Podcast Ep. 118: Get To Know George Karlaftis — Former Purdue Football Star and Two-Time Super Bowl Champion With the Kansas City Chiefs

George Karlaftis: 

This is George Karlaftis and you’re listening to This is Purdue. 

Kate Young: 

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you’re listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty, and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same. 

George Karlaftis: 

Playing at West Lafayette and then obviously committing to Purdue and going on and playing at Purdue was awesome. You have people, even nowadays, that care about me and support me for who I am, regardless of if I’m with the Kansas City Chiefs or anyone else. I feel genuinely supported by a lot of people, so that’s been awesome. 

NFL TV Announcer 1: 

Paul is on the ground, the ball is out. Karlaftis is there for Kansas City. The first signal is a Chief recovery. 

NFL TV Announcer 2: 

Well, the ball’s definitely out. Karlaftis does come up with it. These coaches know how huge turnovers are and this gets the Chiefs off to the start they were really looking for. 

Kate Young: 

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re talking to George Karlaftis, former Purdue football player, current defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and two-time Super Bowl champion. That’s right, in his two years of playing in the NFL, George is two for two in Super Bowl wins. 

Now, This Is Purdue has had a number of incredible professional football players on the podcast. Jim Everett was our first one. Our team just loved that interview. We’ve also talked to Mike Phipps, Akin Ayodele, and Mark Herrmann. And more recently, we had Boilermaker quarterback greats Kyle Orton and Curtis Painter on the podcast. But George gracing us with his presence on the pod marked our first time chatting with a current NFL player. 

I spoke with George in late August as he was preparing for his third season as a Kansas City chief. We discussed his goals for the season, what it’s been like for him playing in the midst of the Chiefs massive popularity coming off two back-to-back Super Bowl wins, and even his recent cameo in the upcoming Hallmark Channel movie Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. I wonder what or rather who inspired this movie? 

Plus, George digs into the beginning of his football career. And for anyone who is unfamiliar, he had quite a unique start. See, George is from Athens, Greece and grew up playing water polo. He navigated an international move to West Lafayette, Indiana and didn’t start playing football until he was in the eighth grade. This episode is jam packed with stories of persistence and we hope both our Boilermaker fans and Kansas City Chiefs fans will get to know George on a whole new level after this one. Here’s my conversation with George. 

All right, George, we are so excited you’re joining us on This is Purdue. This is the official university podcast. You’ve had quite a career at Purdue and also in the NFL. You’re actually our first current NFL player to join us. We’ve had some former NFL players, but- 

George Karlaftis: 

Awesome. 

Kate Young: 

… thank you again for taking the time. We appreciate it. 

George Karlaftis: 

Absolutely. Yeah, thank you for having me. 

Kate Young: 

Of course. Okay, so to kick it off, we’ll go straight into your NFL career. So many football players play their whole careers and never get to play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one. You’ve started every game so far, you’ve won two super Bowls so early on in your career. What have those experiences felt like for you? Is it just like a whirlwind still? 

George Karlaftis: 

To me, it’s been amazing. Kind of came to terms with it. Now we’re onto to new season and trying to do something that nobody’s ever done before. But it’s been amazing, it’s been a blessing and it’s been a whole lot of fun, so I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. 

Kate Young: 

Okay, so two years ago, you’re preparing for your first Super Bowl. You’re a rookie. Did you feel a ton of pressure? Did you go in knowing you were prepared? How do you approach those massive games 

George Karlaftis: 

Going into your first Super Bowl, I know it sounds kind of crazy talking about first, second Super Bowl, that kind of stuff, but for your first Super Bowl, your first playoff game, your first game at any level, really, your first experience of anything, you’re pretty nervous for that. I was pretty nervous, but I know I had put the time in, the work in. And I was also with guys that had done it and had that experience, so that gave me confidence. So we went in and we got the job done and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. 

Kate Young: 

Absolutely. You just talked about a lot of your teammates had that experience. Is there a particular player on the Kansas City Chiefs that really kind of mentored you and helped you grow as an athlete so far? 

George Karlaftis: 

There’s been a bunch of guys and there’s a great team culture and chemistry that we’ve had. We have a core group of guys really that have been here since I’ve been here and it’s kind of all been stuck together. I can mention guys, guys that I talk to on a daily basis like Chris Jones, a guy that’s not with us anymore, but he was a huge part when I was younger in my career. Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap, those two guys are great. But also a guy now that’s taken kind of the world by storm, but Travis Kelce, those are just guys that are great role models, one, but also been phenomenal friends and teammates. 

