Before Gov. Tim Walz formally delivered a speech Wednesday night accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination, no one watching in the arena or at home around the country had any doubt about his home state.

John Legend and Sheila E belted out a rendition of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and several of the governor’s former high school football players joined him on stage in their old jerseys.

“It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States,” Walz told the thousands of delegates and millions watching at home.

He talked about how his former students and players he coached inspired him to run for office.

“They saw in me what I had hoped to instill in them,” he said. “A commitment to the common good. An understanding that we’re all in this together.”

The most emotional part of the 16-minute speech came when he acknowledged his family. “Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you.” His daughter Hope made a heart symbol with her hands and Gus was crying as he shouted, “That’s my dad!”

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Walz touted middle-class tax cuts he signed into law along with paid family and medical leave and free school breakfast and lunch for all Minnesota students. He also warned about what he views as the danger of returning Donald Trump to the White House. He says Trump would “gut” Social Security and Medicare and eliminate the Affordable Care Act.

Near the end of the speech he returned to a football analogy about the campaign ahead. “It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal but we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field … and boy do we have the right team!”

On Thursday morning, less than 12 hours after the biggest speech of his life, Walz appeared at the Minnesota delegation breakfast at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago.

With Kamala Harris’ big night coming later in the evening, you’d assume he’d be focused on that, but instead he started off brief remarks with another momentous occasion for Minnesotans.

“I was thinking here today it’s really awesome. It’s an important day. The eyes of the world are focused on this day because it’s the day the Minnesota State Fair opens up,” he said to applause and laughter.

The delegation was even treated to buckets of Sweet Martha’s cookies from the State Fair.