January 18, 2024 • 32 mins
In this inspiring conversation with mascot Dan 'KC Wolf' Meers, we dive deep into his career and life experiences. Known for his captivating performances and daredevil exploits, Dan shares insights about his work as a mascot, life after a near-death experience and the contribution of his faith in recovery and resilience. He talks about starting as a college mascot, the evolution of the KC Wolf, and his rewarding travel experiences visiting orphanages. Meers also reveals his charitable work, the funding of which comes from the sale of his books, 'Wolves Can't Fly' and 'Mascot on a Mission.' This podcast episode shines a light on Dan's belief in God's plan, the power of relationships, and the importance of living a life that positively impacts others.
0:00 Dan Meers, the K.C. Wolf mascot
00:05 About this podcast
01:04 Introduction
07:12 The Wolf does stunts
11:21 A high wire stunt goes wrong
15:54 Wolf on Faith
21:43 KC Wolf on a mission
26:08 Wolf at the Super Bowl
Grab merch at www.EvelKnievelMuseum.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Joe P (00:05):
/Hey, howdy, I'm Joe P, and I am a tour guide at the
Evel Knievel Museum, where Imeet super interesting people
and get inspired every week, andI thought I'd introduce you to
some daredevils and somestuntmen, Evel Knievel's
contemporaries and his protégés.
Some other fans, like us, andcollectors.
future episodes will include anexpert on Las Vegas history,
(00:28):
he's great, a golf buddy whoseinnovation really took off, and
I'll take you along to witnessthe acquisition of a very
special motorcycle.
Together we can constructdisplays and restore vehicles as
we are building a new museum aswe speak.
And we'll talk to the foundersand the staff of the museum.
We'll be discussing courage andinspiration, hopefully with some
(00:51):
intriguing guests.
Or maybe just me if I can'thoodwink anybody else to do it.
But whatever the case is, I hopethat you'll feel empowered to
take on whatever life isthrowing at you right now.
Today I want to introduce you toa daredevil in his own right.
He's earned the designation bypushing his own adventures a
(01:12):
little bit too far.
You often think of sportsmascots as human cartoons, you
know, they lament bad calls orthey're shooting t shirts from a
cannon.
But Dan Mears takes his craft toa higher, more treacherous
level.
He is better known as KC Wolfaround these parts and around
the world.
(01:32):
He's a Superbowl champion.
He's got the ring and he's abona fide stunt man.
And has an inspirational story.
Dan Meers (01:42):
well, thank you for having me on today.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
I'm the guy with the alter ego.
Got, uh.
You know, I can go by Dan Mearsduring the day, and a lot of
times I go by KC Wolf too.
So I look a little different incostume, and I smell a lot
different in costume.
But, yeah, a lot of peoplealways ask how I got my start as
(02:06):
a mascot.
This isn't exactly somethingwhere back in third grade, I
thought I'd grow up to be amascot, but I, I'd never been a
mascot until I went to college.
Went to college at theUniversity of Missouri in
Columbia, and one day I was justsitting around reading the
school newspaper.
They said they were going tohave tryouts to be the tiger.
And I thought that sounds kindof interesting, so I went to
(02:29):
this meeting, and then I triedout and got the job, and for the
next four years, I ran aroundall over the United States doing
college football, basketballgames, other sporting events,
and had a lot of fun doing it.
And then once I graduated fromcollege, went out and got my
first job working inprofessional baseball for the
(02:49):
St.
Louis Cardinals.
I ran around in a bird suit inSt.
Louis.
That was fun, but then theKansas City Chiefs called me and
offered me this new positionthat they were starting up, a
character called K.
C.
Wolf.
And, you know, in professionalbaseball, they play 81 home
games a year.
During the summertime,professional football, they play
(03:09):
10 home games a year in the falland the winter.
And I might not be the brightestguy around, but I knew that was
a good switch to make to theNFL.
So I accepted the job with theKansas City Chiefs and I've been
with them now for the past 33seasons.
So you got out of the tights.
Got out of the yellow tights andthe, yeah, the bird had to wear
yellow tights and had these birdfeathers and I'm like, yeah, I
(03:32):
think I'll look better in grayfur, too..
So I took the job in Kansas Cityand I'm glad I did.
I've been there for 33 years andabsolutely love working for the
Kansas City Chiefs.
They're just a greatorganization.
They do a lot.
You know, they're not onlycommitted to winning on the
field, but they do a lot in thecommunity as well.
And that's what I appreciateworking for them is that they're
(03:54):
always You know, we're alwaysgiving back and doing a lot of
stuff with, uh, community eventsand and charities and homeless
shelters and soup kitchens andall kinds of good stuff that
they're involved with.
Joe P (04:08):
Yeah.
It's pretty, pretty neat.
We take that for granted.
I mean, I just grew up.
I thought all NFL teams werelike that, but it's not true.
The Chiefs are a really specialorganization in that, in that
regard.
Dan Meers (04:20):
They are.
I can't say enough good thingsabout them.
I've worked for them for 33years.
I don't just say nice thingsabout them because they give me
a check twice a month either.
Uh, I'd be a fan even if Ididn't work for them, I'd be a
fan of the Chiefs becausethey're just, like I said, the
ownership, the Hunt family, uh,Lamar Hunt, if you ever get to
meet Lamar Hunt, was just afantastic guy.
(04:43):
And Clark Hunt is, as they say,the apple doesn't fall too far
from the tree in that family,because that everybody in that
family, I just love them andjust appreciate how they use
their influence to make apositive impact, not only in
Kansas City, but throughout theMidwest and around the country.
Joe P (05:04):
That's a good way to put it.
They make a positive impact.
Was one of them the one thatmade the decision to create a KC
Wolf character?
Dan Meers (05:14):
You know, I think that started right after Carl
Peterson, if you remember CarlPeterson took over as the
general manager.
He and Marty Schottenheimer bothgot to Kansas city at about the
same time.
They were doing a lot of newthings like the public relations
and marketing folks decided thatthey wanted to do a new, uh,
(05:37):
costume character, KC Wolf.
And so, uh, that's where theidea came from.
I started with the Chiefs in the1990 season, which was Marty
Schottenheimer's second seasonin Kansas City.
Marty was there for 10 or 11years, I think.
I mean, the 90s were good yearsin Kansas City.
(05:58):
We went to the, we went to theplayoffs, I think every year for
nine years.
It was fun working for theChiefs.
And then the character, it hascontinued to grow.
And it just become more and morepopular.
And so it, it really took off inthe 90s and it hasn't slowed
down a whole lot.
I still stay very busy,especially after you win a
(06:21):
couple of Super Bowls, then youget a lot of requests for, you
know, we do birthdays andwedding receptions and grocery
stores and banks and, uh,parades and festivals and you
name it.
So there's never a shortage ofthings to do.
Joe P (06:39):
And then interviews in the car between the stops.
Dan Meers (06:42):
That's right.
So, and then interviews in thecar.
I travel a lot.
So the next three months, Ithink, added up.
I think I'm in 13 differentstates in the next three months.
And so there's never a shortageof things to do.
Joe P (06:57):
Yeah.
Well, sorry about bothering youright after your big, huge
Superbowl win, but I would havebothered you anyway, because,
because of the story that you'vegot, you know, it's, it's not my
fault that you guys keep winning
Dan Meers (07:11):
That's right.
Joe P (07:12):
You keep it new and you just told me that you played
Evel Knievel, which is prettyfascinating.
