Lucky undies, touchdown bells and more: Chiefs fans share their pregame superstitions

As the Kansas City Chiefs suit up for their seventh straight AFC Championship Game, some fans are making their own preparations as they prepare to engage in long-held pregame superstitions.

In the past, The Star has heard from loyal Chiefs devotees who carry the torch for their team with lucky helmets, Kelce-themed meals and favorite candles. CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt told “Good Morning Football” on Wednesday that his go-to luck charm is a kiss from wife Tavia before kickoff.

While the team prepares to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, we asked our readers to let us in on their latest game-day traditions that bring the Chiefs good luck.

Kentucky fried fortune

For Kansas City resident Alice Sky, the 2024-2025 football season brought a delicious new good-luck routine.

Sky air-fries frozen chicken wings from Sam’s Club before the start of every game. Fresh, hot chicken is a plus, Sky said, but it’s more essential that the wings come from Sam’s.

The tasty tradition first took shape when the Chiefs took down the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5, Sky said.

“My friends suggested “Ravens wings” when the season started, and we won so I kept it up,” Sky said.

As the Chiefs inched closer to the playoffs, Sky carried frozen wings to St. Louis to keep her hot streak alive over Christmas Day. She attributes the team’s Jan. 5 loss to the Denver Broncos in part to her choice to cook the lucky wings ahead of time.

“Cold wings fell short, as did the Chiefs,” Sky said. “I told myself it was OK because the game didn’t matter, but rest assured they’ll be hot and fresh for the playoffs. “

Sky’s friends and family are still warming up to the new ritual after a season of fowl play.

“They roll their eyes, but I get calls and texts if we’re not doing well,” Sky said. “They want to know if I skipped the wings.”

Layering for luck

Meanwhile, Chiefs fan Johnny Mendez sends his favorite team good vibes with the help of his lucky underwear.

“They always seem to win when I wear,” Mendez said.

Mendez wears the blessed boxers for every game and only washes them when the team loses. Though Mendez feels his game-day trunks are a good omen, he says his loved ones aren’t exactly on board.

“They are grossed out, to be honest,” Mendez said. “They think I am crazy.”

From beers to bells

Darren King, meanwhile, spends his football season surrounded by superstition. His cul-de-sac in Kansas City’s Northland is filled with loyal members of Chiefs nation, all of whom come together for a litany of rituals to kick off every single game.

On the cul-de-sac, gameday starts at one neighbor’s basement bar for home games, and in the living room of another during away games. King and his neighbors have developed assigned seats, from which they rise to ring a bell after each touchdown and major play.

“Everyone in our ‘sac is all in on this,” King said. “Friends take turns ringing the bell, bring their own new noisemakers and sit wherever they need to sit for a win.”

The “touchdown bell” was installed in the basement bar in 2019, King said, and carried the street of sports fans through the Chiefs’ 2020 Super Bowl win. During the team’s 2023 Super Bowl win, King and his friends also introduced a red-and-yellow tambourine.

The tambourine was “retired due to ‘excessive shaking,’” King said, “but still available as needed during this year’s playoff run — think ‘break glass if needed.’”

The cul-de-sac revelers also start each game with a drink of Jason and Travis Kelce’s Garage Beer, which must be finished before kickoff, King said.