Kate Young: 

I do want to ask, because you started and became part of the Chiefs kind of at the height of this most recent popularity, coming off of the two Super Bowl wins, but also because of Travis Kelce a little bit, right? 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah. 

Kate Young: 

What has that been like for you? 

George Karlaftis: 

It’s been awesome. Now it’s like whenever the team starts becoming more and more successful, more and more people start to dislike them or hate them. Hate’s kind of a strong word. So it’s been fun to be a villain almost or to start to have that role, but it’s been a lot of fun for this recent craze and all this success we’ve had, it’s a lot of fun. There’s been a lot of naysayers in the past couple of years, but we like proving people wrong, so it’s been awesome. 

Kate Young: 

Yeah, and you’ve done it two years in a row. 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah. 

Kate Young: 

Take us back to this past Superbowl, Superbowl 58. Christian McCaffrey fumbled the ball, you jumped on it. How did you put yourself in that position? What did making that play feel like? 

George Karlaftis: 

Well, actually, it was a bad play by me because there was some miscommunication at the line and I was out of position actually. But sometimes you’re out of position and that puts you in the perfect position. The ball’s on the ground, I got on it first and yeah, now I have the ball at my house, sometimes my dog even plays with it. 

Kate Young: 

Oh my gosh. 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah, sometimes you’re at the right place at the right time. 

Kate Young: 

Yes, for sure. Okay, so when the confetti’s falling on the field after a Superbowl win, tell us what that feeling is like. 

George Karlaftis: 

It’s amazing. I remember the first time we won, there was no feeling like it. It was a win where a lot of the time, your personal performance, you care about how you did and all this and that. It’s like nobody really cares you when you win, when you have that big of a team award, of a team victory and all that kind of stuff. So it was just awesome to win. It was amazing, indescribable really. Then the second time you win, it’s like I’m hungry for more, almost immediately. It’s funny and it’s awesome to see how the mindset and the mentality shifts. 

Kate Young: 

Do you have any behind the scenes stories? How does one celebrate a Superbowl win? 

George Karlaftis: 

There’s a lot of stuff that goes on in those Superbowl celebrations, some that are maybe not to be shared in public. 

Kate Young: 

Not podcast appropriate? 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah, not to be repeated, keep it at that. But for me, this past Superbowl, we went out a little bit and then just hung out with a great group of friends and some family had a rental house there. We just spent the whole night just celebrating. 

Kate Young: 

After winning that second Superbowl, George became the 10th Boilermaker to win multiple Superbowl titles. I asked him how it felt to know that he’s part of such a legendary group of Purdue athletes that have left such a lasting impression on our university. 

George Karlaftis: 

I didn’t realize that. Well, that’s pretty cool, I guess. There’s not a lot of guys that have done that. Aiming to get more obviously as the years go on, and it’s just an incredible honor. When you win a Superbowl, you’re a part of an elite group of people that have not done it. There’s been guys that have been playing for 15 or 20 years that have never won one, so to be a part of any group of guys that have won multiple, it’s just a huge honor. 

Kate Young: 

And speaking of Boilermakers with NFL careers, what is it like for George to play against other Purdue athletes like Aidan O’Connell? 

George Karlaftis: 

It’s awesome. Sometimes you play against guys, like I played against Raheem. He was with Miami last year and he’s still with them now, obviously, but we didn’t play with each other at Purdue. We know each other just because the whole Purdue connection. So that was kind of cool, but we didn’t know each other basically, anything other than that. 

But then playing against a guy like Aidan, who I’ve known since I’m 17 years old and is a great and dear friend of mine, it’s awesome. Not just him, I know I’ll go against Payne this year and David and all those guys. So it’s cool, it’s kind of surreal, especially with Aidan being a quarterback and me, my job in part being to get after the quarterback, it made it a lot of fun and I got him down once, so that was awesome. 

Kate Young: 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, George had a later start to his football career than most NFL athletes. He wasn’t practicing with pads on in his front yard at five years old or even at 10 years old. Instead, George was playing goalkeeper in water polo and was a member of Greece’s under-16 national team. George shares more about his personal family journey, from growing up in Greece to moving to West Lafayette after his dad’s passing in 2014. 

I want to go back to the beginning of your football career and for anyone who’s unfamiliar listening to this, you had quite a unique start. Can you share a little bit about your journey growing up in Greece? You played water polo. You didn’t start playing football until you moved to West Lafayette in eighth grade, so tell us a little bit of that story. 

