GRANDVIEW, Mo. — When Connie Jo Gillespie moved to Grandview, Missouri, in 2010, the lifelong Chiefs fan had to downsize her collection.
But touring her home today, it’s hard to imagine she once owned more Chiefs memorabilia than what’s on display.
“The Chiefs entered my life when they moved to Kansas City in 1963,” Gillespie said.
Her current home doesn’t have space for a “diva den” or “man cave,” so she decorated the entire house with Chiefs.
There are autographed jerseys, helmets and footballs on just about every wall. Shelves are full of bobbleheads, replica Super Bowl rings, and toys. The kitchen utensils are red and yellow. The couches are red. The magnets on the refrigerator are all Chiefs-themed. Her guest bedroom has a Christmas tree with Chiefs ornaments on display all year-around. The towels in the bathroom are embroidered with the Chiefs logo.
“I believe in continuity, flow, so I want to keep the theme going,” Gillespie said.
Some of her favorite items include an autographed Bobby Bell jersey — her favorite Chiefs player of all time.
She has a picture on display of Travis Kelce kissing her cheek at training camp several years ago.
“I said, ‘You know what, I don’t think anyone got a photo of that, you’re gonna have to do that again.’ So he gave me a second one,” the Chiefs fan still gets giddy telling the story.
There’s a Patrick Mahomes autograph she won. A personalized autograph from Chiefs mascot KC Wolf.
“The players come and go, but KC Wolf stays,” Gillespie said.
An entire wall is dedicated to her work helping organize Guinness to visit Arrowhead in 2013 and 2014 so Chiefs Kingdom could set the world record for loudest crowd roar.
“We worked on it for several months,” Gillespie said. “It’s a lot more complicated than people realize.”
Her favorite piece in the collection is an autograph of Lamar Hunt — the team’s founder moved the team to Kansas City in 1963.
Gillespie became a die-hard fan when they won Super Bowl IV after the 1969 season. She wrote Hunt a letter and he replied with a handwritten note of his own.
“Being a fan is much deeper for me than football. It’s a way of life. It’s a lifestyle,” Gillespie said. “I’ve got so many memories connected to it that I would not have, had Lamar not brought the Chiefs to Kansas City.”
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