Below zero wind chill, single-digit temperatures, and freezing conditions were not enough to keep diehard Chiefs fans away from Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
A -9 degree windchill was recorded during the time of kickoff just after noon.
Beforehand, tens of thousands of fans tailgated in the parking lot using space heaters, fires, blankets, or anything else to keep warm.
You ready #ChiefsKingdom?
View from press box. pic.twitter.com/0N0qOMRMhv
— Tom Dempsey (@KCTomDempsey) December 18, 2016
"I have a buddy that brought a fire pit and a shop teacher that had wood," explained Tim Barnes, who had a fire pit going and tailgated with a group of school teachers from the Olathe area. "We can just burn wood all morning here."
Barnes and the teachers continued a tradition on Sunday by meeting up to go to a Chiefs game.
Last year's outing was met by heavy rain, while this year dealt with Arctic conditions.
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"We have some extra anti-freeze and hand warmer packs," Barnes said. "I thought it was going to be excruciatingly painful. I'm actually sweating right now."
In other sections outside the stadium, some stayed inside.
"We stayed in the car," said longtime Chiefs fan Pam Long, while sitting with her husband. "We had our coffee with Irish Baileys in It."
Several Titans fans were also spotted by 41 Action News braving the cold.
Lucian Fuehrer and his wife, a Chiefs fan, have made going to the Titans matchup at Arrowhead Stadium a tradition.
"Most of the games have been warm that we have been to," he explained. "This is the coldest I've ever been to."
Fuehrer, who used to reside in Tennessee and now lives in the metro area, said he had never experienced such freezing conditions while tailgating.
"I've been to some cold games in Nashville. This takes the cake," he explained.
The upper deck of Arrowhead Stadium appeared just over half full during the game, with many tickets being sold well under face value because of the cold conditions.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