I don't, I don't think I've seenthat before.
Dan Meers (07:22):
They were just skits and stunts.
A lot of times I'd dress up oneof my friends like he was from
the opposing team.
And then KC Wolf would ride outon like a Harley Davidson
motorcycle with a leather jacketand sunglasses on.
And then I get off and beat up aguy, my friend, that was dressed
up like the other team.
And so it always made me looklike, the hero, or the tough guy
(07:44):
there at Arrowhead Stadium, andso, but yeah, one of those skits
we did, and I can't evenremember, I'd have to go back
and look, but it's been 15 yearsago.
We did an Evel Knievel skitwhere we built this little ramp,
and then put fireworks off onthe side of the ramp.
And then we laid some, theselittle, like, basically dolls,
(08:06):
but they're big dolls.
And, uh, we laid them out,dressed up like the other team.
Like I was trying to jump themon my minibike.
And then I'd get down to thevery end of the field, and
they'd play some dramatic music.
And I'd come, you know, as fastas a minibike will go.
So I was probably only traveling15 miles an hour tops, maybe 10.
(08:29):
And, and so I'd come off thatramp and then we'd detonate the
fireworks.
So there's just a big loud boomand a lot of smoke just to make
it look dramatic.
And then, I never would clearall the dummies.
I'd usually land the back tireon the third one that was laying
there.
And so it looked like I wasjumping and then landed on the
opposing team.
And so it was a, it was a lot offun.
(08:50):
The crowd always, as you know,they always love the, the stunts
and the jumping off a ramp on amotorcycle.
Joe P (08:56):
Dan, were you able to land on a doll without crashing?
Dan Meers (09:01):
I did, yeah.
So That ramp wasn't too huge,but it was, uh, it was probably
18 inches, 24 inches off theground.
And so we like, I got a littlebit of distance, but when you're
only traveling at 10 miles anhour...
I was giving it top speed, butyou know, this little mini bike
and I'm in a wolf suit that'sgot 85 inch hips, and so it's
(09:22):
not like I'm aerodynamic.
But yeah, we had a lot of fundesigning that skit, and the
crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Actually, I think I've got apicture of that in my first,
either my first or my secondbook, is a picture of KC Wolf
dressed up like Evel Knievelcoming off that ramp.
Joe P (09:43):
Okay, well I've got that first book, so I'll look it up.
Dan Meers (09:46):
If you got that first book, you look through all those
pictures, and I'm almost surethere is a picture of KC Wolf
dressed up like Evel Knieveljumping.
Joe P (09:55):
Have you ever taken a spill?
Dan Meers (09:58):
Yeah, I wiped out, well, I made these things.
I took a, took a water ski and Iput, uh, basically roller skate
wheels underneath of it.
And then through a rope handle,you know, like a skier tied it
behind a four wheeler.
And then I had my buddy pull mebehind the four wheeler on the,
(10:18):
on the water skis and we calledit redneck water skiing.
And I did it at Arrowheadstadium out in the parking lot.
And it worked great until theball bearings or the wheels got
too hot.
Like the hard plastic, or thehard rubber wheels.
Well, apparently we were going alittle too fast because the ball
bearings got hot, which meltedthe wheel, which then caused it
(10:42):
to start, start to wobble whileI was traveling and next thing
you know, I was, uh, I wasflying through the air and, uh,
yeah, skinned up arm and legsand drew a little blood, but,
boy, I got a great story totell, though.
Joe P (10:59):
Oh, tough guy.
Dan Meers (11:00):
Yeah.
I don't know if I'm tough ornot, but my wife tells me
there's a fine line betweencourage and stupidity.
So, and I might step over thatline a time or two, so.
Joe P (11:11):
Oh, I love that.
I'm going to credit your wifebecause I'm going to repeat
that.
"There's a fine line betweencourage and stupidity"
Dan Meers (11:20):
Great.
Joe P (11:21):
And then you took a big spill November 23rd.
Dan Meers (11:25):
Yeah, that's the, that's the day I took my biggest
spill.
We were going to do a stunt atArrowhead Stadium where KC Wolf
was going to bungee jump andzipline into the stadium.
And we had done the ziplinebefore
It's basically, we hire acompany that comes in, they set
up a zipline that stretches fromone side of the.
(11:46):
The lights at the top of thestadium, they attach it to the
lights at the top, and then theystretch it all the way across
the field to the lights on theother side of the stadium.
And I'd go up, I'd jump out ofthe lights, and then I'd zip
line out across the field.
Well, the crowd loved it, so wedecided to do it again a few
months later.
But we didn't want to do thesame thing, so we thought we'd
(12:07):
bungee jump and zipline.
So I was going to jump out ofthe lights, supposed to fall
about 20 feet.
The bungee cord was supposed tocatch me and then bounce me back
into the air.
And I was going to zipline outover the field.
Well, things didn't go so wellbecause they had too much slack
in the zipline.
And, uh, so when I jumped out ofthe lights, instead of falling
(12:29):
20 feet, I fell approximately 70to 75 feet.
And I hit the seats in the upperlevel of our stadium, hit the
seats so hard I knocked twoseats out of the concrete.
So, if you ever go to Arrowhead,swing by section 324, row 32,
seats 22 and 23.
Those look a little bit newer.
That was thanks to me, because Iknocked them out of the
(12:49):
concrete.
Ended up, not only did I damagethe seats, they did a pretty
good job on my body too.
I broke seven ribs, collapsed alung, shattered my tailbone,
cracked my sacrum, uh, got a biggash on the back of my left leg.
That required stitches, gotseveral units of blood because
(13:10):
I'd lost a lot of blood afterI'd hit the seats.
But then my worst injury, Ibroke the T12 vertebrae in my
back and I've got these titaniumrods in my back that help
stabilize that part of my spine.
So I spent nine days in thehospital and six months off work
doing therapy and rehab andyeah, that was, that's my,
(13:31):
that's my biggest spill in my,uh, in my mascot career
Joe P (13:36):
did that knock you unconscious?
Dan Meers (13:39):
It did not, so I was, uh, I was awake for the whole
thing.
There's times I look back and Iwish I would have been knocked
unconscious, but, uh, you know,I, I, I remember the whole thing
heights never used to bother metoo much, but I don't like them
quite as much anymore.
Joe P (13:55):
You are awake and I assume they just can't get you
off of, of that line, right?
Are you dangling?
Dan Meers (14:03):
If you're bungee jump and zip line, there's no way to
get down halfway through theirride.
So.
What happened after I hit theseats, the bungee cord then
yanked me back into the airagain and then I ziplined out
across the field.
So I had to finish the ride andthen they lowered me to the
ground.
(14:23):
I think they knew that somethingwas wrong because I, you know,
there's a, hate to get toographic, but there's a puddle of
blood down on the field where Iwas, uh, they were lowering me.
I was really struggling tobreathe because of my collapsed
left lung.
Plus I had the harness on mybody, which made it even, you
(14:43):
know, those harnesses fit reallytight.
Of course you want them to fittight, so I was really
struggling to breathe.
And so when I finally got on theground, thankfully our grounds
crew was there because it was apractice.
We were practicing.
This was the day before thegame, but the grounds crew was
there.
And so those guys helped to cutthis harness off of me, which
(15:05):
helped me, I mean, I was stillstruggling to breathe, but at
least I could breathe a littlebit more.
And then, basically laid therefor about, uh, 15 minutes
waiting for the ambulance toshow up.
