‘Bad Luck Chuck’ finds fame and good fortune after leaving Chiefs game
Kansas City’s “Bad Luck Chuck” might want to change his name to “Good Luck Charlie.”
That is all Charles Penn, a 31-year-old postal worker from Lee’s Summit, has received since Sunday, when he made a noble sacrifice that went viral at the moment the Kansas City Chiefs were being thrashed in their playoff game against the Houston Texans. Penn, a lifelong fan, tweeted a video as he left his $258 seat at Arrowhead Stadium in the first quarter because he felt he must be a jinx.
“All right. I’m outta here,” Penn tweeted. “Can’t do it. Gotta leave, man. It’s the only hope.”
He had been to three other Chiefs playoff games since 2017, including the AFC Championship Game last year against the New England Patriots. The Chiefs lost all three times.
Penn’s sacrifice to the football gods not only paid off for the Chiefs, who immediately began scoring and won 51-31 in one of the most remarkable playoff comebacks in NFL history, but it has also paid off for Penn.
A producer from “The Ellen Degeneres Show” has called, Penn told The Star Wednesday, as has the show “Sunday NFL Countdown.” His “Big Buck Chuck” Twitter following — @cpenn4thewin — has ballooned from 1,300 before the game to nearly 6,000. His video tweet has received nearly 1.3 million views. Penn has been interviewed by sports radio and TV shows, local and national. He asked grateful fans to send money via Venmo or Apple Cash to reimburse him for his ticket and says he’s received about double what he paid.
“Yes, yes,” Penn said by phone. “It’s been quite eventful. There is stuff going on every day. It’s getting bigger and bigger.”
Looking to capitalize, Penn is now hawking his own Chiefs-red T-shirt for $15 and $20. Front: “Bad Luck Chuck, Do It for the Kingdom.” Back: “Leaving Now.”
He’s only received three orders.
But that’s OK. When Penn did what he did, he felt committed. He’d seen the Chiefs lose three years in a row, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, to the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and the Patriots last year.
Asked after the game about Penn’s sacrifice, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had advice for Penn: “Watch the next game at home,” he joked. He later tweeted his gratitude.
“Appreciate you doing what was best for the Kingdom.”
Kansas City, Kansas, native Eric Stonestreet of “Modern Family” fame, who came to Sunday’s game, also took notice of Penn’s sacrifice, tweeting, “And I thought me moving seats was clutch.”
Penn himself understands that his leaving the stadium wasn’t everything. But he did leave. And the Chiefs did win.
“I mean, I felt like that was part of the reason that the team had won,” Penn said. “But I can’t take full credit. I mean, there’s the players out there. I was willing to do anything at that point.”
If the Chiefs are feeling even a bit grateful, Penn isn’t shy about how they can thank him. He’d like to bang the giant war drum in Arrowhead before Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Titans.
“The Chiefs haven’t reached out to me, but if they do before Sunday arrives, I’ll do it,” said Penn, who had one caveat. “Just kick me out of the stadium once I do it. Just let me beat the drum and let me leave.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 4:55 PM.
