Kansas City Chiefs fans pour into Missouri Capitol to catch a glimpse of Lombardi Trophy
For 11-year-old Chiefs fan Wyatt Barry, getting to see the shining Vince Lombardi Trophy was pretty cool.
His 9-year-old brother, Connor, however, thought it was smaller than he was expecting.
The two brothers from Eldon traveled to Jefferson City with their grandma Deborah Sash. They were among a sea of red, gold and white that poured into the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of the Super Bowl trophy after the Chiefs victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in February.
“I was a loyal Chiefs fan,” Sash told The Star. “I went through all the highs and lows and the almost-theres. This is really exciting.”
Chiefs fans, one by one, walked up and took pictures with the trophy, which was covered in a clear case in the state Capitol rotunda. Staffers from Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s office ushered the fans in front of a mini Arrowhead Stadium backdrop.
Even a few state employees got in the mix and waited for pictures with the trophy.
The Chiefs organization held the trophy viewing in Jefferson City as part of its Champions Tour across Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Another viewing will be held at the Capitol on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In just the first hour of Tuesday’s showing, a line of eager fans snaked through the halls of the Capitol. Shortly after 11 a.m., nearly 400 people had passed through Capitol security. Kelli Jones, Parson’s spokesperson, said she expected thousands of fans from across the state to attend the viewing.
Rusty and Chris Thomas who donned matching yellow Chiefs shirts, were among the fans. They attended the first Chiefs game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals.
“We won that one and we were wearing these shirts,” Chris joked.
Rusty said he remembers watching the Chiefs, led by quarterback Len Dawson, beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV when he was in eighth grade. He said he and Chris wore the matching yellow shirts while watching the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
“We couldn’t afford the Super Bowl,” he said.
Halfway through the line on Tuesday, the two hadn’t yet seen the trophy hoisted by their beloved team.
But the two lifelong fans from Jefferson City were excited to take a look at history.
