Chiefs revel in Andy Reid getting crown jewel for a Hall of Fame resume
First and foremost, this amazing night was all about Kansas City and what it means to the region to be Super Bowl champions for the first time in half a century.
“There’s going to be some burnt ends flying tonight,” coach Andy Reid said, laughing.
And it was about the Hunt family, most specifically in the form of a flashback tribute to Lamar, the late founder of the Chiefs who was so instrumental in the formation of the AFL and the merger with the NFL and very name of the Super Bowl; Norma, known as the “NFL’s First Lady of Football” and their son Clark, the owner who was so thrilled to see this happen for his mother.
But the most poignant undercurrent of the Chiefs’ 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium undoubtedly was the one that engulfed Reid from the instant the Chiefs put it away with Kendal Fuller’s interception with 57 seconds left.
Before he ran out on the field to run out the clock, Reid’s protege and marvel of the NFL, Patrick Mahomes, hurried to hug Reid.
“I don’t know what we said, but it was good,” Reid said, smiling, after the game. “And we were probably just goo-gooing over what just happened. … This brings that out in you.”
Cue the montage of the moment Reid has toiled toward for nearly 40 years in the business, rising from graduate assistant at his alma mater, Brigham Young, to stops at San Francisco State, Northern Arizona, Texas-El Paso, Mizzou and the Green Bay Packers before his first head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.
“We’re married together forever now,” tight end Travis Kelce said. “He can’t get rid of me now. I’ll be over at Thanksgiving.”
Along the way to becoming the sixth-winningest coach in NFL history (222 wins now), Reid became beloved for his personal touch, revered for his offensive genius but also identified for what his resume lacked: a Super Bowl victory.
That’s why the raucous postgame scene had more of a focal point than these sorts of free-flowing things typically do. Because it was about Reid, around whom Chiefs administrators and staff and players and coaches almost immediately revolved, many waiting their turn.
With Reid’s red face radiating sheer joy and abandon, here he was with a long embrace of his son, Britt. And inviting in the swarm around him even after his wife, Tammy, was by his side. Offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz kissed Reid on the cheek, then Reid kissed him on the forehead. And that was just in the first moments in public view.
“I had two goals when I became the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Mahomes, the Super Bowl MVP. “The first goal was to win the Lamar Hunt Trophy. I wanted to bring it home, the one that has our founder’s name on it. I wanted to bring it to this family and this organization.
“And the second most important thing was to get Coach Reid a Super Bowl trophy. He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. I don’t think he needed the Lombardi Trophy to prove that, but just to do that, it puts all doubt aside. He’s gonna be listed as one of the all-time great coaches in history whenever he wants to be done, which I hope is not anytime soon.”
While everyone else was thinking about how this seems to assure Reid a place one day in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Reid shrugged that off.
“I don’t care about that; I mean, I really don’t,” he said. “This is a pure team sport. I love that part of it. I mean that’s why I got into it. I didn’t get into it, you know, for any other reason other than to win games and win them with great people. …
“I mean, it’s really the last thing on my mind.”
That might sound like coachspeak to some. But if you know Reid, you know the answer was sincere. Just like it was when he said even his former Eagles players and fans “have a little piece of this.”
All of which helps explain why players want to perform for Reid, who took the Eagles to the Super Bowl only to lose to the Patriots in 2005.
“It’s been a long time coming for him,” safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “He’s such a good man. He gives us that confidence. He lets us be ourselves. And he has created this culture that is all about family, that is all about team. We can feel that.”
They also feel his dedication and recognize his work ethic, with Mahomes declaring that Reid works from 3 a.m. to 11 p.m and doesn’t think he sleeps.
Now Reid, 61, figures only to get stronger from this breakthrough.
“I told (the team) I’d coach another 20 years if I could have (these players),” he said. “They’re a beautiful bunch. Resilient, tough, tough-minded. Very tough-minded, as you saw tonight.”
Just like their coach, as it turns out.