Arrowhead Pride
The Chiefs’ president talked about the prestigious matchup during Super Bowl Opening night.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are set to face off in Super Bowl 59. The NFL’s ultimate game is taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the events kicked off Monday evening with Super Bowl Night.
Before the players and coaches took the stage, NFL Network hosted Chiefs’ president Mark Donovan on set for an interview. Donovan discussed Kansas City's potential to win three consecutive championships and gave insight into how widespread head coach Andy Reid's messaging is this week.
“As somebody that grew up loving the game of football, loving the NFL and everything it stood for, to be a part of that is kind of overwhelming,” Donovan admitted to NFL Network’s Judy Battista and Tom Pelissero. “Andy’s done a really good job this week of talking about being in the moment, enjoying the moment, but being in the moment every single day. We’ll deal with that later, right now we’re just getting the job done.”
Donovan was named team president in 2011, two years before Reid was hired to lead the team. However, Donovan spent six seasons as the Eagles' senior vice president of operations under Reid's tenure.
He was able to pull from that experience ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, a matchup between his last two employers. He believes each team is on this stage for a reason that starts well before the field.
“First and foremost, it’s culture,” Donovan stated. “I was in a great culture when I was in Philadelphia, and this culture is really special as well. It starts with leadership; it starts with the empowerment of (Chiefs’ Chairman and CEO) Clark [Hunt] and the family. Andy and I have worked together for almost 18 years. (General manager) Brett [Veach] and I have formed a fantastic relationship.”
“What people don’t realize is we’re working together every single day,” Donovan emphasized. “Andy has a great saying: ‘Eliminate distractions.’ It’s a big part of my job is to help them not have distractions so we can just focus on winning football.”
The Chiefs’ culture comes from the Hunt family history. Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie bought the franchise in 1994 and has built one of the NFL’s most consistently talented organizations, from the coaches to the players.
There are two different ways of doing business, yet each share a common trait that has helped them achieve sustained success.
“They’re both incredibly competitive,” Donovan pointed out. “I can’t describe the level of competitiveness with both of them... People don’t see that passion every day because they have to play the role of leader of the organization. Their passion is something that makes them special.”
Both teams’ cultures can be felt from the top down, from the front office to the playing field. It’s a big reason why these teams are matching up in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
