This Chiefs super fan earned a spot in Ford Hall of Fans through this artistic skill
Janel Carbajo was nervous. The wait was nerve-racking.
She was selected as one of three finalists to be inducted into the Ford Hall of Fans, in just its second year.
The competition whittles down more than 150,000 fans to a handful of finalists through online polling. Finalists were flown out to Miami and given a hotel room and tickets to the Super Bowl. A winner wasn’t announced until Friday morning, leaving the finalists anxiously awaiting news of who will be inducted into the Ford Hall of Fans.
Then came the knock from the Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker: She’d won.
Well, she and the two other nominees.
Carbajo is one of three super fans who will be inducted into the Ford Hall of Fans in Canton, Ohio. The woman known in her hometown of Spring Hill as “Puppet Lady” has been a Chiefs season ticket holder for 31 years. She brings a Chiefs puppet and another dressed puppet as that week’s opponent to each home game.
Denver Broncos fan Robert Garner “Rescue Rob” and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan Keith Kunzig “Big Nasty” were the other two winning fans.
Carbajo said she cried during Baker’s visit.
“It means a lot,” she said. “It’s really special. You’ve been with that team for so many years. We’ve only had season tickets for 31 years but it’s been my team my whole life. You just never give up on them.”
The Chiefs haven’t been to the Super Bowl in 50 years since they beat the Minnesota Vikings in 1970. Carbajo, a retired teacher, kept believing.
“You just cheer as loud as you can at Arrowhead,” she told The Star Friday afternoon.
Just before she spoke with The Star, she attended the Hall of Fame Luncheon where she ate lunch next to Terrell Davis, which was fun, even though he played for the Broncos, Carbajo said.
She met Chiefs Hall of Famers such as cornerback and defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas and linebacker and defensive end Bobby Bell (who was on the 1970 Super Bowl winning team). She had her picture taken with offensive guard Will Shields, who nominated her.
Friday, she said, she’s heading to a Snoop Dogg and Guns ‘N Roses concert. Events for the trio of super fans will keep them busy this weekend, she said.
But Carbajo can’t wait for Sunday.
“I think the best part is you get to come and see the Chiefs play on Sunday,” Carbajo said.
She said getting to experience the Chiefs games over the years with her husband and three children has been a joy.
“The city has so many wonderful fans and I am just fortunate enough to get to represent all of them,” Carbajo said. “So, go Chiefs!”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 4:48 PM.
