Chiefs fans in Philly ready to cheer on Kansas City in the Super Bowl
7 February 2023
HAYSVILLE, Kan. (KSNW) — Some say Kansas City Chiefs fans are among the best in the NFL. They prove it by filling Arrowhead Stadium with 73,500 rowdies in a sea of red. Many of those fans won’t be able to make the trip to the Super Bowl, but their traditions continue.
There are season ticket holders who haven’t missed a game in decades, like these two men from Haysville, who are inseparable on Chiefs game day, and, yes, on Super Bowl Sunday.
When Kelly Kennedy and his wife moved into a home with an unfinished basement, she told Kennedy it was his space to do whatever he wanted.
“You can have the basement as your cave,” said Kennedy.
So, he created the basement of his dreams.
“I call it the KC Chiefs Cave,” said Kennedy.
Starting with the stairway with its vinyl football field design on each step, to the flags on the wall, the memorabilia, and the 115-inch projection screen. It’s like a big boy Chiefs den for Kennedy and his buddies to watch away games.
“You’re still watching with the same group, and it almost becomes superstition. You got to do the same thing. Watch the game with the same people,” said friend and fellow season ticket holder Steve Crum.
Kennedy and Crum’s love for the Chiefs began with their fathers.
“My dad was a big fan of Lenny Dawson when he first started,” said Crum.
“My dad always taught me that you cheer for the home team,” said Kennedy.
Their fathers would be proud of the way Kennedy and Crum raised their game to a new level a few years ago.
“We ended up buying a mini school bus from Buhler that had timed out. It’s a 1999 and had 267,000 miles on it when we bought it. So, seven of us are the proud owners of the Arrowhead Express,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy is a morning person, so he drives the Arrowhead Express three hours to all the Chiefs’ home games. Crum, who calls himself a night owl, guides it back home to Haysville.
“The first year we had it was when we went to the first Super Bowl in 2020 and won that one,” said Kennedy.
“We kind of have what we call our Arrowhead family, and we sit up there. There’s like eight of us in one row and two that sit right behind us,” added Crum.
“Anybody’s welcome to stop and tailgate with us and hang out with us, and so, we’ve made a lot of friends,” said Kennedy.
The Arrowhead Express won’t make the trip to the Phoenix area, but it will make the rounds in Wichita on Super Bowl Sunday.
“We’ll probably get in the bus and do a couple of drive-bys and run around town and drum up support for the Chiefs,” Kennedy said with a smile.
Then it’s back to the KC Chiefs Cave for the big game.
“I’m sure that I have the opportunity to go to a Super Bowl party that I would normally go to, but I’ll be down here watching the game again for superstition,” said Crum.
As for the match-up between the Chiefs and Eagles…
“This is actually the one I wanted because of the Kelce brothers,” said Kennedy.
“I can’t wait. I really think we’ve got a fantastic shot of winning our second Super Bowl in the past four years,” said Crum.