How Chiefs superfan Weird Wolf and his ear-splitting howl became an Arrowhead favorite

Lynn Schmidt, better known to Kansas City Chiefs fans as Weird Wolf, has spent 25 seasons leading cheers and howling in the stands, solidifying his place as a legendary NFL superfan.

Weird Wolf is the embodiment of the OG Wolfpack, a pack of rowdy fans that used to fire up the crowd at the old Municipal Stadium, the home of the Chiefs before Arrowhead Stadium was built. Schmidt sees himself as the carrier of that legacy, but with more face paint.

Schmidt says it all started with a chance encounter and a couple of beers. He met a man that had a spare ticket at a hotel near Arrowhead Stadium. He took the man up on the offer to go to the game, but the guy offering the ticket had one stipulation, Schmidt had to sit down and drink two beers with him. They drank the beers, and then the man left. Schmidt didn’t even catch the guy’s name.

He took the ticket and headed to Arrowhead to see the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers. The game was getting out of hand in the Chiefs’ favor. That coupled with the beers, Schmidt says he stood up and started chanting a “colorful” description of the game, over and over. Before he knew it, he said he had the entire section of the stadium where he was seated chanting along with him. Schmidt says he caught an extra buzz from being able to generate such a reaction from the crowd. He was hooked.

Schmidt knows the value of the fans. “It’s the one thing that a fan can do to be part of the team. If we can cause a false start, some sort of penalty because of the noise we make, that’s our goal,” he said.

The retired graphic designer channeled his design background into creating the perfect costume to wear to the games to become an unofficial and unforgettable cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Twenty-five seasons as Weird Wolf and Schmidt is showing zero signs of letting up.

After letting out one of the longest and loudest howls you’ll ever hear, Schmidt leaves no doubt with fans around him in the stands that the wolf part of his moniker is no joke.

“You put the gear on, you put the face paint on, and the persona changes a little bit,” Schmidt said.

“When I first started this whole process, it was about just making a difference in the game. A way to get the fans rolling.”

Watch the video to learn more about Weird Wolf.

This story was originally published January 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.