10 February 2024
LAS VEGAS (KSNT) – The Chiefs have presented fans with plenty of incentives to travel in the last five years.
As Kansas City plays in its fourth Super Bowl in five seasons, fans from Northeast Kansas are joining the team in Vegas for the big game. However, these fans took a variety of different paths to get there, literally and figuratively speaking.
For Council Grove native Gary Evans, the Chiefs played in the final game of the NFL season was a welcomed bonus to a pre-planned trip. Evans is volunteering throughout Super Bowl week and made arrangements to do so long before the NFL playoffs. One can imagine his excitement when the K-State grad found out his favorite team would be joining him in Sin City.
“We had no idea the Chiefs would make it and that was the best,” Evans, who now lives in Illinois, said.
Lori Rupp and her son Mason made the trip from Topeka.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Lori Rupp said. “It’s a lot of fun seeing the other Chiefs fans and just getting the whole experience.”
Her son, Mason, predicts a 34-17 Chiefs’ victory on Sunday. The Rupp’s spent time at Mandalay Bay’s enjoying the NFL Experience, including all sorts of activities and photo opportunities. Mason says his favorite was the precision passing drill. Could he beat Mahomes in the arm-accuracy test?
“Maybe someday,” he said.
Evans and the Rupp family will be hoping for happy flights home produced by a Chiefs’ win. The Chiefs and 49ers kickoff at 5:30 p.m. CST on Sunday.