And then when they got there,they loaded me up and hauled me
to the emergency room, starteddoing CAT scans and x rays and
(15:25):
checking me out from head to toeand inside out.
That's when they discovered allthe different injuries I had.
So like I said, nine days in thehospital and, yeah, gave me a
whole new appreciation fordoctors and nurses and
healthcare professionals andphysical therapists.
And they're the ones that helpedme get back to where I'm at
(15:47):
today.
And I still live with.
It was no fun, but, uh, hey, atleast I'm alive.
I remember when the doctor leftmy hospital room the night after
my, uh, accident.
I remember him looking at me andsaying, Mr.
Meers, he said, I hope yourealize that you're an extremely
lucky man.
He said, if you fell 75 feet, hesaid, number one, you're lucky
(16:10):
you're still alive.
And number two, you're verylucky you're not paralyzed right
now.
That night in the hospital, Ithought a lot about what that
doctor said.
I thought about my life, thoughta whole lot about, you know, how
I was choosing to live life eachand every day.
You learn a lot of importantlife lessons when you, uh, just
about lose your life.
(16:31):
You know, it puts life andperspective in a hurry.
One of the things that Ibelieve, I've always told my
kids this, that there's no suchthing as accidents.
They're all just incidents inGod's perfect plan for my life.
And I do believe that, that, uh,that God knew this was going to
happen to me.
Now it's not the story I wouldhave picked for myself in life,
(16:52):
but at least I knew God musthave a purpose and a plan behind
this or it would have neverhappened in my life.
Because I know that, I know Heloves me and I know He's got a
plan for my life.
Even though I didn't understandit, didn't really like it, I
knew that in the long run that,uh, something good would come
out of it.
My faith plays a big part of whoI am.
(17:13):
It's the most important thing inmy life.
KC Wolf's just what I do.
KC Wolf's not who I am.
You know, I tell people who I amfirst and foremost is I'm a I'm
a child of God.
I'm a, I'm a Christ follower andso as a result of that, my, my
faith is what I've, I've builtmy life on and so it's, even
(17:33):
though it wasn't an easy journeyto walk through.
I look back on it now and I justsee some of the lessons that I
learned, not to take people forgranted you know, my mom used to
tell me this in high school,that the most important things
in life aren't things, the mostimportant things in life are
relationships.
And, uh, during this time iswhen I realized my mom's a
(17:55):
pretty smart gal cause as I laidin the hospital, not once did I
think about how big my housewas, how nice my car was, or
whether I had the latestsmartphone or not, you know,
would help me get through ninedays in the hospital and six
months of very painful therapyand rehab were three things.
And that was my faith, myfamily, and my friends.
And all three of those thingsare relationships, you know.
(18:18):
My relationship with the Lord,my relationship with my wife, my
kids, my parents, my in laws,and then finally, my
relationship with others.
And, you know, I've always heardthat it's the banana that gets
separated from the bunch.
That's the first one that getseaten.
And, uh, meaning that life's ateam sport.
We need each other.
And that's what helped me getthrough those difficult days in
(18:40):
my life.
It's just the people that werethere to support me and
encourage me.
Even on, on the days where I,uh, was kind of down and
frustrated and I knew that Godhad put those people in my life
to get me through thosedifficult times.
So now I'm able to go out andshare that with others.
You know, I speak at a lot of,uh, a lot of different
conferences around the country.
(19:03):
We do a lot of, uh, businessesand, uh, churches and schools
and nursing homes and just tryto go out and encourage others
that no matter how difficultthis life gets at times.
You always remember that mostimportant things in life aren't
things.
Most important things in lifeare those relationships.
And that's what gets us throughthe difficult times.
Joe P (19:25):
Yeah.
Isn't that amazing?
When I, we, we think, and wegive a lot of credit to doctors
and nurses and ambulancedrivers, but it's not often that
we hear stories about the, Idon't want to call them little
people, but you just don'texpect.
The grounds crew to come, comerunning to your.
Dan Meers (19:47):
Oh, yeah.
And even when I was in thehospital, I remember some of the
people who encouraged me themost were the lady that would
bring in my meals or thecustodian that was there to help
clean my room or, you know, andthey were just friendly.
Came in with a smile on theirface.
(20:08):
We talked and chatted.
Sometimes it's those littlethings in life that help people
get through the difficult days.
And that's, that's what I try toencourage people with now is,
you know, on my desk atArrowhead, I've got a quote that
says, life's like a coin.
You can spend it any way youwish, but you're only going to
spend it one time.
So spend it wisely.
(20:29):
And I love that quote because itreminds me that every day I get
to make choices.
I get to choose how I'm going tolive life.
I get to choose how I'm going tospend my coin.
And, uh, I've learned that whenyou, uh, you know, in life, you
can, you can do two things withmoney.
You can spend or invest it.
Money you spend, you never seeit again.
Money you invest, that's wise.
(20:49):
That's, that'll eventuallymultiply and return to you.
When you think about it, we dothe same thing with our lives.
You're either gonna spend it orinvest it.
And a life that's just spentselfishly is wasted.
But a life that's invested inhelping others, encouraging
others.
That right there bears fruit fora long, long time.
And so that's what I try to doeach day.
(21:10):
Just remember that.
And my choice is that try to tryto live as an investor and look
for opportunities to make apositive impact in the lives of
others.
Joe P (21:21):
Yeah.
That's truly inspirational.
I don't know what to say.
Dan Meers (21:26):
I tell you what, it's, it's a rewarding way to
live life.
I do know that because I lookback on my career and I've been
done this now for 33 years.
And, yeah, the Super Bowls arecool, and, you know, the Super
Bowl rings are real cool, andgreat memories.
But I tell you, the stuff thatI'll, I'll remember, uh, the
(21:46):
most when this, the whole crazymascot career of mine is
finished are just therelationships I've built with
people, and some of the trips,you know, I do a lot of work
now.
Uh, some people know that allthe money I make off of book
sales, I donate that to charity.
Do a lot with orphanages aroundthe world.
And so I've got to, I've got totravel around the world just
(22:09):
going and visiting differentorphanages.
I've been to Africa and thePhilippines and, uh, India and
Honduras and just Haiti and justall over the world.
And those are some of the mostrewarding trips I've taken is
just seeing the faces of thosekids light up when KC Wolf comes
(22:29):
walking into their village orinto their orphanage.
That's the rewarding part of thejob right there.
Joe P (22:35):
Oh, man, that sounds hot.
Dan Meers (22:38):
Yes, it is hot.
Yes.
A lot of those countries Ivisit, there's no such thing as
air conditioning, at least theplaces I go to.
And, uh, but yeah, it's, it'sfun though.
Well worth it.
Joe P (22:50):
Dan, you are making a positive impact on other
people's lives.
I think that's great.
Thanks for sharing about the,the mission work that you're
doing.
I mean, do you call it missionwork?
Dan Meers (23:01):
I do.
I mean, I don't care what youcall it as long as I can support
it.
That's all I care about.
So yeah, I, I work with aboutfour or five different
ministries or organizations thatsupport orphans around the
world.
One called Global OrphanProject, which is based out of
Kansas City, just a great group.
Uh, do another one with, uh, onecalled Hope Givers, that's based
(23:22):
out of Georgia.
And then Life Song, and do somework with a ministry called
Convoy of Hope, which is basedout of Springfield, Missouri.
