Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Kansas City revels in title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fans lined up Wednesday to get a prime spot in downtown Kansas City as the city celebrates the Chiefs’ second Super Bowl championship in four NFL seasons.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes were riding in double-decker buses, joined by teammates, family and Chiefs officials, in front of fans standing up to 10 people deep as the parade rolled down a main downtown street on the way to a rally at Union Station.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt stood in one of the buses holding the Lombardi Trophy, denoting the Chiefs’ 38-35 win over the Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday. He later handed it off to players, who passed it around.
Most schools, many businesses and some government offices in the Kansas City metro area were closed to allow fans to enjoy the festivities.
Fans were generally happy and in good spirits while waiting in long lines for food trucks, merchandise trucks and, of course, portable toilets. Some people slept overnight to get prime spots across from Union Station.
But Shellie Diehl, 46, of Kansas City, was seated along a street about a block from Union Station as the crowd became more congested in front of the rally site.
She was joined by her 8-year-old daughter, Skyler; 16-year-old daughter, Taylor; and a friend.
Diehl said she came to the Chiefs parade in 2020 and decided to have mother-daughter time while celebrating Skyler’s first parade.
“The last one was so much fun, we decided we had to come to this one,” Diehl said. “We’re big Chiefs fans, and we wanted to celebrate a great day with the community.”
After decades of championship drought, the city is gaining experience with victory parades.
Four seasons ago, the Chiefs defeated the 49ers for the team’s first Super Bowl championship in 50 years. That followed the Royals winning the World Series in 2015, the city’s first baseball championship in 30 years.
Some fans admitted that Kansas City might be getting a little spoiled.
“Kind of getting used to it, but that’s OK,” said Liz Barber, 50, of Shawnee, Kansas. “It is good.”
David Cordray, 38, from Kansas City, said “We had a 50-year-drought, so it’s about time we had our own dynasty.”
A group of about 25 Chiefs fans from Kansas City who arrived about 6 a.m. cooked up a breakfast feast, complete with corn on the cob, bacon and potatoes and all the trimmings — and they had steaks ready for later in the day.
Dominic Zamora, 18, of Kansas City, said the friends arrived about 6 a.m. to set up their tailgate, continuing a tradition whenever he and his friends attend Chiefs games. He said he expects to return for more parades in the coming years.
“With Mahomes, there’s more to come,” Zamora said. “It’s going to be fun, and I’m excited to show up.”