CELEBRATING ANN ROACH
February 12th – 1:12 PM

The Chiefs offices closed down for two hours this afternoon to honor the career of one of its most dearest and loyal employees. The organization gathered today, as one, to celebrate Ann Roach’s 44 seasons of dedication in a retirement luncheon overlooking the Chiefs indoor practice facility.

Spending the majority of her tenure with the organization as the top aide to the Chiefs’ head coaches and assistant coaching staff, Roach served directly under 10 head coaches dating back to the franchise’s first-ever sideline general, Hank Stram.

Over the course of the luncheon, Chiefs President Denny Thum and other co-workers shared countless stories and memories of Roach. She was also presented with a team helmet signed by the entire organization, a football commemorating her 44 seasons of service and a vase to be filled with fresh flowers in each of the next 12 months to let her know that she is still in the minds of all at Arrowhead.

Ann is the type of person that has an immediate impact on any person who is lucky enough to meet her. A prime example, just a few weeks ago, occurred inside the lobby of the Chiefs offices during Emmitt Thomas’ first day on the job as Kansas City’s new defensive backs coach.

Thomas was joined in the lobby by a fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer, LB Bobby Bell, and Roach’s name came up immediately. Bell informed Thomas of Roach’s planned retirement.

“You know, Ann and I came to the Chiefs together as rookies in 1966,” Thomas responded. “I’ve already found her. She was one of my first stops to make once I found my new office.”

That’s just one example of Roach’s impact on those which have surrounded her at Arrowhead over the years.

Here are a few more…

“If there was a wing of the Hall of Fame for support people, Ann would be in it. I always considered her a part of the coaching staff, probably a more important part of the staff than I was. She was a tremendous help to my family in our time in Kansas City. I coached the Chiefs for two and a half years and if it weren’t for Ann, I wouldn’t have lasted a month.“
– Coach Paul Wiggin

“Ann’s gone through more head coaches than Jerry Jones and Al Davis combined. I remember the day that Annie got married and from that day forward, she was known as Coach Roach. During my 47-year coaching career, Ann is one of the individuals I will always remember most fondly.“
– Coach Marv Levy

“Of all of the support people that I’ve ever been around in my many years of coaching, there was never one that was more consistent day-in and day-out than Ann Roach. I still remember walking down the hallway and generally she’d be there before I got there in many cases and she did a terrific, terrific job. I always thought the important thing when you have that type of role for somebody is that they’re consistent, they do right things and they do the right things all the time and that’s the way Ann Roach was. She’s a terrific person, but from a professional standpoint, I’ve never been around anybody that was better than Ann Roach. On behalf of Pat and our family, we say thank you. We love you, Annie.“
– Coach Marty Schottenheimer

“Ann is one the finest co-workers and friends that I’ve ever made in this business. Her love for the Chiefs and the people that worked in that building had no equal and probably never will. She is loyal, kind, tough and about as consistent as anyone could be. Forgive me, I feel that I’m describing one of our former players, but that was her, every bit as important as any player that took the field for the Chiefs at that time.

“I know a lot of the coaches that worked with her will be glad that she doesn’t have to go into the office anymore and we all hope that she will do something for herself, instead of taking care of all the rest of us and our petty needs. I hope that you have a great and wonderful life without any of us asking for something that we can easily do for ourselves. Ann, if you should ever want anything, hopefully, you will call me and I will be more than happy to return all the kind favors you did for me. We love you.“
– Your friend for life, Gunther and the Cunningham family

“Ann was everything Lamar Hunt wanted in an employee and then some. For me, she was someone I could lean on. She had been there and done it in the way the organization expected things to be done; therefore she added a depth of credibility to her responsibilities. Being new to the organization, that really helped me. Maybe even more important to me was she adjusted to my way of doing things quickly. She was fun to have on my team, worked hard and handled working with my staff with great poise and confidence. Ann is a very special lady and I appreciated her efforts very much. She will be tough to replace. In fact, when Ann leaves, a piece of the Chiefs history leaves with her!“
– Coach Dick Vermeil

“If Ann ever decided to write a book on the Kansas City Chiefs head coaches, it would be a best seller. She’s the best!“
– God Bless, Coach Herm Edwards

To put into perspective Roach’s amazing tenure with the Chiefs, which began on November 7, 1966, here is a copy of “The Ann Roach Era.” This monumental list was constructed by the Chiefs public relations staff and shared by Thum at Roach’s luncheon this afternoon.

• When Ann Roach began work with Kansas City on November 7, 1966 the Chiefs were one of nine teams in the American Football League. The Miami Dolphins entered the AFL as an expansion franchise that year.

• The National Football League consisted of 15 franchises when Ann began work for the Chiefs. Ann started working in professional football before places like Atlanta, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Charlotte had teams.

• Ann’s tenure with the Chiefs spanned nine different Presidential administrations – Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

• Ann began working for the Chiefs nearly three years before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

• The Chiefs still practiced at Swope Park when Ann began working for the team.

• Ann was on hand for the first game ever played at Arrowhead on August 12, 1972.

• Ann served as an assistant for 10 different Chiefs head coaches.

• The Chiefs played in one postseason game before Ann’s arrival and have played in 20 playoff games since she joined the organization, including two AFL Championship Games, Super Bowl I and Super Bowl IV.

• According to Forbes Magazine, the average salary of players when Ann started in 1966 was under $23,000. Today the average player earnings are just over $1 million.

• Ann has been a part of this franchise for 683 regular and postseason games. The Chiefs have accumulated 14,345 points and 214,830 total yards of total offense (nearly 123 miles) in those games. In total, she has witnessed 341 Chiefs victories, including 45 against the Raiders.

• The Chiefs have also played American Bowl games in Germany, Japan (twice) and Mexico during Ann’s tenure.

• Over 25 million fans have walked through the turnstiles at Municipal and Arrowhead Stadiums in Ann’s time.

• Ann has seen 10 different members of the Kansas City Chiefs organization inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with every single member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.

Additionally, here is an excellent article written by Bob Gretz about Roach’s career, dated 11/11/2006 on kcchiefs.com

Ann, on behalf of all Chiefs fans and the entire organization – “Thank You.”