as long as I can walk, as long as I can cheer, I'm gonna be here for the kids. And when the day comes when I have to use a walker, well, I'm gonna have somebody push me around and still cheering," De Leon said.
For Mr. Flex, it will forever be once a Hornet, always a Hornet. He can be found at every Flour Bluff athletics game.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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