Two-time Super Bowl Champion quaterback and Tyler native Patrick Mahomes is interviewed by the Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs Mitch Holthus during the East Texas Speakers Forum's "An Evening with Patrick Mahomes" Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the UT Tyler Cowan Center. (Les Hassell/News-Journal Photo)

A sea of red and yellow covered UT Tyler as ticketholders lined up outside the Cowan Center hours in advance of Patrick Mahomes’ hometown appearance.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, born in Tyler and a graduate of Whitehouse High School, was back in his old stomping grounds Saturday for “An Evening With Patrick Mahomes” hosted by the East Texas Speakers Forum nonprofit.

Before entering the auditorium for the main event of a moderated question-and-answer session, VIPs had the chance to personally meet Mahomes.

Eleven-year-old Zack Wright and his family traveled a few hours from Weatherford to Tyler to have the opportunity to meet the legendary quarterback. Zack said it was an “awesome” experience.

Zack is a big fan of Mahomes because he plays for two of his favorite teams.

“He’s from Texas and he played for Texas Tech too, so I really like him,” Zack said.

Zack and other VIPs had the opportunity to take a picture with Mahomes and even go home with a football signed by the two-time Super Bowl champion.

Moderator Mitch Holthus, who serves as the Voice of the Chiefs, said one of the best things about Mahomes is he’s still just that kid getting his buddies together to play a game.

“I’ve said this often, because one of the things that’s most awesome about you is you’re just a 10, 11-year-old kid and all of us in Chiefs Kingdom who play and work for the team, we’re all just riding bikes down to Pat’s house and we’re going to have an awesome time,” Holthus said to Mahomes, asking him how much he can credit that camaraderie to his leadership and “magic.”

“That’s what it is at the end of the day,” Mahomes said. “It’s such a serious game; there’s so many implications of how it affects so many people, but you have to enjoy it. You can’t let the pressure of it eat you up. You’re so thankful for the platform that you have to go out there and play a kids game at the end of the day, and even though it’s on such a larger scale, I feel like I’m back at Whitehouse High School — I would even say Holloway, that’s where I was at in middle school — that’s where I really started loving playing football in the backyard. I’m back on that playground playing football again with all my best friends.”

VIP donations and proceeds from ticket sales were used to pay fees and expenses for the event and to endow future speakers and events, according to organizers.

The East Texas Speakers Forum was founded in 2019 with the broad goals of increasing engagement, education and East Texas regionalism. The forum’s inaugural event was “An Evening with President George W. Bush” in late 2019 at the Belcher Center in Longview.

The ETSF is supported by a founding board representing Christus Health, Texas Bank and Trust, The University of Texas at Tyler, LeTourneau University, Longview News-Journal and Tyler Morning Telegraph. Founding sponsors represent Gregg, Harrison, Panola, Rusk, Smith, Titus and Upshur counties.