LEAWOOD, Kan. — Bradley Friedman was born into a family of Chiefs fans. His father, Gary, bought a single-season ticket for the football team its first season in Kansas City in 1963. By the time Gary died in 2024, he had 22 season tickets.
Gary brought his wife, children and friends to home games over the past 60 years.
“For him, it was meeting friends, seeing family, even getting to know the staff at Arrowhead Stadium,” Friedman described his father’s fandom.
The Hunt family, owners of the team, sent flowers to Gary’s funeral. Several Chiefs staff members from ushers to the marketing team attended the funeral.
Those relationships stand out to Friedman who is keeping all 22 of his father’s season tickets for this season.
“This is going to be almost therapy for my family,” Friedman said. “We get to relive the memories people know, not just about my dad at the Chiefs game, but the fun part is a lot of these people got to know my dad outside of the Chiefs game.”
Friedman is raising his own children, ages 6 and 3, to be Chiefs fans. His goal is to live as the role model Gary was for him.
“That pressure weighs more than being there at the Chiefs game,” Friedman admitted. “These are opportunities we get to do and enjoy together. I can’t wait to carry that tradition on.”
He hopes the family’s Chiefs tradition continues for another 60 years and multiple generations.
KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
