Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas is fast approaching and the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers have been preparing for the big game for the past two weeks. But do you know who else has to get ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday? The mascots. These larger-than-life furry characters bring a level of excitement to the game and the fans in attendance, and also need to be on their game when the Super Bowl spotlight is on them.
In the NFL, every player dreams of playing in the big game, but for mascots, it’s also the ultimate step. For the Chiefs and 49ers, we’re talking about KC Wolf and Sourdough Sam, respectively. Unlike some other teams in the league, these mascots and their names aren’t obviously tied to their teams.
For those wondering how these mascots became marginalized, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to.
KC Wolf
The Chiefs’ original mascot was named Warpaint and it was a horse ridden by a man wearing a headdress. KC Wolf replaced this mascot in 1989. Wolves aren’t the thing most people think of when they picture Kansas City or Missouri, and according to Wolf.org, the state doesn’t even have a population of wolves. The Wolves may not be running around the zone, but there is one running around Arrowhead Stadium.
The concept for the mascot came from a group of wild fans who sat in temporary bleachers at Municipal Stadium, the baseball and football stadium that hosted the Chiefs from 1963 to 1971. These fans, called the “Pack of wolves”, have clearly been a real success. impact on the team, and their legacy lives on forever in the form of the current mascot. The KC part of the name is pretty obvious.
KC Wolf has his own Twitter account and was the first NFL mascot to be inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. KC Wolf has been to several Super Bowls, as this is the Chiefs’ fourth appearance in five years.
Sourdough Sam
Sourdough Sam is the Bay Area’s first official team mascot and hit the scene in 1994. Before Sam, a mule, Clementine, competed in games in the 1950s and 1960s, donning a red saddle during appearances.
In the 1970s, the team adopted the gold rush theme and had a prospector-type mascot. Sourdough Sam underwent changes, ranging from outfit variations to even a change in eye color, and eventually took on the persona of a miner rather than a prospector. He wears a jersey and of course wears the number 49, for obvious reasons.
Nicknamed SDS, the team icon is described as “the hardest-working mascot in the NFL” and “loves to have fun.” When Sourdough Sam isn’t at Levi’s Stadium, he’s digging in the gold mines and enjoying his favorite food, a San Francisco staple: sourdough bread. You know a food is important to a city when its team mascot is named after it.
So when you watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, don’t forget to pay close attention to these mascots who have also worked their entire lives for this moment.
How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl
- Date: Sunday February 11
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- Television: CBS, Nickelodeon | Stream: CBS streaming on Paramount+