George Karlaftis: 

My parents met at Purdue, actually, at the CoRec, and they decided to raise… My mom’s from West Lafayette. My dad was from Greece, so me and my three other siblings were raised in Athens, Greece, a little bit outside Athens, up until 2014. And then we had some stuff that happened in the family, my dad passing and all that stuff, and all my mom’s family, her support system and all of that was in Indiana and is in Indiana, so we just made a family decision to move to West Lafayette. That was a great one at that, just seeing not just myself, but how great it’s been for my siblings and my mom and all that kind of stuff too. It’s been great. 

So moved to West Lafayette and then started playing football around the eighth grade. I was kind of worried or nervous to play at first and then kind of realized the game, because most people grow up with it, most people know what a first down is, what a touchdown is and that kind of stuff. I grew up playing water polo and soccer, track and field and different kinds of sports, so football was new to me and I’ve learned more and more as the years have gone on. Everybody’s got to start somewhere, I guess. 

Kate Young: 

What made you want to start playing football? What made you so passionate about it? 

George Karlaftis: 

I guess all my friends were doing it, so it seemed cool. I saw my friends, and not to down any of them, but I was like, “Well, I’m bigger and I’m faster than them, I’m probably stronger than all of them, so I’m just going to give it a try.” And they were all doing it, so I was like, “It’ll be fun. I think I could make something out of myself.” I always knew I was going to be an athlete to a certain extent, so I decided to try it and I guess the rest is history for the most part. Obviously, there’s trials and tribulations through everything, but- 

Kate Young: 

Well, and your parents were both big athletes too, right? 

George Karlaftis: 

Yep, absolutely. Yeah, my dad was a track and field and football at the University of Miami, and then my mom was a stud in high school. She could have gone and done basketball at Brown, but she had an injury, so she didn’t end up doing that, but I guess I wouldn’t be here without that. 

Kate Young: 

Yeah. You said your mom’s from West Lafayette, your parents met at Purdue. Were you a big Purdue fan when you were growing up in Greece? Was that on your radar? 

George Karlaftis: 

No, that was not a thing really. 

Kate Young: 

Okay. 

George Karlaftis: 

I had a Purdue basketball jersey and stuff like that. I had went to Purdue games. It was one of the only universities I knew in America, and I went to games and basketball games mainly, and I knew, all right, this is where my family has all gone, this is who they support. It wasn’t like I was following Purdue games from Greece and that kind of stuff. But yeah, that’s all I knew. So I guess a little bit, but not like a passionate Purdue fan or that kind of stuff, not growing up at least when I was- 

Kate Young: 

Not a super fan of [inaudible 00:12:35]? 

George Karlaftis: 

Not when I was very young. No, no. 

Kate Young: 

So after playing at West Lafayette High School, you decided to stay in town, play for Purdue. What was the determining factor for that? 

George Karlaftis: 

I think a few things for me and my situation. And everybody’s situation’s different as an athlete, going to college and making that decision. The biggest thing, and a lot of people, my mom, my family, my grandpa especially, they’re all like, “You know what? Coach Brohm is a real legit dude.” And just the way he carried himself and spoke, and there was a certain level of trust, which doesn’t often develop between a head coach and a recruit. That trust and that respect developed. He was a big part, if not the biggest, in determining decision behind me choosing Purdue at the end of the day. 

But something that I’ve talked to with guys now in the locker room and guys go across the country, some guys stay closer to home and that kind of stuff. I got to see my siblings grow up a little bit. A lot of guys, they leave and they have younger siblings, they get to see them maybe once or twice, and then they have to call them all the time and that kind of stuff. I got to see my siblings as much as I possibly could. That was awesome to do and obviously, to be around my family and that kind of stuff. 

Kate Young: 

Yeah, and your little brother now plays for Purdue? 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah, I got a brother that plays for Purdue. My sister goes to Purdue and my youngest brother, he’s at West Lafayette High School. 

Kate Young: 

Oh, awesome. And do you think your brother was like, “Ooh, I want to follow in my big brother’s footsteps”? Or did you play a role in that? 

George Karlaftis: 

I don’t necessarily think that was the case for him. Just like I said, everybody’s situation is different. He always just leaned on me and asked for my advice, but I was like, “You don’t have to go to Purdue just because I did and that kind of stuff. Figure it out for yourself and look and see what’s out there.” At the end of the day, I think he made the right decision, and I think Purdue’s been a great fit for him, but just everybody’s path and everybody’s situation is different. 

