Chiefs coach Andy Reid and his wife, Tammy, open up about why KC is a special place
When he was hired as the Chiefs’ head coach in 2013, Andy Reid had an inkling he would be happy calling Kansas City his home.
Reid and his wife, Tammy, talked about their love of the city Sunday night during an event for the Latter-day Saints of Greater Kansas City.
In a Facebook video entitled “Faith, Hope & Football” and shot inside the couple’s KC home, Andy and Tammy Reid aimed to provide a “message of hope and perseverance during these challenging COVID-19 times.”
The Reids chatted about their faith, marriage, family and more. Then they answered questions, and one was about moving to Kansas City.
“I coached at the University of Missouri for a couple of years (1989-91),” Reid said. “We loved Columbia. And so I was lucky enough to have recruited in Kansas City. There were some great players that have come out of Kansas City and .... we were able to have play for us at the University of Missouri, so I got to know Kansas City and I loved it.”
Tammy Reid also talked about different aspects of what makes Kansas City appealing.
“When that job was announced that we were coming here, we got — I know I did (and) I think he probably did, too — tons of texts, phone calls, emails, people called me and said, ‘That was our favorite place to live, both in football and out of football,’” she said. “And a lot of people have played here and just made it their home, and when we got here, I told him, I said, ‘Don’t make me love this place. I’m not gonna like it. You know I’m just grounded in Philadelphia.’
“But you can’t help but love this place. The people are so nice, so amazing, so sweet. They don’t care if you’re in football or not in football. If they find out you are, they love you even more, but that and the traffic. Oh my gosh, there’s no traffic here. Well, if you’re comparing Philadelphia, so that was really pleasant.”
Andy Reid was asked to name his favorite places to eat and things to do in Kansas City. He gave a great answer about barbecue.
“I would slight somebody if I mentioned all the places I like (to eat),” he said. “If you’re a forkturian, this is a good place to live because there are a lot of great food places. Listen, I get asked by all my buddies that don’t live in Kansas City: ‘What’s your favorite barbecue place?’ And my answer is I haven’t found one that I don’t like. They’re all phenomenal.”
Tammy added: “And we have a lot of great museums here too. There’s a lot to do here. We’ve got a lot of museums and places to go and we’ve got downtown, we’ve got Overland Park. Yeah, it’s a good place to just do a lot of things.”
Andy Reid was asked what fans can expect this fall. He talked about the Chiefs’ “Run It Back” goal to repeat as Super Bowl champions and said Arrowhead Stadium is a special place.
“We set expectations high, we don’t shy away from that,” he said. “We’re gonna shoot for the moon, and the moon is a Super Bowl. I mean, that’s not just to go, but to win that thing. I think probably every other head coach in the NFL will tell you the same thing, but we’re going to bear down. And we know it won’t be easy, that we’ll be everybody’s ‘A’ game. We got that, we know that, so we’re going to prepare and we’re not going to look back and we look forward and take care of business and do it every day.
“Listen, it’s every day and it’s every play. You can’t take a play off. You’ve got to practice hard and the keep your mind-set right, so that’s what we’re doing. And it’s still so exciting. I can’t go out and talk to the guys about this, so you guys are getting it right here. I can’t wait to get everybody back and we can get in front of the sea of red and do our thing, man. There’s nothing like Arrowhead Stadium on a Sunday afternoon. It’s an incredible deal.”
Tammy Reid is 100% behind the idea of a repeat ... and she’s thinking of even bigger things, especially because she was overcome by emotion when the Chiefs won it all in February, and wasn’t able to properly enjoy the Super Bowl LIV victory.
“I couldn’t laugh, I couldn’t cry,” she said. “I was just like I was so happy, but I want to experience it again. So I said let’s do a repeat and then do a three-peat because then his (Andy’s) contract runs out, and who knows if we’ll still be here, but ... I think that’s a good plan, right?”
The coach spoke about the challenges the Chiefs overcame to win Super Bowl LIV, and how that was almost sweeter than winning the games themselves.
“One thing that I think is important as I look at this is we loved the experience of the Super Bowl. I mean absolutely loved it,” he said. “But probably the thing that you cherish the most is the climb, is everything that goes into that moment, and then the game. The game was phenomenal. You had the challenges, the ups and downs that we had. ...
“These are the things that are really the most important things, not the ring that we’re going to get, not the celebration. I mean, I would have loved to have the virus hold off so I could get a couple hamburgers for free, maybe, or something, but that’s not it. That’s not what it’s all about.”
These are unprecedented times, and Andy Reid hopes that when the pandemic ends, young people will keep hold of the memory of getting through one of the most difficult periods in American history.
He encouraged graduates who are not able to take part in a ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic to take time to embrace what they did just to earn a diploma.
“Enjoy the climb that got you there,” he said. “The success that you graduated. What an accomplishment, whether it’s through college or high school, what an accomplishment.
“Think of all the hours that went into you graduating. And listen, take the high road, I am so corny with this. ... And now you get to take what you’ve worked so hard on to win, graduation, and now you get to put it to use somewhere else with even bigger and better things for the rest of your life, that will set you for the rest of your life.”
You can hear what the Reids said here.
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 10:13 AM.
