Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is a rare athlete. He has already won 2 Super Bowls in his first 2 NFL seasons. Something players cannot accomplish in their entire career. When he runs, it’s hard to stop him. However, it hasn’t come easy to him. He has to go through many personal tragedies to become who he is today. An exceptional player! Ever since a young age, he liked football. He is the youngest of 5 siblings; Ricky, Felicia, Travoise, and Celeste. But his leadership skills and vision for the game were far ahead of them. He played 3 collegiate seasons for Rutgers Scarlet Knights before the Chiefs drafted him in 2022. He is battling in the big league now.
Pacheco is inspired by the ‘loss of his loved ones’ to win. He has revealed that Travoise’s and Celeste’s death shook him to the core. Because of that, he is always motivated to work harder and give it all on the field. That’s his way of giving tribute to them. Their loss fired him up to stay strong on his emotional NFL journey. He said, “Having an opportunity to play ball, it helps me a lot not worrying about the tragedies that happened. It makes me want to go harder.” The RB also has tattoos of his siblings and proudly says, “I play football for them.” If you didn’t get it, let’s explain it to you.
On January 10, 2016, the RB was studying at Vineland High School when he got the news that his 29-year-old brother, Travoise, had been stabbed. And it was lethal. While he was trying to recover from it, on September 20, 2017, his sister, Celeste, was shot dead by the father of her child. His sister was like his ‘best friend’. She took care of him when he was young. But he learned an often overlooked lesson that day. Life is uncertain.
After the death of his siblings, he found refuge in his mother Felicia. They used to watch football highlights together. Sometimes, he would take Celeste’s son, Donald, to watch football games. From the outside, he looked fine, but Felicia noticed he was slowly becoming an introvert. One thing is for sure, he had become a hard worker for sure.
While you may be wondering about his frame of mind at the time, what he did just after his sister’s death will blow your mind.
Isiah Pacheco’s Unwavering Commitment
On the morning of September 29, 2017, he attended his sister’s funeral. In the evening of that same day, he was playing in the football ground. He scored 3 touchdowns for 157 yards in Vineland High’s win against Cumberland Regional by 60-6. Three days later, on September 23, 2017, he scored one touchdown for 222 yards and led the Vineland to a 42-6 win against Egg Harbor Township. That’s some solid mental toughness.
After playing the game, he said, “I knew that she was looking down on me and took my game to another level because I had something to play for. That was like my why. I wanted to make her smile, so I left it all out there on the field and she would have been proud of me on that day.” His determination and tenacity amazed his family and friends. We can see from where he got that motivation to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
It would be a magnificent tribute if he makes it a 3-peat. Something no team has ever done. Patrick Mahomes has praised Isiah Pacheco, particularly his speed, on various occasions. Chiefdom knows their players are ready to roar. Everything will get clear once the season starts.
