KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Good luck charms may or may not play a role in the Chiefs' success, but one item sure does seem to do the trick.
It's a piece of clothing with a lot of team history and memories that was put to use at the team's lowest point in the season.
"It has just been sitting in a closet that is kind of cool, and it just stays in there and it stays in amazingly good shape," Kevin Jeffries said.
It's a coat that belonged to his father, Porter, who was a Kansas City Chiefs Red Coater.
"Well, the Red Coats, back when they first started, were the goodwill ambassadors for the Kansas City Chiefs, and they also went out and helped sell season tickets," Jeffries said.
The Red Coaters originated in 1963, when the Chiefs first moved to Kansas City.
The group still exists today, and even invented Red Friday.
Porter Jeffries was a member of the group when the Chiefs last won the Super Bowl, 50 years ago.
"My sister and I got to go to less and less games as they were taking their friends, as we got closer and closer to actually winning the conference then going to the Super Bowl," Kevin Jeffries said.
He inherited lots of memorabilia from his father. Jeffries has a signed program from Super Bowl IV, signed books and footballs and even Fred Arbanas' chin strap, still covered in dirt from Municipal Stadium.
The red coat his father wore had just been hanging in the closet, never worn by Jeffries.
On Jan. 12, 2020, the Chiefs were down 24-0 while playing the Houston Texans in the playoffs.
Jeffries said he was in shock, until he got an idea.
"I got to go get that jacket. Yeah. I don't know what it was, but it was just like, I told my wife, I got to go get that," he said.
For the first time, Jeffries put on his father's red coat.
The Chiefs scored 51 points and were headed to their second consecutive AFC Championship Game.
"I will take a little piece of the credit. The lucky jacket," Jeffries said.
Now the coat is a fixture.
Jeffries is the president of the Leawood Chamber of Commerce, so he's been wearing it to all of his business stops.
He said he's not worried when people want to touch it. Many people have, for good luck, but Jeffries said there's a line.
"I have had several people ask me, 'Can I wear it? Can I borrow it?' You can't borrow it, but you can put it on for a minute, though," he said.
Jeffries said the coat is not going back in the closet anytime soon.
"I may have to keep it around to keep wearing it every year for the next few Super Bowls we win. So, I may have to do that. Not in a trophy case for sure," Jeffries said of the coat's future.
