“I’ve loved him for a long time,” Chiefs super fan Pam tells PEOPLE at training camp on July 21
Travis Kelce is back in Chiefs territory — and one fan is particularly elated to see him!
After a whirlwind summer with girlfriend Taylor Swift (culminating in attending his 13th and 14th Eras Tour in Germany last week) the Kansas City Chiefs tight end returned to Missouri for training camp, where a diehard fan chatted with PEOPLE about her past experiences with the star.
Pam — a 57-year-old Chiefs fan from Lost Springs, Kansas — left her home at midnight and arrived at training camp around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 21 to snag a spot right in front of the goal post. A longtime training camp attendee, she knows where to head to for player autographs.
Kelce, 34, was not signing autographs on Sunday, but Pam says the tight end has always been “sweetest guy” — and recalled the very first time he signed something for her.
“The first time we got his autograph, I had my mom with me, who is actually 87 this year,” Pam tells PEOPLE. “He stood right in front of us and my mom touched him on the arm. I was like, ‘Mom you can’t do that!’ But he didn’t mind.”
“He just kept thanking us for coming. He’s just the sweetest guy,” she says, noting that the tight end is also “so very personable.”
Kelce usually signs lots of autographs every day during training camp, but Pam says she didn’t see the star interacting with fans on Sunday — though there were plenty who showed up to catch a glimpse of him.
“I knew we’d have more people here with the Swifties coming in. I love Taylor, but I love Travis,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’ve loved him for a long time.”
Pam plans to return to camp seven more times during July and August — and arrive just as early — to greet Kelce and get his autograph again.
“I’m glad he came back,” she says. “I was afraid he might retire and just go with Taylor to the concerts, but hopefully he stays with us and we keep winning championships.”
“They seem like they’re a really good match,” she says of Kelce and Swift, 34, adding that she is “not at all worried about [Kelce’s] focus” this upcoming season.
