Where are they now: Chiefs Steve Bono, Derrick Alexander and Eric Warfield

I spend a number of time fascinated with soccer — largely about present Kansas City Chiefs gamers. However generally I catch myself daydreaming about former Chiefs.

Generally I take into consideration all-time greats like Jamaal Charles or Neil Smith — however as a rule, I discover myself pondering one thing like, “What are Derrick Alexander and Eric Warfield doing proper now?

“Is it one thing extraordinary like climbing the Andes — or are they doing normal-guy stuff like binge-watching ‘Stranger Issues’ after which listening to ‘Grasp of Puppets’ on repeat for the subsequent week and a half?”

And generally once I’m consuming pizza, I ask myself, “Is Steve Bono consuming pizza proper now? Are we someway cosmically linked by means of our consuming habits on some meta-pepperoni-astral plain?”

I made a decision to seek out out.

Quarterback Steve Bono

Bono was by no means recognized for his athleticism — which is why it’s superior that he’s finest recognized for a unadorned bootleg that he ran 76 yards to the home.

It was October 1, 1995. The Chiefs had been on the highway, taking part in towards the Arizona Cardinals. At the start of the second quarter, Kansas Metropolis was going through third-and-1 from their very own 25-yard-line. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer dialed up a 3 working again Jumbo look, motioning star fullback Kimble Anders exterior of the left sort out as a second tight finish, leaving working backs Greg Hill and Marcus Allen in an I-formation.

If you happen to watched the Chiefs within the Nineties, you knew two issues: Schottenheimer liked to run the ball — and Allen was a wizard in short-yardage conditions. Every time the Chiefs had been inside three yards of a primary down, it appeared that they might at all times run the ball up the intestine to Allen. He would slither by means of the road and discover a approach to fall ahead for 5 yards.

So everybody knew the ball was going to Allen — besides that it didn’t. In what might need been Schottenheimer’s all-time best play-call, he fooled everybody on the Arizona protection.

This play would account for almost 30% of Bono’s career rushing yards.

Since retiring from soccer in 1999, Bono has targeted on serving to athletes construct wealth by means of sensible investments. In 2013, Bono teamed up with New York College and Constellation Wealth Advisors (the place he was a principal) to carry out a research about athletes with wholesome monetary portfolios.

“Ninety-nine % of the time once you examine former athletes, it appears to be detrimental; the concept for the research took place as a result of we wished to have one thing constructive,” Bono told Forbes.com. ”We wish to have the ability to have a look at whether or not there’s a correlation between how a lot a man made whereas he was taking part in and the way profitable he’s after taking part in, who does he encompass himself with, who he goes to for recommendation. We try to place some measurement on monetary success in sport and success financially after sport.”

Bono now works as a wealth supervisor at First Republic Funding Administration, the place his employee bio exhibits a powerful resume.

Mr. Bono labored within the enterprise providers arm of the Funding Banking Division at ThinkEquity Companions. In that function, he targeted on advertising and marketing to the enterprise capital neighborhood in addition to aiding in elevating cash for each private and non-private firms. His prior expertise contains serving as Vice President in Financial institution of America’s Personal Financial institution and as a advisor with Champion Ventures, a enterprise capital fund of funds.

If I ever win the lottery, I do know who I’m going to name.

Extensive receiver Derrick Alexander

A superb route runner who possessed nice physique management and an elite ball-tracking skill, Alexander additionally had a blue-collar work ethic that gave him the willingness to take successful and make a contested catch.

Alexander led the Chiefs in receiving in two out of the 4 seasons he performed in Kansas Metropolis.

Since retirement after the 2002 season, Alexander has continued to be an lively member of Chiefs Kingdom by means of his philanthropic work as a member of the Chiefs Ambassadors, a choose group of former gamers that help the Kansas Metropolis neighborhood with scholarship applications and charity work.

Alexander additionally labored as a methods engineer for Cerner and as an IT analyst for the Federal Reserve Financial institution of Kansas Metropolis. As an individual who has labored within the IT business, I can’t think about what I might do if I walked into work on a random Tuesday and located him sitting on the desk subsequent to me. I might do my finest to not go whole fanboy — however I make no guarantees.

Fortunately, it doesn’t appear like my self-control will ever be put to the check. In 2015, Alexander returned to the soccer subject, first as extensive receivers coach at Wilmington Faculty, after which as offensive coordinator and extensive receivers coach at Avila College from 2016 by means of 2018.

In 2019, Alexander joined his faculty teammate Tyrone Wheatley’s teaching employees at Morgan State College as passing sport coordinator and extensive receivers coach. In Might of this yr, Alexander joined the employees of Wayne State College’s longtime head coach Paul Winters as extensive receivers coach.

Cornerback Eric Warfield

Picture by Brian Bahr/Getty Photos

Within the eight years that he performed for the Chiefs, Warfield tallied 20 interceptions and 78 passes defended. Warfield by no means had an issue on the soccer subject. He was at all times proficient sufficient.

However in 2005 — his last yr in Kansas Metropolis — Warfield was been suspended for the primary 4 video games of the season, spent 10 days in jail and 80 days on home arrest for a DUI conviction. It was his third because the Chiefs chosen him 216th total within the seventh spherical of the 1998 NFL Draft.

Then on February 1, 2009 — three years after his retirement from the NFL — Warfield was pulled over by police in Nebraska. They suspected that he was driving below the affect.

Sitting in his automotive, Warfield was now going through a fourth DUI arrest. The officer requested Warfield if he may administer a DUI check. Warfield refused — unaware that in Nebraska, you are considered guilty if you decline to take a sobriety test.

Lancaster County district choose Jodi Nelson revoked Warfield’s license for 15 years and sentenced him to a jail time period of 1 to 3 years. Every part that Warfield had labored for was gone.

However generally it’s important to lose every little thing to be able to see what’s essential. For some, that chilly February evening in Nebraska would have been the tip of their story — however not for Warfield. Whereas lots of people wrote him off, he labored his manner again.

As soon as out of jail, he started focusing his time on teaching youth soccer, serving to younger gamers keep away from a few of the identical issues that had derailed his profession. Warfield’s story is about redemption: being a younger man who made a mountain of errors and located a approach to get again up once more.

Lately, Warfield additionally joins NFL analyst Marcus Sprint in co-hosting the “Chiefs Considerations” podcast with former Kansas Metropolis teammates Jason Dunn and Chris Bober.

Which former Chiefs gamers are you interested by? Please tell us!