Former POW sees Kansas City Chiefs play in Super Bowl LIV after missing team’s win 50 years ago

MIAMI - A former prisoner of war has been given a second chance to see his favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs, play in the Super Bowl after missing their win 50 years ago. 

In 1970, when the Chiefs faced off against the Vikings in Super Bowl IV, Air Force Colonel Edward Lee Hubbard was locked away in a POW camp in Vietnam. He had no idea that his beloved hometown team had made it to the championship.

“When Super Bowl IV was played, I was residing in a 12 foot square cell,” Hubbard said. 

Hubbard spent a total of 2,420 days (6.5 years) in captivity and didn’t find out the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV until three years later when he was released in 1973.

This week, the NFL surprised Hubbard with two tickets to watch the Chiefs play in Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It’s the first time the team has competed in the championship game since their victory in 1970.

“We are inspired by your story and your sacrifice,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “As part of our program we give Super Bowl tickets away to people particularly in the military who have done extraordinary things and you qualify No. 1 for that.”

For a life-long Chiefs fan like Hubbard, the surprise was a dream come true. 

“It’ll be one of the greatest days of my life,” Hubbard told Goodell. “I appreciate this more than you’ll ever know.” 

This story was reported from Los Angeles. This station is owned by the FOX Corporation.