A Kansas City NFL fan named David Cochran is going to Sunday's AFC Championship decider against New England for doing a good deed.
A snowstorm on Saturday bombarded the Kansas City area and Chiefs guard Jeff Allen's vehicle became stuck in about 20cm of snow as he was trying to make it to Arrowhead Stadium for his team's playoff game against Indianapolis.
Allen encountered a man, who identified himself simply as Dave, who helped to get his car out. He asked for Dave's phone number and was entering it into his phone when his mobile rang and he lost the number.
So, late on Saturday night, Allen began a social-media search for Dave. He put out the word on his Twitter account and said he wanted to give the helpful man tickets to the AFC title game.
"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," Allen wrote. "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"
Allen had to sift through numerous impostors claiming to be the man before finally being contacted by the correct "Dave" on Twitter.
"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," Allen wrote. "Thanks for your kindness"
The Kansas City Star met Cochran on Sunday in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot and confirmed his identity. NBC affiliate KSHB-TV reported Cochran was homeless and living in his truck with his girlfriend and dog.
In a video interview, Cochran did say of his vehicle, "It's my home."
As for hearing of Allen's reward: "I seen the message this morning," Cochran said. "Call me soft if you want to home boys, but I started bawling, I started bawling.
"Just to know he is a man of his word and reached out to contact me. It is like a dream come true."
