A Miami kid loved the Chiefs because of Joe Montana. He’s stayed loyal for 25 years
More than 25 years ago, Christopher Perez latched onto Joe Montana. Wherever the quarterback went, Perez swore, he would be a dedicated fan.
Almost immediately after that decision by a 10-year-old kid in Miami, Montana was traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs. Two years later, the quarterback retired.
So ever since then Perez, now 36, has been a Chiefs fan — even though he’s never even been to Kansas City.
Perez’s commitment to Montana and the unforeseen trade embarked the young Floridian on a quarter-century odyssey of anguish, frustration and hope as one of the few Chiefs fans in Miami. To this day, he has never seen Arrowhead Stadium in person and, until a week ago, had only met 10 other fans in his life.
At times he was mocked for his allegiance to the Chiefs.
“People would always make fun of me like ‘Oh the Chiefs suck, you should be a Dolphins fan you’re from Miami,’” Perez said. “I remember people telling me ‘out of all the teams to stick with, you stuck with a bad one.’”
Then, two weeks ago, Perez sat in silent awe as he watched his team — the one he’d been made fun of for loving — clinch the AFC Championship. The Chiefs were heading to the Super Bowl. They were heading to Miami.
Perez is one of those Chiefs fans scattered around the country who have latched onto the team despite no clear personal connection, for reasons sometimes only they can fully understand. Perhaps as much as any fans, they are feeling vindicated as the team heads to its first Super Bowl in 50 years. They’ll be watching Sunday when the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Perez has spent the past week outside his comfort zone, talking to reporters and other strangers as his beloved “Chiefs Kingdom” descends on his hometown. He has met more Chiefs fans in the past week then he had in the previous 25 years.
‘You should be a Dolphins fan’
Born and raised in Miami, most would expect Perez to support the Dolphins. His father, a New Yorker, expected him to get behind the Giants.
But Perez wanted his own team, and years of watching TV highlight reels made him gravitate toward Joe Montana.
“I don’t know what it was about him. As I kid I was just always enamored,” he said. “I remember making the decision that wherever he goes, I want to be a fan.”
After Montana was traded, Perez said, it was too late for him to switch teams. Plus, as a kid he liked the Chiefs’ red helmets. He also sees Miami as a “bandwagon city” and didn’t want to be part of that culture.
For years, Perez couldn’t watch Montana or the Chiefs play on TV. Local stations didn’t carry the games unless the team was playing the Dolphins. Streaming services aimed at bringing games to fans nationwide were still years in the future.
Chiefs gear and memorabilia, Perez said, were nearly impossible to find as online shopping was still in its early years.
“I honestly don’t even know where I got my Chiefs stuff,” He said. “I don’t know where my parents found that.”
As time went on Perez’s fandom got easier. But it remained lonely.
The closest he’s ever been to Kansas City is Los Angeles, he says.
In 2018 Perez wrote an article for a Miami sports website explaining his fandom and dream to go to his “motherland of sports,” Arrowhead Stadium.
The article detailed his chance encounters (at the time seven) with Chiefs fans, comparing those moments to running into someone from your hometown when you’re traveling.
He remembered being 11 years old and waving excitedly at a car seen driving with Chiefs flags. Another time, he insisted his brother drive around the block to get a closer look at a family walking in Miami wearing Chiefs jerseys.
Later, he stared in shock while working at a Miami Chick-Fil-A at a man who said he was a Chiefs fan. Perez quizzed the man about his knowledge of the team.
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‘There will be tears’
The Chiefs’ first Super Bowl in 50 years in Miami means the world to Perez. If his team wins, “there will be tears,” he said.
Perez is an introvert, he says, and his behavior this week has been wildly out of character. He’s been swept up in the excitement and has, without a second thought, said yes to things he normally would never agree to do.
“I’m not this person, but when I’m around Chiefs fans I am,” he said.
Perez grinned while describing an “unbelievable” week that started with him freelancing for a local sports publication and taking photos as the Chiefs arrived in Miami.
The next day he bought tickets and went to Super Bowl LIV Opening Night, where he met a former Chiefs cheerleader, was himself interviewed by seven reporters, and participated in live videos of rowdy Chiefs fans.
He has struck up conversations with countless strangers, all eager to discuss his beloved team.
Later in the week he plans to continue the party, joining Chiefs fans from Florida and Kansas City at events planned in the Miami area.
And he hopes to continue this experience in 2020.
The Chiefs will play in Miami again this year, in a regular season game against the Dolphins. Perez hopes to photograph the game as a freelancer.
Before that, he says, he’ll be traveling to Arrowhead Stadium — the only place he can imagine watching his first in-person Chiefs game.
“Win or lose. It’s still an amazing experience,” he said. “Chiefs Kingdom is invading Miami.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 1:12 PM with the headline "A Miami kid loved the Chiefs because of Joe Montana. He’s stayed loyal for 25 years."