And, uh, but yeah, just a lot ofgreat organizations out there
doing a lot of great work.
And my job's easy.
I just write books and then Isell those books and give the
money away.
I am not gonna say I'm a greatauthor, but I do have
(23:44):
interesting stories just withall these people.
You know, I've walked women downthe aisle on their wedding.
I've been best man in weddingsand just get all kinds of crazy
mascots stories.
And so I just put those storiesin the book form, throw a bunch
of KC Wolf fun photos in thereand sell the books and, you
know, all that money goes to,goes to charity and other good
(24:07):
things.
And that's what's fun about it.
Joe P (24:09):
Well, I feel even better about reading that book.
Now that I know it goes to agood cause, I read, I read
Wolves Can't Fly.
What's the name of your newerbook?
Dan Meers (24:22):
But the second book I wrote is called Mascot on a
Mission, Living a Life ofInfluence.
And it's got a lot of storiesfrom all these different trips
I've taken to differentcountries around the world, and
that just a bunch of, and wejust added three new chapters to
that book as well.
With, uh, Super Bowl stories andSuper Bowl pictures, because
(24:44):
that book came out in Decemberof 2019 for the first time.
And then the Chiefs won theSuper Bowl in February of 2020.
So, like two months later, andthen so when we, we sold all the
first, I think we'd ordered like5, 000.
We sold those 5, 000.
Before we printed the new ones,we're like, let's see if the
(25:05):
Chiefs, uh, you know, we'dalready won Super Bowl 54, we'd
lost Super Bowl 55, and we're,and we're getting close to Super
Bowl 56.
Or Super Bowl 57.
I'm sorry.
So we're like, let's wait andsee what the Chiefs do.
Well, sure enough, they win theSuper Bowl again this year.
So I had to hurry up for anotherchapter.
Joe P (25:25):
How many Superbowl rings do you have?
Dan Meers (25:26):
I've got two Superbowl rings and a, uh, well,
one, I'm getting another onehere in a few months, I think,
and then I've got an AFCchampionship ring from super
Bowl 55, when we lost to theBuccaneers.
Joe P (25:42):
Are you going to make a great big one for the Wolf?
Dan Meers (25:45):
Oh yeah.
I've got one for, I've got onefor the Wolf from Super Bowl 54.
But I can't get the, can't getthe next one made until, uh, I
find out what it's going to looklike.
Until I get the real one fromthe Chiefs, I, all we do is we
take a bunch of pictures of it,send it to a 3D printer.
And then they design it for us.
(26:06):
That'll fit the wolf, wolffinger.
Joe P (26:08):
Speaking of the Super Bowl, I want to ask you another
question about the Super Bowl
how much leeway do you have as amascot for the skits that you do
at the Super Bowl?
Dan Meers (26:20):
Super Bowl, not much, because that is pretty much
dictated by the NFL.
As a matter of fact, like atArrowhead Stadium, I can pretty
much go anywhere I want to, aslong as I stay off the field
during the game itself.
The Super Bowl is nothing likethat.
I cannot go up into the standsat all.
And the only place I can runaround is on the Chief's
(26:41):
sideline and the Chief's endzone.
So, one end zone was paintedwith Philadelphia Eagles colors.
One was painted with Kansas CityChiefs.
And so, I can only go behind theChief's side and the Chief's
sideline.
So when they kicked that finalfield goal, you know, with what,
eight seconds left this year,uh, unfortunately he was kicking
(27:04):
into the Philadelphia end zone.
So I couldn't get out thereunder the goal like I usually
do.
Joe P (27:11):
They put my man on a leash.
Dan Meers (27:14):
Yeah, tell me about it.
I'm like, what the world?
So, but yeah,
Joe P (27:18):
the reason I'm asking is because next Super Bowl is in
Las Vegas.
Dan Meers (27:23):
Yes.
Joe P (27:24):
So I was wondering if you were going to be Elvis or if
you're going to be Evel Knievel?
Dan Meers (27:30):
You know what?
I'm not sure what I'll bring..
I've got an Elvis outfit.
I've got an Evel Knievel outfit,even.
I'll probably be both of thembecause I'm usually there.
Like I was at the Superbowl foreight days.
Superbowl was on the 12th, wentout on the 5th.
So the week before, and then wedo all kinds of appearances you
know, for Good Morning Americaand Inside Edition and Fox and
(27:51):
Friends and all kinds ofcommunity and other NFL events.
So, and then I come home the dayafter the game.
Joe P (27:58):
Oh man, and then parade time.
Dan Meers (28:01):
And then parade.
Yeah, you get one day off andthen you gotta, then you head
for the parade.
So great.
Joe P (28:06):
And you don't get to do away games other than Super
Bowl.
Is that correct?
Dan Meers (28:11):
Oh, once in a while.
We do have one overseas game inGermany this year.
And then, once in a great while,they'll take me on the road, but
typically it's, uh, home.
They typically leave me in townto do watch parties and other
events.
Joe P (28:25):
Well, I hope you get to go to Las Vegas in February of
2024.
Dan Meers (28:29):
Hey, me too.
Joe P (28:32):
Okay.
I, before I let you go, I said Iwas going to put you on the spot
and I don't know if you can doit or not since you're not in
your office, but it sounded likethat you had a poem that hung on
your wall and I think it was atyour office at Arrowhead, but it
might be your office at home.
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?
Dan Meers (28:49):
Yep.
The one I read every morning?
Joe P (28:52):
Yeah, can you give it a shot?
Dan Meers (28:54):
I can give it a shot, so it says this, it says, This
is the beginning of a brand newday.
God has given me this day to useas I will.
I can waste it, or I can use itfor good.
But what I do on this day isimportant because I'm exchanging
a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day isgoing to be gone forever,
(29:18):
leaving in its place somethingI've traded for it.
I want it to be gain and notloss, good and not evil, success
and not failure, in order that Ishall not regret the price I
paid for it.
And I love that quote becauseit, once again, it reminds me
that, uh, today is God's gift tome.
Today I get to choose how I'mgoing to live my life.
(29:40):
I get to decide how I'm going tospend my coin I talked about
earlier.
Every day I wake up, I want to,you know, I tell people, when
your alarm goes off, you canchoose to rise and shine, or you
can choose to rise and whine,and I don't want to be a whiner
because whiners don't make apositive impact in this world.
So I want to shine because theother thing my faith tells me,
(30:01):
Matthew 5:16 says,"Let yourlight so shine before men that
they may see your good deeds andpraise your Father who is in
heaven".
And that's exactly whether I'min a costume or not in the
costume.
That's what I hope to accomplishin life, is to let my light
shine.
Not so that people look at me,but people look and realize that
God is good, and He is faithful,and I'm just grateful to be on
(30:25):
this journey.
The ups, the downs, and gooddays, not so good days.
You know, it's just, just fun tobe able to be on this journey,
and see what He's got next forme.
Joe P (30:36):
Yeah.
Well, thank you for spendingtoday with us.
It's, it's I keep sayinginspirational, but I'm glad that
you're continuing to shine andglad to have met you and God
bless you, Dan.
Dan Meers (30:50):
Well, I appreciate y'all having me on and I look
forward to next time our pathscross.
Joe P (30:56):
Me too.
Happy landings, Dan.
Dan Meers (30:58):
All right.
Have a great day.
Joe P (31:01):
Wow.
I don't know any other words,but I hope that message reaches
you right where you are.
If you enjoyed it, please shareit with a friend.
