Chiefs' Rashad Fenton wins Super Bowl in stadium where he used to work concessions
In the same stadium where seven years ago he worked at the concession stand, Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Rashad Fenton became an NFL champion on Sunday.
Fenton, the Chiefs’ sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, grew up four minutes from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, where his Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV.
I Legit used to work at the Dolphin stadium growing up, And Now i will be Partaking in the Worlds Biggest Event there. God Works In Mysterious Ways🙏🏾🙌🏾 #SuperBowl54
— Rashad Fenton (@_sleepp) January 20, 2020
Fenton said before the game he’s living his dream and it’s all “cloudy” at the moment. Afterward, via USA Today Sports, he dubbed it “surreal.”
“I used to work here every weekend,” Fenton said. “I was making beers, making pizzas from scratch. Now I’m a world champion here. It’s surreal.”
Fenton attended Miami Norland Senior High School for ninth and 10th grades. The job at Hard Rock for Miami Dolphins games was mandatory volunteer work assigned by his coaches, ESPN reported.
“I still remember making hot dogs. I did nachos, filled up sodas and passed out peanuts,” said Fenton, via ESPN. “That was my weekend, week in and week out. I’m here for a different reason right now. Something far greater is destined for me.”
He spent the final two years at Carol City High School in Miami Gardens, where one in four residents live below the poverty line, and went on to play all four years at South Carolina. He’s the son of Bahamian and Jamaican immigrants and celebrated with his mother, who still lives in the same house four minutes from the stadium, in confetti after the victory.
“I know at any moment I could still be in those shoes. My life could have taken a different path and I could have been working the concessions during the Super Bowl trying to make some money watching these guys,” said Fenton, who turns 23 on Feb. 17. “But I’m here. So I understand to never take this for granted. That definitely fuels my fire.”
Aubrey Hill, Fenton’s high school school coach and now an assistant at Florida International University, praised Fenton’s story and its importance.
“Guys like Rashad, we need his stories because he represents hope,'' Hill said, via The Associated Press. ''Kids need hope here because of their daily hardships. There can be gun violence in your neighborhood, but someone is going to the Super Bowl, that's hope. If mom or dad isn't there and they're being raised by a grandparent, they need hope. They need hope from the people like Rashad. He's a constant reminder for the kid who's been beaten down and needs positive reinforcement.”
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