Then you got to figure it out for yourself or else you got, in the back of your mind, “Oh, what if I had done this or what if I had done that?” So just for Yanni, being able to figure it out on his own and ultimately come to that decision without anyone pushing him to do that was awesome. And to see all the stuff he’s done and he’s willing to do, it’s been great. 

Kate Young: 

What were some of the advantages of playing high school football and college football in the same town? 

George Karlaftis: 

It was awesome. I talked about this a little bit. Playing, in the grand scheme of things, would be like small school ball or like 3A, for example, as opposed to like 6A. I think for me, for my development was huge because it’s a little slower than playing against, like I had friends of mine that played at Mater Dei High School, it’s like the biggest high school in the country, and they’re basically going against college competition. I don’t know if I would’ve been ready for that. But for me to be able to grow in, and the coaches at West Lafayette did a great job just being patient with me and teaching me the game and that kind of stuff. 

So that was great, but playing in West Lafayette and then obviously committing to Purdue and going on and playing at Purdue was awesome. You have people even nowadays that care about me and support me for who I am, regardless of if I’m with the Kansas City Chiefs or anyone else. I feel genuinely supported by a lot of people, so that’s been awesome. 

Kate Young: 

When you were in high school and then even as you made your way to Purdue, was it always your goal to play in the NFL? 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah, I think as soon as I really even learned what football was, I kind of arrogantly almost like, “Yeah, I think I’m going to go to the NFL,” honestly, without really knowing what that would require and what that would entail, but that was really my goal. I started doing it and I almost became obsessed and that that’s kind of where I’m at still, it’s been amazing. And yeah, once I learned what it is, and once I really learned the game, I’m like, “There’s nothing like it.” 

Kate Young: 

The persistence paid off. 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah, absolutely. Always does. 

Kate Young: 

George earned his degree in selling and sales management, part of Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in 2021, but how did he balance student life and academics with athletics? George discusses his student experience as a Boilermaker and the impact his Purdue education has made on his life. 

George Karlaftis: 

I graduated high school and enrolled into Purdue early, so I would’ve been going into my second year academically into Purdue when COVID hit. I’ve always been a guy that loved doing stuff online and remotely. I like doing stuff on my own time. If I had recorded lectures, I’m great with technology and being able to do stuff online. Still to this day, I don’t really carry around notebooks and stuff like that, I just have my iPad. 

So having COVID, it was a struggle for a lot of people and I can understand why. But for me, it kind of played into what I liked from a teaching standpoint. I took all my classes online and I kind of loaded up on credits, which was one of the reasons why I was able to graduate so early. It was awesome because I had football, I had school, I had some time with my family, so it was a great balance. 

Kate Young: 

How do you think that your experiences at Purdue on the field, in the classroom, how has that shaped who you are today? 

George Karlaftis: 

At the end of the day, it’s all about becoming a well-rounded individual, in everything that you do, really. Coach Brohm was always big about, he would talk about the three F’s, which is faith, family, and football, which was always huge to me. And just being able to be a well-rounded individual, I think Purdue helped me with that. And now that I’m kind of, I guess in the real world, that ultimately prepared me for that. And whatever success I’ve had, the stepping stone, if you will, of Purdue has really helped me with that. 

Kate Young: 

So outside of football, talk about life as a Boilermaker. What were some of your favorite things to do on campus? 

George Karlaftis: 

Well, my experience is a little different than most people’s because I already knew my way around campus in high school. My experience, I guess, would be a lot different than most people. My cousin and I lived together, my best friend. That was really special. I spent a lot, a good amount of time with my family, actually. I’d probably, not that I’d gotten tired of a lot of the restaurants on campus because I’d got them so much in high school, but I’d venture out to Lafayette a lot. I’m a big foodie, so going to a lot of different restaurants and stuff like that. 

But yeah, for me, it was my whole, I guess, time at Purdue was really focused around how I could achieve my goal of graduating and getting to the NFL, with not a lot of time for other activities. So different than a lot of people’s, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

Kate Young: 

Absolutely. You’ve talked about the coaching staff at Purdue, your teammates. Is there any particular moment or piece of advice that stuck with you into your NFL career that came from Purdue? 

