KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Before the Chiefs landed in the desert, neighbors for several players threw parades, giving them a good luck send off Sunday.
Members of Chiefs Kingdom lined the streets in sizable crowds early Sunday morning for a hero’s send off for tight end Noah Gray.
“We literally woke up and were like ‘Hey guys, there’s no football game today, but we’re going to a parade because he’s our neighbor,'” Jessica Eggleston said, one of the neighbors who attended the parade.
“It was so much fun. It was so fun to have him wake up on a Sunday morning along with the entire neighborhood and have a parade ready for him when he came out,” Kristen Brinks, another neighbor said.
It all started with students from Madison Place Elementary writing letters to the tight end. Then, that idea morphed into the parade.
“The energy was awesome, excited, everybody was hyped up and with him coming down, he went so slow the smile on his face,” Jeannie Peterson said, who was also one of the organizers.
People young and old showed love and appreciation for Gray, but the admiration didn’t stop there.
Linebacker Willie Gay’s neighbors also gave him a hero’s send off as he got ready for the trip down to Arizona. They even escorted him through the streets.
“This community showed they just show up for one another. The community spirit is high in this area. Chiefs Kingdom, people just love the Chiefs,” Brinks said.
The team departed Kansas City early Sunday morning, now fans across the metro turn their focus from send off to cheer mode as they hope and pray the Chiefs win another ring.
“Chiefs are going to win of course, the Chiefs will take it home absolutely. They’ll bring the trophy home,” Kristen Brinks and her daughter Embry Brinks said.