Kaduk: Gimmicks make these fans Super

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Some of our more famous members getting some pub...

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Gimmicks make them Super

Hard-core fans have taken rooting to a different level

By KEVIN KADUK The Kansas City Star


Where was Shane the Photographer when I needed him?

It was around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, and I was standing in the parking lot at Tizer's, a newly opened bar in Overland Park. It was raining, and Shane had just left to shoot another assignment.

Monte “Arrowman” Short was trying to break into my car. Not in a “stealing” sort of way, but rather in a “trying to help a boneheaded reporter who just locked his keys in the car” sort of way.

If you watch the Chiefs, you know Arrowman. Each week he wears a jersey and hat of the opposing team and sticks little foam Chiefs arrows into his outfit. He's on television more than that incredibly annoying U2 iPod commercial.

But there he was on Sunday, in a Raiders uniform with shoulder pads, trying to jimmy his way into The 'Stanger.

“Uh, maybe you can use one of your arrows?” I suggested.

“Let me go check my car for something we can use,” he said. It was a strange situation, but it didn't diminish the Chiefs Super Fans gathering at the bar. The following is the esteemed guest list:

• Ty “X-Factor” Rowton: A 29-year-old residential coordinator at a facility for the disabled, Rowton drives around in a red car that advertises his membership in the Pro Football Fans' Hall of Fame. The car is also covered in Chiefs decals, flags and stickers. Its original incarnation was responsible for “a few fender-benders,” but Rowton now feels lucky this car hasn't caused any crashes.

• Lynn “Weird Wolf” Schmidt: This 44-year-old graphic designer broke out into a long, ear-piercing howl once the Chiefs sealed the win over the Raiders. The rest of the bar's patrons looked on with a mixture of horror and delight and then came over for pictures. Schmidt believes the best thing about being a super fan is “when you feel like you had an impact on the game.”

• Steve “First Down Elvis” Bohall: The newcomer of the group, Bohall first dressed up like Elvis for last year's playoff game. “The morning I woke up, I was like ‘What am I about to do?'” said Bohall, a 43-year-old professional artist. “I thought that everyone might think I was a jerk.” On Sunday, Bohall was still recovering from a fall over an Arrowhead railing during the New England game. The result was a scraped nose and eight stitches over his left eye. “I still saw Trent Green's touchdown from the stretcher,” he said. “And I raised my hands and said, ‘All right, baby.' ”

• Arrowman: Short, a 50-year-old land developer, was the first Chiefs fan inducted into the fans hall of fame. He started doing his shtick during the 1989 season. “The first time a kid asked me for my autograph, that was a cool experience,” Short said. “You realize that there are kids out there who are looking up to you.”

The fab foursome drank beer during the game and didn't talk much. After all, the game was on. On crucial plays, Weird Wolf would say “Come on, Elvis, do something.” Elvis then would get up, strike his best pose and say, “Hey, man, let's go Chiefs” in a dead-on impression.

(It was then that I thought about the “Tiny Elvis” sketch from Saturday Night Live: “Hey Elvis, check out that big screen. Man, that thing is huge!”)

The most impressive thing about the four fans is the amount of charity work they do. X-Factor visits schools and gives speeches about reading and following your dreams. All are working on a committee that will help raise money each year for a select charity.

They are also in demand from radio stations looking to fill airtime.

“But the stations haven't been calling as much as they did last year,” Weird Wolf admitted.

In the end, Jen solved my problem by arriving with an extra set of my keys.

“Hey,” said Arrowman, both of his eyes still on the game. “ At least I tried.”


SHANE KEYSER/The Kansas City Star
Super Fans summit: Chiefs backers (from left) Arrowman, X-Factor, First Down Elvis and Weird Wolf gathered and watched Sunday's win over the Raiders. The biggest burden of being Super? “You realize that there are kids out there who are looking up to you,” Monte “Arrowman” Short said.