Kansas City Chiefs Team Chaplain Keeps Team Centered on Faith

Published: February 8, 2023

Kansas City Chiefs Team Chaplain Keeps Team Centered on Faith

By Movieguide® Contributor

Kansas City Chiefs team chaplain, Father Richard Rocha, helps the team keep faith as their number one priority.

“It’s the three f’s; faith is first and foremost, and then family, and then football,” Rocha said. “The players devotion to being well rounded men doesn’t just stop on the football field.”

Rocha has been with the Chiefs for 7 years, supporting them in all aspects of their spiritual well-being.

“Just being there for the encouragement, gosh, you know, just keeping them centered in their faith,” he told KMBC News.

It’s no coincidence that the Chiefs have many players who are vocal about their faith. Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes often thanks God in his tweets and attributes his success to the Lord in interviews.

Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker is also vocal about his faith, frequently tweeting about the goodness of the Lord.

In talking about these players, Rocha described the importance of faith in their lives, even placing it ahead of their football careers.

“Mahomes and some of these others…Harrison is the one who wears his faith on his sleeve, and kids admire that. But they’re normal guys, they’re normal guys who are really trying to pursue and keep God at the center of their life,” he shared.

While Father Rocha is a great spiritual resource within the Chiefs organization, the Chiefs provide spiritual opportunities for those outside of the organization as well. Since 2014, the Chiefs have provided a supplemental church service before their games as an option for fans who miss their regular one.

Movieguide® has previously reported:

Hunt’s focus on faith reaches beyond those immediately inside his organization. Since 2014, the Chiefs have offered fans a pregame chapel service as a supplement for those who miss their normal services to make the 12:00 kickoff.

“[Our fans] were getting there at 9 or 10 in the morning,” Hunt told CBN, “I [knew] many of our fans were not getting to church because they were focused on getting to the game early to beat the traffic and tailgate. I was like, boy, wouldn’t it be great if we could have a chapel service for them.”

The Chiefs will play in the Super Bowl this Sunday, facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles.