Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

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Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Canzano: Football's first impression is a doozy
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Canzano: Football's first impression is a doozy

Hot chocolate... cold stadiums... rich memories.

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John Canzano
Feb 04, 2024
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Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Canzano: Football's first impression is a doozy
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Allegiant Stadium waits for the Super Bowl.

He and his brother drank hot chocolate and ate gummy worms. Daniel Lanning was only 10 when he attended his first Kansas City Chiefs game — the only NFL game of his childhood. But he remembers every detail.

His father, Don, drove the family’s Ford F-150 pick-up through the gates of the parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium for a game against the Green Bay Packers that Sunday. Years later, Dan would learn how to drive a stick shift in that same truck.

The three of them walked around the tailgate. They went into the stadium early to watch warmups. At one point Chiefs running back Marcus Allen walked past the Lanning boys, who had wandered down to the stadium railing to get a closer look.

“Their jaws were hanging slack,” Don told me.

The Chiefs and 49ers will play in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next Sunday. Have you ever been to an NFL game? If so, remember your first? Dan Lanning told me once: “I can’t remember what I ate for lunch yesterday but can remember every detail of that game.”

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