And if it's not your cup of teaWell, thanks for listening to
our very first podcast,sincerely.
And if the verdict is still out,maybe you want to explore future
episodes, then head on over toThrill.
(31:23):
Show and sign up for thenewsletter so that we can let
you know when those new episodescome out.
/Coming up next, we'll have aconversation with Jeff Walker.
about the Caesar's Palace jump,about our impending move to Las
Vegas, Nevada.
He's a super guy, and you'llenjoy getting to know him as
much as I did.
(31:45):
I'll see y'all then.
/Hey, howdy, I'm Joe P, and I am a tour guide at the
Evel Knievel Museum, where Imeet super interesting people
and get inspired every week, andI thought I'd introduce you to
some daredevils and somestuntmen, Evel Knievel's
contemporaries and his protégés.
Some other fans, like us, andcollectors.
future episodes will include anexpert on Las Vegas history,
(00:28):
he's great, a golf buddy whoseinnovation really took off, and
I'll take you along to witnessthe acquisition of a very
special motorcycle.
Together we can constructdisplays and restore vehicles as
we are building a new museum aswe speak.
And we'll talk to the foundersand the staff of the museum.
We'll be discussing courage andinspiration, hopefully with some
(00:51):
intriguing guests.
Or maybe just me if I can'thoodwink anybody else to do it.
But whatever the case is, I hopethat you'll feel empowered to
take on whatever life isthrowing at you right now.
Today I want to introduce you toa daredevil in his own right.
He's earned the designation bypushing his own adventures a
(01:12):
little bit too far.
You often think of sportsmascots as human cartoons, you
know, they lament bad calls orthey're shooting t shirts from a
cannon.
But Dan Mears takes his craft toa higher, more treacherous
level.
He is better known as KC Wolfaround these parts and around
the world.
(01:32):
He's a Superbowl champion.
He's got the ring and he's abona fide stunt man.
And has an inspirational story.
Dan Meers (01:42):
well, thank you for having me on today.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
I'm the guy with the alter ego.
Got, uh.
You know, I can go by Dan Mearsduring the day, and a lot of
times I go by KC Wolf too.
So I look a little different incostume, and I smell a lot
different in costume.
But, yeah, a lot of peoplealways ask how I got my start as
(02:06):
a mascot.
This isn't exactly somethingwhere back in third grade, I
thought I'd grow up to be amascot, but I, I'd never been a
mascot until I went to college.
Went to college at theUniversity of Missouri in
Columbia, and one day I was justsitting around reading the
school newspaper.
They said they were going tohave tryouts to be the tiger.
And I thought that sounds kindof interesting, so I went to
(02:29):
this meeting, and then I triedout and got the job, and for the
next four years, I ran aroundall over the United States doing
college football, basketballgames, other sporting events,
and had a lot of fun doing it.
And then once I graduated fromcollege, went out and got my
first job working inprofessional baseball for the
(02:49):
St.
Louis Cardinals.
I ran around in a bird suit inSt.
Louis.
That was fun, but then theKansas City Chiefs called me and
offered me this new positionthat they were starting up, a
character called K.
C.
Wolf.
And, you know, in professionalbaseball, they play 81 home
games a year.
During the summertime,professional football, they play
(03:09):
10 home games a year in the falland the winter.
And I might not be the brightestguy around, but I knew that was
a good switch to make to theNFL.
So I accepted the job with theKansas City Chiefs and I've been
with them now for the past 33seasons.
So you got out of the tights.
Got out of the yellow tights andthe, yeah, the bird had to wear
yellow tights and had these birdfeathers and I'm like, yeah, I
(03:32):
think I'll look better in grayfur, too..
So I took the job in Kansas Cityand I'm glad I did.
I've been there for 33 years andabsolutely love working for the
Kansas City Chiefs.
They're just a greatorganization.
They do a lot.
You know, they're not onlycommitted to winning on the
field, but they do a lot in thecommunity as well.
And that's what I appreciateworking for them is that they're
(03:54):
always You know, we're alwaysgiving back and doing a lot of
stuff with, uh, community eventsand and charities and homeless
shelters and soup kitchens andall kinds of good stuff that
they're involved with.
Joe P (04:08):
Yeah.
It's pretty, pretty neat.
We take that for granted.
I mean, I just grew up.
I thought all NFL teams werelike that, but it's not true.
The Chiefs are a really specialorganization in that, in that
regard.
Dan Meers (04:20):
They are.
I can't say enough good thingsabout them.
I've worked for them for 33years.
I don't just say nice thingsabout them because they give me
a check twice a month either.
Uh, I'd be a fan even if Ididn't work for them, I'd be a
fan of the Chiefs becausethey're just, like I said, the
ownership, the Hunt family, uh,Lamar Hunt, if you ever get to
meet Lamar Hunt, was just afantastic guy.
(04:43):
And Clark Hunt is, as they say,the apple doesn't fall too far
from the tree in that family,because that everybody in that
family, I just love them andjust appreciate how they use
their influence to make apositive impact, not only in
Kansas City, but throughout theMidwest and around the country.
Joe P (05:04):
That's a good way to put it.
They make a positive impact.
Was one of them the one thatmade the decision to create a KC
Wolf character?
Dan Meers (05:14):
You know, I think that started right after Carl
Peterson, if you remember CarlPeterson took over as the
general manager.
He and Marty Schottenheimer bothgot to Kansas city at about the
same time.
They were doing a lot of newthings like the public relations
and marketing folks decided thatthey wanted to do a new, uh,
(05:37):
costume character, KC Wolf.
And so, uh, that's where theidea came from.
I started with the Chiefs in the1990 season, which was Marty
Schottenheimer's second seasonin Kansas City.
Marty was there for 10 or 11years, I think.
I mean, the 90s were good yearsin Kansas City.
(05:58):
We went to the, we went to theplayoffs, I think every year for
nine years.
It was fun working for theChiefs.
And then the character, it hascontinued to grow.
And it just become more and morepopular.
And so it, it really took off inthe 90s and it hasn't slowed
down a whole lot.
I still stay very busy,especially after you win a
(06:21):
couple of Super Bowls, then youget a lot of requests for, you
know, we do birthdays andwedding receptions and grocery
stores and banks and, uh,parades and festivals and you
name it.
So there's never a shortage ofthings to do.
Joe P (06:39):
And then interviews in the car between the stops.
Dan Meers (06:42):
That's right.
So, and then interviews in thecar.
I travel a lot.
So the next three months, Ithink, added up.
I think I'm in 13 differentstates in the next three months.
And so there's never a shortageof things to do.
Joe P (06:57):
Yeah.
Well, sorry about bothering youright after your big, huge
Superbowl win, but I would havebothered you anyway, because,
because of the story that you'vegot, you know, it's, it's not my
fault that you guys keep winning
Dan Meers (07:11):
That's right.
Joe P (07:12):
You keep it new and you just told me that you played
Evel Knievel, which is prettyfascinating.
I don't, I don't think I've seenthat before.
Dan Meers (07:22):
They were just skits and stunts.
A lot of times I'd dress up oneof my friends like he was from
the opposing team.
And then KC Wolf would ride outon like a Harley Davidson
motorcycle with a leather jacketand sunglasses on.
And then I get off and beat up aguy, my friend, that was dressed
up like the other team.
And so it always made me looklike, the hero, or the tough guy
(07:44):
there at Arrowhead Stadium, andso, but yeah, one of those skits
we did, and I can't evenremember, I'd have to go back
and look, but it's been 15 yearsago.
