Meet the Chiefs’ nominee for 2023 NFL Fan of the Year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — The NFL will officially reveal all 32 nominees for the 2023 NFL Fan of the Year in November, but the Kansas City Chiefs are already celebrating theirs.

Kelly Kennedy is the Chiefs’ Fan of the Year and the team’s nominee for NFL Fan of the Year.

The Chiefs said Kennedy, an elementary school teacher and high school swim teacher from Haysville, Kansas, has been a season ticket member for decades.

He’s also the co-founder of Swim to a Wish, a swimming event that has raised over $250,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri and Kansas.

The Chiefs’ first introduced Kennedy as their Fan of the Year nominee before the team’s home opener vs the Detroit Lions.

The team and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell surprised Kennedy on stage at a tailgate broadcast with two tickets to this season’s Super Bowl.

He also got to sit in the Lamar Hunt Legacy Seat.

“When they asked me if I would accept the Legacy Seat, that was a surprise, and I still haven’t come down from that yet,” Kennedy told WDAF-TV at the time. “This is mind-blowing! I don’t know what to say. That was so cool!”

Throughout the season, all 32 Fan of the Year nominees will receive special prizes and exclusive experiences.

But the real goal is to become the NFL Fan of the Year.

Kennedy will compete against 31 other nominees across the league who will all be announced in November. Fans will be able to vote once all the teams’ nominees are revealed.

Then, the league will name the NFL Fan of the Year at the NFL Honors ceremony during Super Bowl week.