Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen is paying it forward in a huge way after a homeless man named Dave helped him dig his car out of the snow ahead of Saturday’s playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts.
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Allen took to Twitter Saturday to share the story of how a “nice guy named Dave” helped him out without knowing who he was, or where he was headed.
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
— Cookie Expert (@JeffAllen71) January 13, 2019
The Chiefs went on to beat the Colts 31-13 that day. To show his gratitude to the man who helped him be there for the exciting win, Allen wanted to reward him with championship tickets. So, he asked his more than 23,000 Twitter followers to help him track Dave down.
“I want to give him tickets to the AFC championship game for helping but don’t have a way to contact him,” Allen wrote. “He drove a 97 or 98 Black Suburban. Pls RT.”
In a separate tweet, Allen explained that he got Dave’s number, but someone called him before he was able to save it in his phone.
But later, with the help of local media and friends on social media, Allen announced that he was able to track down Dave and reward him with the coveted championship tickets:
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
— Cookie Expert (@JeffAllen71) January 13, 2019
In an interview with KSHB-TV, the good Samaritan, identified as Dave Cochran, gave his account of the encounter with Allen.
“After I got done helping him, he told me he was a Chiefs player,” he said. “I didn’t look at him as no Chiefs player. I just looked at him as a normal person. I would hope that he’d do the same for me as I did for him.”
Cochran told the station he was driving down U.S. 40 when saw “a couple cars stuck.”
“I pulled one car out before that, then I saw another car stuck and I told my old lady, ‘We have to help him,’” he said.
Little did Cochran know that this was the car of an NFL player desperately trying to get to Arrowhead Stadium before kickoff.
“It said Texas plates. He wasn’t used to this weather. He isn’t used to this coldness. He is from Texas,” he recalled thinking.
“[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.”
Cochran told the station that he’s currently homeless, living in his truck with his girlfriend and their dog. But despite being down on his luck, Cochran still feels a strong obligation to help others in need.
“That’s a natural habit for me is to help people,” he said. “I don’t expect anything in return. All I was expecting was a thank you.”
So when Allen reached out with the news about the championship tickets, Cochran was floored.
“It’s like a dream come true,” he said. “I’d seen the message this morning. And I’m not even gonna fake with you. Call me soft if you want to home boys, but I started bawling.”
The Chiefs will face off against the New England Patriots for the AFC title game next Sunday.