We did an Evel Knievel skitwhere we built this little ramp,
and then put fireworks off onthe side of the ramp.
And then we laid some, theselittle, like, basically dolls,
(08:06):
but they're big dolls.
And, uh, we laid them out,dressed up like the other team.
Like I was trying to jump themon my minibike.
And then I'd get down to thevery end of the field, and
they'd play some dramatic music.
And I'd come, you know, as fastas a minibike will go.
So I was probably only traveling15 miles an hour tops, maybe 10.
(08:29):
And, and so I'd come off thatramp and then we'd detonate the
fireworks.
So there's just a big loud boomand a lot of smoke just to make
it look dramatic.
And then, I never would clearall the dummies.
I'd usually land the back tireon the third one that was laying
there.
And so it looked like I wasjumping and then landed on the
opposing team.
And so it was a, it was a lot offun.
(08:50):
The crowd always, as you know,they always love the, the stunts
and the jumping off a ramp on amotorcycle.
Joe P (08:56):
Dan, were you able to land on a doll without crashing?
Dan Meers (09:01):
I did, yeah.
So That ramp wasn't too huge,but it was, uh, it was probably
18 inches, 24 inches off theground.
And so we like, I got a littlebit of distance, but when you're
only traveling at 10 miles anhour...
I was giving it top speed, butyou know, this little mini bike
and I'm in a wolf suit that'sgot 85 inch hips, and so it's
(09:22):
not like I'm aerodynamic.
But yeah, we had a lot of fundesigning that skit, and the
crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Actually, I think I've got apicture of that in my first,
either my first or my secondbook, is a picture of KC Wolf
dressed up like Evel Knievelcoming off that ramp.
Joe P (09:43):
Okay, well I've got that first book, so I'll look it up.
Dan Meers (09:46):
If you got that first book, you look through all those
pictures, and I'm almost surethere is a picture of KC Wolf
dressed up like Evel Knieveljumping.
Joe P (09:55):
Have you ever taken a spill?
Dan Meers (09:58):
Yeah, I wiped out, well, I made these things.
I took a, took a water ski and Iput, uh, basically roller skate
wheels underneath of it.
And then through a rope handle,you know, like a skier tied it
behind a four wheeler.
And then I had my buddy pull mebehind the four wheeler on the,
(10:18):
on the water skis and we calledit redneck water skiing.
And I did it at Arrowheadstadium out in the parking lot.
And it worked great until theball bearings or the wheels got
too hot.
Like the hard plastic, or thehard rubber wheels.
Well, apparently we were going alittle too fast because the ball
bearings got hot, which meltedthe wheel, which then caused it
(10:42):
to start, start to wobble whileI was traveling and next thing
you know, I was, uh, I wasflying through the air and, uh,
yeah, skinned up arm and legsand drew a little blood, but,
boy, I got a great story totell, though.
Joe P (10:59):
Oh, tough guy.
Dan Meers (11:00):
Yeah.
I don't know if I'm tough ornot, but my wife tells me
there's a fine line betweencourage and stupidity.
So, and I might step over thatline a time or two, so.
Joe P (11:11):
Oh, I love that.
I'm going to credit your wifebecause I'm going to repeat
that.
"There's a fine line betweencourage and stupidity"
Dan Meers (11:20):
Great.
Joe P (11:21):
And then you took a big spill November 23rd.
Dan Meers (11:25):
Yeah, that's the, that's the day I took my biggest
spill.
We were going to do a stunt atArrowhead Stadium where KC Wolf
was going to bungee jump andzipline into the stadium.
And we had done the ziplinebefore
It's basically, we hire acompany that comes in, they set
up a zipline that stretches fromone side of the.
(11:46):
The lights at the top of thestadium, they attach it to the
lights at the top, and then theystretch it all the way across
the field to the lights on theother side of the stadium.
And I'd go up, I'd jump out ofthe lights, and then I'd zip
line out across the field.
Well, the crowd loved it, so wedecided to do it again a few
months later.
But we didn't want to do thesame thing, so we thought we'd
(12:07):
bungee jump and zipline.
So I was going to jump out ofthe lights, supposed to fall
about 20 feet.
The bungee cord was supposed tocatch me and then bounce me back
into the air.
And I was going to zipline outover the field.
Well, things didn't go so wellbecause they had too much slack
in the zipline.
And, uh, so when I jumped out ofthe lights, instead of falling
(12:29):
20 feet, I fell approximately 70to 75 feet.
And I hit the seats in the upperlevel of our stadium, hit the
seats so hard I knocked twoseats out of the concrete.
So, if you ever go to Arrowhead,swing by section 324, row 32,
seats 22 and 23.
Those look a little bit newer.
That was thanks to me, because Iknocked them out of the
(12:49):
concrete.
Ended up, not only did I damagethe seats, they did a pretty
good job on my body too.
I broke seven ribs, collapsed alung, shattered my tailbone,
cracked my sacrum, uh, got a biggash on the back of my left leg.
That required stitches, gotseveral units of blood because
(13:10):
I'd lost a lot of blood afterI'd hit the seats.
But then my worst injury, Ibroke the T12 vertebrae in my
back and I've got these titaniumrods in my back that help
stabilize that part of my spine.
So I spent nine days in thehospital and six months off work
doing therapy and rehab andyeah, that was, that's my,
(13:31):
that's my biggest spill in my,uh, in my mascot career
Joe P (13:36):
did that knock you unconscious?
Dan Meers (13:39):
It did not, so I was, uh, I was awake for the whole
thing.
There's times I look back and Iwish I would have been knocked
unconscious, but, uh, you know,I, I, I remember the whole thing
heights never used to bother metoo much, but I don't like them
quite as much anymore.
Joe P (13:55):
You are awake and I assume they just can't get you
off of, of that line, right?
Are you dangling?
Dan Meers (14:03):
If you're bungee jump and zip line, there's no way to
get down halfway through theirride.
So.
What happened after I hit theseats, the bungee cord then
yanked me back into the airagain and then I ziplined out
across the field.
So I had to finish the ride andthen they lowered me to the
ground.
(14:23):
I think they knew that somethingwas wrong because I, you know,
there's a, hate to get toographic, but there's a puddle of
blood down on the field where Iwas, uh, they were lowering me.
I was really struggling tobreathe because of my collapsed
left lung.
Plus I had the harness on mybody, which made it even, you
(14:43):
know, those harnesses fit reallytight.
Of course you want them to fittight, so I was really
struggling to breathe.
And so when I finally got on theground, thankfully our grounds
crew was there because it was apractice.
We were practicing.
This was the day before thegame, but the grounds crew was
there.
And so those guys helped to cutthis harness off of me, which
(15:05):
helped me, I mean, I was stillstruggling to breathe, but at
least I could breathe a littlebit more.
And then, basically laid therefor about, uh, 15 minutes
waiting for the ambulance toshow up.
And then when they got there,they loaded me up and hauled me
to the emergency room, starteddoing CAT scans and x rays and
(15:25):
checking me out from head to toeand inside out.
That's when they discovered allthe different injuries I had.
So like I said, nine days in thehospital and, yeah, gave me a
whole new appreciation fordoctors and nurses and
healthcare professionals andphysical therapists.
And they're the ones that helpedme get back to where I'm at
(15:47):
today.
And I still live with.
It was no fun, but, uh, hey, atleast I'm alive.
