‘Thrilled to pieces’: Former Chiefs players deliver joy with surprise for KC seniors | Opinion
Former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Keith Cash sat comfortably in a chair in the hallway of the Don Bosco Senior Center in Kansas City and waited for former teammate and wide receiver Danan Hughes to arrive. With his 6-foot-4-inch frame and freshly manicured gray beard, the big fella was hard to miss.
Surrounded by members of the Chiefs’ community engagement team, Cash sported a bright red Chiefs jersey embroidered with the number 89 he wore during his playing days here from 1992 to 1996. Team mascot K.C. Wolf and a couple of cheerleaders were there, too. A few local television reporters were also on scene.
Eventually Hughes, color analyst on the Chiefs Radio Network, joined them and promptly slipped on the number 83 jersey he wore during his time with the Chiefs.
Cash and Hughes are members of the Chiefs Ambassadors, a civic-minded group of former players. On this day — one day before New Year’s Eve — Cash and Hughes served as honorary bingo callers for disabled older adults who frequent the center located in the Columbus Park neighborhood.
It was awe-inspiring to see these former players work the room and meet and greet with a group of people, many of whom have been Chiefs fans for decades, said center director Anne Miller. The visit was a great way to end 2024, Miller added.
“Our seniors are thrilled to pieces,” she said. “They’ve been fans since Day 1 when the Chiefs came to Kansas City (in 1963). They are ready to bring in the new year.”
These guys may be retired, but both Cash and Hughes looked as if they could still suit up for a play or two with the current squad. In all seriousness, their playing days are long gone, but that didn’t keep 55-year-old Elizabeth McDaniel of Kansas City from asking Cash if he was a current member of the NFL’s reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
“Oh, I like you,” Cash said to McDaniel as the two traded lighthearted jabs. In true ambassador style, Cash signed McDaniel’s Chiefs’ T-shirt, matching ball cap and other paraphernalia. Cash’s autograph made her day, McDaniel said.
“I’ve been a Chiefs’ fan since I was 7 years old,” she said.
Next to McDaniel sat longtime friend Mary Smock, 56, of Kansas City. She said she visits Don Bosco daily and plays bingo there at least twice a week. When I told Smock I’d never played bingo before, she shook her head side to side and laughed.
“My 3-year-old grandson knows how to play bingo,” she said.
It was at that moment I decided one of my goals for the new year would be to learn how to play bingo. Maybe I’d get Smock or McDaniel to teach me, I thought. Or maybe Smock’s toddler grandson.
By day, Cash is vice president and financial adviser for Central Investment Advisors at Central Bank. When he can, he volunteers time in the community as a Chiefs Ambassador. Mingling with fans like Smock and McDaniel is part of what makes Kansas City so special, Cash told me before settling into bingo-calling duties.
“This is what it’s all about,” he said.
After seeing the smiles that Cash, Hughes and the contingent representing the Chiefs put on the faces of the attendees at Don Bosco Senior Center, it’s easy to see why this team and organization is so near and dear to so many Kansas Citians.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 5:08 AM.
