Homeless man gifted playoff tickets after helping stranded NFL player
KANSAS CITY, MO - A homeless man's act of kindness has gone viral after he unwittingly helped a professional football player make it to his divisional playoff game over the weekend.
According to KSHB, Dave Cochran lives out of his truck with his dog and girlfriend. Cochran was one of the many people driving on the treacherous, ice-covered roadways across Kansas City when he stumbled upon a couple of vehicles stuck along a highway.
“I was driving down (U.S.) 40 Highway and saw a couple cars stuck," Dave Cochran told KSHB. "I pulled one car out before that, then I saw another car stuck and I told my old lady, 'We have to help him.'"
Cochran had no idea who was inside the car but knew they needed his help.
“It said Texas plates," Cochran said. "He wasn’t used to this weather. He isn’t used to this coldness. He is from Texas."
The man driving that car with Texas plates was actually none other than Jeff Allen, a guard for the Kansas City Chiefs. Allen was on his way to Arrowhead Stadium when he got caught up in the traffic for his own playoff game and ended up stuck in the snow.
“(I) just pulled over," Cochran said. "I went to help him, then he told me he was a Chiefs player. I didn’t know he was a Chiefs player. I looked at him as a normal person and hoped he would do the same for me like I did for him.”
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Allen was able to make it to the stadium in time for kickoff and helped the Chiefs take down the Colts in order to move on to the AFC Championship. With the game in the rearview, Allen tweeted later that same night hoping to track down the good Samaritan.
My car got stuck in the snow before the game & a nice guy named Dave help pull me out without knowing I was a player. I want to give him tickets to the AFC championship game for helping but don’t have a way to contact him. He drove a 97 or 98 Black Suburban. Pls RT #ChiefsKingdom
— Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen71) January 13, 2019
The community found Cochran in no time, allowing Allen to award him with two tickets to next week's championship game between the Chiefs and Patriots.
Update: Despite the recent influx in people changing their name to Dave in the KC area lol, I was actually able to track down the Dave that helped me thanks to the power of social media and #ChiefsKindgom. Thanks for your kindness https://t.co/e4OkEg6AAw
— Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen71) January 13, 2019
Cochran says he was overwhelmed by Allen's gesture and the outpouring of support he's received.
“It’s like a dream come true," Cochran said. "I saw the message this morning, and I am not going to fake with you -- call me soft if you want to homeboys -- I started bawling, to know he is a man of his word and he reached out to contact me.”
If you're interested in helping Cochran, you can find more information on how to do so here.