I remember when the doctor leftmy hospital room the night after
my, uh, accident.
I remember him looking at me andsaying, Mr.
Meers, he said, I hope yourealize that you're an extremely
lucky man.
He said, if you fell 75 feet, hesaid, number one, you're lucky
(16:10):
you're still alive.
And number two, you're verylucky you're not paralyzed right
now.
That night in the hospital, Ithought a lot about what that
doctor said.
I thought about my life, thoughta whole lot about, you know, how
I was choosing to live life eachand every day.
You learn a lot of importantlife lessons when you, uh, just
about lose your life.
(16:31):
You know, it puts life andperspective in a hurry.
One of the things that Ibelieve, I've always told my
kids this, that there's no suchthing as accidents.
They're all just incidents inGod's perfect plan for my life.
And I do believe that, that, uh,that God knew this was going to
happen to me.
Now it's not the story I wouldhave picked for myself in life,
(16:52):
but at least I knew God musthave a purpose and a plan behind
this or it would have neverhappened in my life.
Because I know that, I know Heloves me and I know He's got a
plan for my life.
Even though I didn't understandit, didn't really like it, I
knew that in the long run that,uh, something good would come
out of it.
My faith plays a big part of whoI am.
(17:13):
It's the most important thing inmy life.
KC Wolf's just what I do.
KC Wolf's not who I am.
You know, I tell people who I amfirst and foremost is I'm a I'm
a child of God.
I'm a, I'm a Christ follower andso as a result of that, my, my
faith is what I've, I've builtmy life on and so it's, even
(17:33):
though it wasn't an easy journeyto walk through.
I look back on it now and I justsee some of the lessons that I
learned, not to take people forgranted you know, my mom used to
tell me this in high school,that the most important things
in life aren't things, the mostimportant things in life are
relationships.
And, uh, during this time iswhen I realized my mom's a
(17:55):
pretty smart gal cause as I laidin the hospital, not once did I
think about how big my housewas, how nice my car was, or
whether I had the latestsmartphone or not, you know,
would help me get through ninedays in the hospital and six
months of very painful therapyand rehab were three things.
And that was my faith, myfamily, and my friends.
And all three of those thingsare relationships, you know.
(18:18):
My relationship with the Lord,my relationship with my wife, my
kids, my parents, my in laws,and then finally, my
relationship with others.
And, you know, I've always heardthat it's the banana that gets
separated from the bunch.
That's the first one that getseaten.
And, uh, meaning that life's ateam sport.
We need each other.
And that's what helped me getthrough those difficult days in
(18:40):
my life.
It's just the people that werethere to support me and
encourage me.
Even on, on the days where I,uh, was kind of down and
frustrated and I knew that Godhad put those people in my life
to get me through thosedifficult times.
So now I'm able to go out andshare that with others.
You know, I speak at a lot of,uh, a lot of different
conferences around the country.
(19:03):
We do a lot of, uh, businessesand, uh, churches and schools
and nursing homes and just tryto go out and encourage others
that no matter how difficultthis life gets at times.
You always remember that mostimportant things in life aren't
things.
Most important things in lifeare those relationships.
And that's what gets us throughthe difficult times.
Joe P (19:25):
Yeah.
Isn't that amazing?
When I, we, we think, and wegive a lot of credit to doctors
and nurses and ambulancedrivers, but it's not often that
we hear stories about the, Idon't want to call them little
people, but you just don'texpect.
The grounds crew to come, comerunning to your.
Dan Meers (19:47):
Oh, yeah.
And even when I was in thehospital, I remember some of the
people who encouraged me themost were the lady that would
bring in my meals or thecustodian that was there to help
clean my room or, you know, andthey were just friendly.
Came in with a smile on theirface.
(20:08):
We talked and chatted.
Sometimes it's those littlethings in life that help people
get through the difficult days.
And that's, that's what I try toencourage people with now is,
you know, on my desk atArrowhead, I've got a quote that
says, life's like a coin.
You can spend it any way youwish, but you're only going to
spend it one time.
So spend it wisely.
(20:29):
And I love that quote because itreminds me that every day I get
to make choices.
I get to choose how I'm going tolive life.
I get to choose how I'm going tospend my coin.
And, uh, I've learned that whenyou, uh, you know, in life, you
can, you can do two things withmoney.
You can spend or invest it.
Money you spend, you never seeit again.
Money you invest, that's wise.
(20:49):
That's, that'll eventuallymultiply and return to you.
When you think about it, we dothe same thing with our lives.
You're either gonna spend it orinvest it.
And a life that's just spentselfishly is wasted.
But a life that's invested inhelping others, encouraging
others.
That right there bears fruit fora long, long time.
And so that's what I try to doeach day.
(21:10):
Just remember that.
And my choice is that try to tryto live as an investor and look
for opportunities to make apositive impact in the lives of
others.
Joe P (21:21):
Yeah.
That's truly inspirational.
I don't know what to say.
Dan Meers (21:26):
I tell you what, it's, it's a rewarding way to
live life.
I do know that because I lookback on my career and I've been
done this now for 33 years.
And, yeah, the Super Bowls arecool, and, you know, the Super
Bowl rings are real cool, andgreat memories.
But I tell you, the stuff thatI'll, I'll remember, uh, the
(21:46):
most when this, the whole crazymascot career of mine is
finished are just therelationships I've built with
people, and some of the trips,you know, I do a lot of work
now.
Uh, some people know that allthe money I make off of book
sales, I donate that to charity.
Do a lot with orphanages aroundthe world.
And so I've got to, I've got totravel around the world just
(22:09):
going and visiting differentorphanages.
I've been to Africa and thePhilippines and, uh, India and
Honduras and just Haiti and justall over the world.
And those are some of the mostrewarding trips I've taken is
just seeing the faces of thosekids light up when KC Wolf comes
(22:29):
walking into their village orinto their orphanage.
That's the rewarding part of thejob right there.
Joe P (22:35):
Oh, man, that sounds hot.
Dan Meers (22:38):
Yes, it is hot.
Yes.
A lot of those countries Ivisit, there's no such thing as
air conditioning, at least theplaces I go to.
And, uh, but yeah, it's, it'sfun though.
Well worth it.
Joe P (22:50):
Dan, you are making a positive impact on other
people's lives.
I think that's great.
Thanks for sharing about the,the mission work that you're
doing.
I mean, do you call it missionwork?
Dan Meers (23:01):
I do.
I mean, I don't care what youcall it as long as I can support
it.
That's all I care about.
So yeah, I, I work with aboutfour or five different
ministries or organizations thatsupport orphans around the
world.
One called Global OrphanProject, which is based out of
Kansas City, just a great group.
Uh, do another one with, uh, onecalled Hope Givers, that's based
(23:22):
out of Georgia.
And then Life Song, and do somework with a ministry called
Convoy of Hope, which is basedout of Springfield, Missouri.
And, uh, but yeah, just a lot ofgreat organizations out there
doing a lot of great work.
And my job's easy.
I just write books and then Isell those books and give the
money away.
I am not gonna say I'm a greatauthor, but I do have
(23:44):
interesting stories just withall these people.
You know, I've walked women downthe aisle on their wedding.
I've been best man in weddingsand just get all kinds of crazy
mascots stories.
And so I just put those storiesin the book form, throw a bunch
of KC Wolf fun photos in thereand sell the books and, you
know, all that money goes to,goes to charity and other good
(24:07):
things.
