This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke with the President of the NFL Alumni Kansas City Chapter and Kansas City Chiefs legend J.C. Pearson.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Pearson discussed his role as an NFL Alumni ambassador for the ‘GEAR UP Against Cancer’campaign’s fight against lung cancer, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. He also recalled a memorable game in his playing career at Arrowhead Stadium against the Buffalo Bills.
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“We want to be proactive and use our platform to get the word out and try to see if we can be proactive and help people avoid this terrible disease,” said Pearson regarding lung cancer.
Pearson spent seven of his eight NFL seasons with the Chiefs as a defensive back in the 1980s and 1990s. He played in 90 games for Kansas City, with one memorable night at Arrowhead Stadium standing out.
“That 1991 Monday Night Football game against Buffalo (Bills). Buffalo was at its peak, going to four consecutive Super Bowls. They were running the AFC at that time, and they came in here. That stadium was the beginning of Arrowhead Stadium, and the mystique that it now has, and man, the electricity in that stadium,” said Pearson, “You hear guys talk about the atmosphere being electric; that was the first time that I really felt that. There was something from the crowd as soon as we came out for warm-ups; you could feel it. There was a buzz in the air, and we put it on them that night, on Monday night, in front of the whole nation. That led to where it is now, or the beginning of it.”
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The recent decision to relocate the Chiefs to Kansas, with a new stadium set to open in 2031, has drawn both praise and criticism. Pearson weighed in on the opportunity bring in a new era for the franchise.
“It’s you who have to win to keep that environment, and those guys are great players, All-Pros, with many memorable plays. That also lends to the mystique of Arrowhead. Those guys will always be in that Arrowhead lore as well,” said Pearson, “That stadium is something else, so it’s going to be sad to see that gone. Hopefully, in Kansas, in the new stadium, they’ll be able to replicate the fans, because fans are fans, and Arrowhead Chiefs fans travel all across the country, so they shouldn’t have any problem traveling from Kansas City, Missouri, to Kansas City, Kansas.”
For more information on the ‘GEAR UP Against Cancer’campaign’s fight against lung cancer, visit the National Football League Alumni Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: J.C. Pearson recalls a memorable Arrowhead Stadium game in his career