KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lifelong Chiefs fan Ron Sickler will be more than a fan for the upcoming Chiefs vs. Bengals game — he'll fill in as the GEHA coin toss captain.
Sickler, of Louisburg, Kansas, hasn't always lived in Chiefs Kingdom; he became a fan when he was living near Woodstock, New York, at age nine.
“My life as a Chiefs fan started way back when Len Dawson was playing, actually," he said.
His first memories of Chiefs Kingdom come shortly before his older brother was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.
His brother would bring over chips and Pepsi on Sundays, and overtime, Sickler embraced Kansas City football.
"At that time, I was much more interested in the Pepsi and the chips, but I knew about Len Dawson and from then on, I watched the Chiefs,” he said.
Sickler says he couldn't believe it when he recently received a call from GEHA saying he won their coin toss captains sweepstakes.
At the time, he was one of 574 entries, and won by the luck of the draw.
“The first thing I did was text my daughter-in-law," Sickler said. "She and I are the biggest Chiefs fans in the family.”
From Woodstock to Japan, Germany and Italy, Sickler has taken his Chiefs pride around the world.
For years, Sickler worked in information technology for the U.S. Department of Defense.
He — alongside military members — would watch Chiefs games and cook Kansas City-style barbecue at military bases across the globe.
“In Japan, we’d watch the game in the middle of the night, you know, 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock," he said. "In Europe, we’d watch it at midnight, 6 o’clock, or whenever the game was on.”
Sickler's wife, Debbie, will attend the Sept. 15 game against the Bengals with him, cheering him on from a suite.
It'll mark 47 years she's been by his side.
“September 15th is kinda a special day for us," Sickler said.
“But, the next day, the 16th, also happens to be our 47th wedding anniversary," he continued.
Approximately 14,000 fans entered GEHA's coin toss sweepstakes for its pilot run last season.
Fans have six more opportunities to win this season, and can apply here.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.