And that's what's fun about it.
Joe P (24:09):
Well, I feel even better about reading that book.
Now that I know it goes to agood cause, I read, I read
Wolves Can't Fly.
What's the name of your newerbook?
Dan Meers (24:22):
But the second book I wrote is called Mascot on a
Mission, Living a Life ofInfluence.
And it's got a lot of storiesfrom all these different trips
I've taken to differentcountries around the world, and
that just a bunch of, and wejust added three new chapters to
that book as well.
With, uh, Super Bowl stories andSuper Bowl pictures, because
(24:44):
that book came out in Decemberof 2019 for the first time.
And then the Chiefs won theSuper Bowl in February of 2020.
So, like two months later, andthen so when we, we sold all the
first, I think we'd ordered like5, 000.
We sold those 5, 000.
Before we printed the new ones,we're like, let's see if the
(25:05):
Chiefs, uh, you know, we'dalready won Super Bowl 54, we'd
lost Super Bowl 55, and we're,and we're getting close to Super
Bowl 56.
Or Super Bowl 57.
I'm sorry.
So we're like, let's wait andsee what the Chiefs do.
Well, sure enough, they win theSuper Bowl again this year.
So I had to hurry up for anotherchapter.
Joe P (25:25):
How many Superbowl rings do you have?
Dan Meers (25:26):
I've got two Superbowl rings and a, uh, well,
one, I'm getting another onehere in a few months, I think,
and then I've got an AFCchampionship ring from super
Bowl 55, when we lost to theBuccaneers.
Joe P (25:42):
Are you going to make a great big one for the Wolf?
Dan Meers (25:45):
Oh yeah.
I've got one for, I've got onefor the Wolf from Super Bowl 54.
But I can't get the, can't getthe next one made until, uh, I
find out what it's going to looklike.
Until I get the real one fromthe Chiefs, I, all we do is we
take a bunch of pictures of it,send it to a 3D printer.
And then they design it for us.
(26:06):
That'll fit the wolf, wolffinger.
Joe P (26:08):
Speaking of the Super Bowl, I want to ask you another
question about the Super Bowl
how much leeway do you have as amascot for the skits that you do
at the Super Bowl?
Dan Meers (26:20):
Super Bowl, not much, because that is pretty much
dictated by the NFL.
As a matter of fact, like atArrowhead Stadium, I can pretty
much go anywhere I want to, aslong as I stay off the field
during the game itself.
The Super Bowl is nothing likethat.
I cannot go up into the standsat all.
And the only place I can runaround is on the Chief's
(26:41):
sideline and the Chief's endzone.
So, one end zone was paintedwith Philadelphia Eagles colors.
One was painted with Kansas CityChiefs.
And so, I can only go behind theChief's side and the Chief's
sideline.
So when they kicked that finalfield goal, you know, with what,
eight seconds left this year,uh, unfortunately he was kicking
(27:04):
into the Philadelphia end zone.
So I couldn't get out thereunder the goal like I usually
do.
Joe P (27:11):
They put my man on a leash.
Dan Meers (27:14):
Yeah, tell me about it.
I'm like, what the world?
So, but yeah,
Joe P (27:18):
the reason I'm asking is because next Super Bowl is in
Las Vegas.
Dan Meers (27:23):
Yes.
Joe P (27:24):
So I was wondering if you were going to be Elvis or if
you're going to be Evel Knievel?
Dan Meers (27:30):
You know what?
I'm not sure what I'll bring..
I've got an Elvis outfit.
I've got an Evel Knievel outfit,even.
I'll probably be both of thembecause I'm usually there.
Like I was at the Superbowl foreight days.
Superbowl was on the 12th, wentout on the 5th.
So the week before, and then wedo all kinds of appearances you
know, for Good Morning Americaand Inside Edition and Fox and
(27:51):
Friends and all kinds ofcommunity and other NFL events.
So, and then I come home the dayafter the game.
Joe P (27:58):
Oh man, and then parade time.
Dan Meers (28:01):
And then parade.
Yeah, you get one day off andthen you gotta, then you head
for the parade.
So great.
Joe P (28:06):
And you don't get to do away games other than Super
Bowl.
Is that correct?
Dan Meers (28:11):
Oh, once in a while.
We do have one overseas game inGermany this year.
And then, once in a great while,they'll take me on the road, but
typically it's, uh, home.
They typically leave me in townto do watch parties and other
events.
Joe P (28:25):
Well, I hope you get to go to Las Vegas in February of
2024.
Dan Meers (28:29):
Hey, me too.
Joe P (28:32):
Okay.
I, before I let you go, I said Iwas going to put you on the spot
and I don't know if you can doit or not since you're not in
your office, but it sounded likethat you had a poem that hung on
your wall and I think it was atyour office at Arrowhead, but it
might be your office at home.
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?
Dan Meers (28:49):
Yep.
The one I read every morning?
Joe P (28:52):
Yeah, can you give it a shot?
Dan Meers (28:54):
I can give it a shot, so it says this, it says, This
is the beginning of a brand newday.
God has given me this day to useas I will.
I can waste it, or I can use itfor good.
But what I do on this day isimportant because I'm exchanging
a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day isgoing to be gone forever,
(29:18):
leaving in its place somethingI've traded for it.
I want it to be gain and notloss, good and not evil, success
and not failure, in order that Ishall not regret the price I
paid for it.
And I love that quote becauseit, once again, it reminds me
that, uh, today is God's gift tome.
Today I get to choose how I'mgoing to live my life.
(29:40):
I get to decide how I'm going tospend my coin I talked about
earlier.
Every day I wake up, I want to,you know, I tell people, when
your alarm goes off, you canchoose to rise and shine, or you
can choose to rise and whine,and I don't want to be a whiner
because whiners don't make apositive impact in this world.
So I want to shine because theother thing my faith tells me,
(30:01):
Matthew 5:16 says,"Let yourlight so shine before men that
they may see your good deeds andpraise your Father who is in
heaven".
And that's exactly whether I'min a costume or not in the
costume.
That's what I hope to accomplishin life, is to let my light
shine.
Not so that people look at me,but people look and realize that
God is good, and He is faithful,and I'm just grateful to be on
(30:25):
this journey.
The ups, the downs, and gooddays, not so good days.
You know, it's just, just fun tobe able to be on this journey,
and see what He's got next forme.
Joe P (30:36):
Yeah.
Well, thank you for spendingtoday with us.
It's, it's I keep sayinginspirational, but I'm glad that
you're continuing to shine andglad to have met you and God
bless you, Dan.
Dan Meers (30:50):
Well, I appreciate y'all having me on and I look
forward to next time our pathscross.
Joe P (30:56):
Me too.
Happy landings, Dan.
Dan Meers (30:58):
All right.
Have a great day.
Joe P (31:01):
Wow.
I don't know any other words,but I hope that message reaches
you right where you are.
If you enjoyed it, please shareit with a friend.
And if it's not your cup of teaWell, thanks for listening to
our very first podcast,sincerely.
And if the verdict is still out,maybe you want to explore future
episodes, then head on over toThrill.
(31:23):
Show and sign up for thenewsletter so that we can let
you know when those new episodescome out.
/Coming up next, we'll have aconversation with Jeff Walker.
about the Caesar's Palace jump,about our impending move to Las
Vegas, Nevada.
He's a super guy, and you'llenjoy getting to know him as
much as I did.
(31:45):
I'll see y'all then.
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