KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Since Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes joined the Chiefs in 2017, the university has seen an increase in applicants from Kansas City, Texas Tech officials told KSHB 41 News.
The number of applicants from Kansas City peaked in 2021, which saw a 112.5% increase from 2017, according to the university.
"Well, I'm not surprised at all," said Texas Tech fan Greg Morris outside the T-Mobile Center on Thursday. "He's a great ambassador for the university."
While fans from all around travel to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament, Texas Tech fans have a connection that others do not.
"We both went to Texas Tech and graduated there and we go to all the football games and are big Patrick Mahomes fans," Steve Daniels said.
"We're Mahomies," Amy, his wife, admitted.
On Thursday, several Texas Tech fans outside the T-Mobile Center said that many Red Raiders have joined Chiefs Kingdom since Mahomes joined the team in 2017.
“I was at Tech at the same time as Patrick Mahomes, actually, so whenever we moved up here, it was like automatically become a huge Chiefs fan," said Ryan Hillhouse, who took off work to watch all the Big 12 games on Thursday.
Brothers Colton and Grant, from Wichita Falls, Texas, were sporting a Mahomes Chiefs jersey and a Mahomes Texas Tech jersey outside the T-Mobile Center on Thursday ahead of Texas Tech's game at 6 p.m.
It's their third time visiting Kansas City to support Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament. Their parents are alums, and said they hope to attend the university someday as well.
"We hope he's here today," Colton said.
From returning to Lubbock, Texas, to cheer on Texas Tech, to winning three Super Bowls in Kansas City and co-owning the Kansas City Current, Colton has seen the impact the superstar quarterback has had wherever he goes.
"The first women's soccer team to have their own stadium," Colton said. "So, I think that's really cool. Just the impact he's having in Lubbock and these cities that he's with."
Texas Tech said it's confident its presence in Kansas City can continue to grow.
"Patrick Mahomes' success has certainly elevated Texas Tech's national profile, and we're proud of the connection Red Raiders feel to him," the university said in a statement to KSHB 41 News.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
