KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for the 2023 season.
Quarterbacks and rookies start training July 18, and the whole team returns to workouts and training camp, which is open to the public, on Sunday, July 23, in St. Joseph.
While all attention will be on players and coaches as they aim for another Super Bowl-winning season, Allen Wright is behind the scenes, helping set the team up for success.
Wright, the Chiefs' equipment director, is no stranger to training camp. He has 40 years of experience stocking the team with helmets, cleats and footballs. Wright said he never stopped to reflect on the time until he hit his 40th training camp.
"We have a few years left ahead of us, and we've got some great memories and a lot of victories and a few heartbreaks along the way," Wright said. "To win these championships these last few years, it's been a total blessing."
He described his life at training camp as a marathon with a sprint within it every day.
"We have to treat everything we do with a sense of urgency because of the importance of making sure our coaches and players have everything they need," he told KSHB 41 News. "You make it through training camp and bring everything back like your hair's on fire."
Wednesday morning, Wright oversaw the equipment team as it loaded trucks to deliver gear to training camp. With a full-time staff of seven members, the team was hard at work packing an over-abundance of gear.
Wright said he believes nobody can ever be too prepared.
"We bring more shoes than what a footlocker has. We probably literally bring about 1,500 pairs of shoes," he said. "My motto is, 'Not having something is not an option,' so we will always take way more than we need and bring back a lot of stuff that's not touched. But I don't want there to be a situation where someone asks for stuff and we don't have it."
He said part of the reason the equipment team comes so prepared is to respond to the changing needs of players throughout the weeks at training camp, as some navigate injuries.
While Wright and his team are sure to be kept busy in St. Joseph, he said fans who gather to support the team always keep him coming back.
"It's nice to go up there and see the crowd, people get excited about the season and that part of it never gets old," Wright shared. "Matter of fact, when you get up there and see that, it gets the juices going, you start getting excited for the season."
To view the Chiefs' full 2023 training camp schedule, click here.
