The Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LIV win yesterday, February 2, 2020, was exactly what we hoped for to top off a day to remember for retired Air Force Colonel Edward Lee Hubbard. The last time the Chiefs played in the Super Bowl was 50 years ago. All the while, Hubbard was in a 12-square foot cell in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp, where he was kept for six and a half years. Hubbard was born and raised in Kansas City and always had a deep love for the city’s team, the Chiefs. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see them play in 1970 and didn’t even find out about the team’s victory until three years later when he was released in 1973.

After telling Step One Automotive Group’s Raffaella Fant that it had been his dream to watch the Chiefs play in another Super Bowl, she helped make that dream come true. On a teleconference at Step One Automotive Group, Hubbard was greeted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell who then told him, “We are all inspired by your story and your service and sacrifice, so we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss the Chiefs in another Super Bowl.” The Commissioner invited Hubbard to see the Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers live and gifted Hubbard with two tickets to Super Bowl LIV. Hubbard responded that it would be a tremendous honor and the greatest day of his life. He invited Fant to be his plus one.

The only thing that could’ve made the whole experience even better was a win from the Chiefs, which they pulled off. According to Fant, the night was perfect: “CHIEFS CHAMPIONS!!!! It was the perfect night! The dream came true for Col. Edward L. Hubbard!!” (via Facebook)

Photos below show Col. Hubbard visiting the cell he occupied in Vietnam where he was a prisoner of war, as well as a photo of Col. Hubbard at the Air Force Armament Museum, where he donated his old uniform for display.