27 Final Four trips later, family’s passion strong
A chance decision 27 years ago by a junior varsity college basketball coach – yes, those exist – has turned into one family’s “religious experience.” Andy Kieffer was playing at the University of Pennsylvania under David Hooks when his coach gave him an extra pair of tickets to the 1997 Final Four in Indianapolis.
There, Andy, his brother, Joey, and their father, Ken, saw Lute Olson and the Arizona Wildcats beat Kentucky in overtime.
“We had such a blast, we were like we should make this an annual tradition,” Joey Kieffer said. “The rest was sort of history.”
Now, 27 Final Fours later, the Kieffer family is still going strong.
The first one was actually the 1984 championship game in Seattle, where his father lives. That’s where the magic started as Joey watched his father, a Georgetown Law School alum, go through the ultimate sports moment as John Thompson’s team took down Houston to win the title.
More than just basketball
It’s not just Final Fours – Kieffer estimates he’s been to over 50 major sporting events, including NBA Finals, Super Bowls and World Series.
“We’re sports junkies too,” said Kieffer.
Kieffer works at investment bank, Jefferies, in New York to help fund these trips. He attended UC Santa Barbara in college, but grew up a Maryland fan, which is where he was born.
That makes 2002, when the Gary Williams-led team won it all over Indiana, one of his favorite Final Four experiences. But last year’s tournament has left a lasting impact. That’s because Kieffer’s lifelong friend, Sam Scholl, was an assistant coach with San Diego State. They got an inside look as the Aztecs made a run to the title game.
“That was by far the coolest,” said Kieffer.
Having been to the past 27 Final
Fours, Kieffer worked out that he’s been to 11 different cities during that time. San Antonio and New Orleans are some of his favorite locations. This is only the second time Kieffer has come to Phoenix for the Final Four. Last time was in 2017 when North Carolina beat Gonzaga.
What’s different about this year?
There’s a twist on this year’s trip. “This year is the first year I’m bringing my entire family as well. So my wife and three kids are coming for the first time,” Kieffer said. “I largely convinced some of them to come because it would be like a vacation in Phoenix. It’s less about where we sit and more about the weekend.”
One person who didn’t need any convincing was Kieffer’s 13-year-old son, Colin, who is a massive Bol Bol fan. Colin has a jersey for each team Bol has played on: the Nuggets, Magic and Suns.
He’ll be sporting his Bol jersey when they go to the Suns game against the Pelicans on Sunday night. Also coming on the trip are his mom, Sabrina, older sister, Cameron, and younger brother, Kiki.
“I was saying to them, this is something I’ve been doing since 1997 – leaving them for five days every year,” Kieffer said. “It’s sort of the guys’ trip that can never get interfered with.”
Despite it being nearly three decades into this journey that started with one random decision by a coach, the passion remains steadfast.
Kieffer doesn’t envision it stopping for a long time. Even one of Kieffer’s best friends from high school, Doug Goodwin, has started joining in on the trips, coming for the last eight years.
“Until I physically cannot go, I will be going,” Kieffer said. “I would describe it as a magical, almost religious experience. A tear is shed by either me, my brother or my dad every time we’re there. We stay until the ‘One Shining Moment’ is played after the championship game, which involves sitting in the stadium for about 40 minutes after the nets are cut down. It’s the best weekend I have every year.”