Inductees
Dan Meers
Who is KC Wolf? That’s Dan Meers, who back at St. Charles West High School in the 1980s was definitely not a standout athlete.
“I wasn’t a mascot back then even though I got to watch our mascot perform because I was a three-sport bench-warmer – baseball, basketball and football,” Meers said, smiling. “I still laugh when I think about going from a high school benchwarmer to having a 30-year NFL career.”
No, Meers was never a National Football League player. Instead, he has been a league staple for that long as none other than KC Wolf, entertaining crowds not only at Arrowhead Stadium but across the country.
Which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted KC Wolf, er, Meers with the Class of 2020.
Call it an intriguing journey that began as Truman the Tiger in 1986 at the University of Missouri, and at one point led to the role as Fredbird for the St. Louis Cardinals.
But the backstory of KC Wolf – and his role performing it – is something else.
“KC Wolf was named after the team’s ‘Wolfpack’, a group of boisterous fans who sat in temporary bleachers at the old Municipal Stadium,” said Meers, who after the costume was created received a call from Phil Thomas, a Mizzou alum working in the Chiefs’ gameday and promotions department.
“He had received my name from Joe Castiglione (MSHOF 2015) who was Mizzou’s assistant athletic director at the time,” said Meers, who was due to graduate soon. “Joe apparently had nice things to say about me because Phil invited me to come to Kansas City for an interview.”
Meers officially began his career with the Chiefs on June 4, 1990.
The funny part was the advice from his dad.
“My dad said I could always work as a mascot for a couple of years and then go out and get a real job like everyone else,” Meers said. “Well, 30-plus years later, I still haven’t gotten around to getting that real job. Thanks Dad!”
Playing a mascot had begun innocently enough. During his freshman year at Mizzou, he responded to a story in the student paper in which Mizzou was having tryouts for Truman the Tiger.
Meers spent the next four years as Truman the Tiger and made it to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Mascot Championships three consecutive years. He won the national title in 1989.
He then was Fredbird that summer as he worked the stands while the Cardinals, his boyhood team, played at Busch Stadium.
But then came a call from the Chiefs that changed everything.
“After my first season with the Chiefs, the KC Wolf mascot program really began to take off,” Meers said. “The team was playing well, and we were getting a lot of appearance requests. It became obvious that the mascot position was going to require a lot more hours to do the job effectively. That is when KC Wolf became my full-time role.”
In 2013, Meers suffered an accident at Arrowhead Stadium, missing six months as he went through injury rehabilitation. In his time off, he wrote a book, and his career took off even more. It led to what’s now about 350 appearances annually, either as KC Wolf or as a motivational speaker.
“I quickly learned that one of the best things about writing a book is people think you are smarter than you really are,” Meers joked.
All revenue from book sales goes to charity, said Meers, who has visited orphanages in the Philippines, India, Africa, Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
In 2006, KC Wolf was the first NFL mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
Which is one of numerous honors for Meers, who thanks many for the success, especially his wife of 27 years, Cam. They are parents to Mycah, Aaron and Mallory.
In fact, when he and Cam married, the Kansas City Star wrote a story with the headline, “KC Wolf answers call of the aisle” and he still has the story.
“I truly consider myself one of the most blessed men on the face of the earth,” Meers said. “God has been so good to me. He has blessed me with a wonderful family, and I’ve made so many great friends throughout my career.
“I love what I do,” Meers added, “and there is no other job I would rather have then serving as KC Wolf – The Kansas City Chiefs Director of Shenanigans.”