George Karlaftis: 

From a football perspective, I went through a lot of change, obviously having the same head coach, but I had three different, in three years of playing, I had three different position coaches and three different defensive coordinators, which can be a struggle for a lot of guys. I tried to learn something from every single person that I was around. I guess that constant, not constant, but that change really helped me prepare for the NFL where it’s every week is different. Every week there’s a different playbook, and just being able to be adaptive and to adapt to a bunch of different situations, I guess that kind of helped me out. 

And then my position coach in college, Coach Hagen, who’s been, he was at Purdue for many, many years, and he’s at Louisville now, but he’s like, “Look, I have one rule. If you do that, [inaudible 00:19:47] just fine.” It’s like, “Do what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it the way it’s supposed to be done and do it that way every time and we’ll have no problem.” So I guess that’s the one little piece of advice that I take with me every single day. 

Kate Young: 

A little slogan, I love it. 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah. 

Kate Young: 

What advice would you give to Purdue student athletes between football, volleyball, basketball, who want to make it to a professional level? 

George Karlaftis: 

I’ve always been a very goal-oriented person. Coach Reid here with the Chiefs and having whatever experience I’ve had in the NFL, it’s all about eliminating distractions. If you’re truly serious about a goal, eliminate your distractions. Become, to a certain part, obsessed. Do everything you can to reach that goal. It’s obviously not the reality for a lot of people, but if you want to reach the professional level, there’s everybody in the world is trying to do that. I would just say become obsessed with your craft. Work as hard as you possibly can. 

And it’s just almost counterintuitive, but always try to have fun and never take it too seriously. When you take stuff too seriously, you usually get in a little bit of trouble. So while you’re working as hard as you possibly can, make sure you’re still having fun and being lighthearted. 

Kate Young: 

George shares some of his best memories from his time at Purdue. 

George Karlaftis: 

I had a lot of great moments, obviously. We had two big wins my junior year, my last year. We beat Iowa, we beat Michigan State, and then we finished off the season, we beat IU. 

Kate Young: 

Always good. 

George Karlaftis: 

That was great. Obviously, graduating because that’s something that nobody can take away from you. I’d say the combination of those two moments would be for me. 

Kate Young: 

In the 2022 NFL draft, George was drafted number 30 overall and was a first round pick by the Chiefs. He reflects on that night, which ultimately kicked off his extremely successful NFL career. 

Okay, so take us through that 2022 NFL draft night. What are you feeling? How did you feel when you got the official call? 

George Karlaftis: 

It was a lot. I had a lot of people that are extremely important to me with me at the draft. It was a unique experience. You have an idea of what you’re think is going to happen, but at the end of the day, you never know because the decision’s not up to you. And to kind of, now it’s like, “All right, I want to know where I’m going.” So just being able to now know, “All right, I’m going to Kansas City, I’m going to be with the Chiefs,” and that was awesome. 

There’s some nerves, there’s some anxiety that goes into that for sure. But at the end of the day, it’s all part of the process. Everybody has to go through it. At the end of the day, it makes for a great story, to get that call, to go to a first class organization like where I’m at right now has been a blessing. I wouldn’t trade this experience I have for the world, and I’m doing it with some great people too. 

Kate Young: 

Over the years, George has not only made the Purdue community proud, he’s also made his Greek community incredibly proud. This past spring, George served as Grand Marshal in the Greek Independence Day Parade in New York City. I asked him what this element of his professional career means to him and his family. Plus, George shares what’s next for him as he heads into his third season in the NFL. 

George Karlaftis: 

A lot of people ask me where I’m from, and most people assume because I went to high school in Indiana, I’m from Indiana, I’m from West… I’m not really from there. I went to high school there. I love West Lafayette, the people there and all that stuff. But I’m from Athens, I’m from Greece. 

So coming from a proud Greek family is very important to me. My roots, my family there, my heritage is extremely important to me. I’m proud to be Greek and doing as much as I can to help out in any capacity I can has been extremely important to me. 

Kate Young: 

Has your family in Greece been able to watch you at- 

George Karlaftis: 

Oh, yeah. 

Kate Young: 

… an NFL game? Okay, good. 

George Karlaftis: 

They’re able to watch the games that are earlier, like a three o’clock game maybe. The night game is tough unless it’s the Super Bowl, obviously. But they’ve been able to watch, they have these streaming services, because the game’s growing so much. So they have these streaming services in Europe and really all across the world to make the game really accessible for everyone. They’ve enjoyed it, and I go and visit them a couple times a year, and it’s been great. 

Kate Young: 

Greece is on my bucket list. Oh my goodness. 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah. Oh, yeah, it’s the best. 

Kate Young: 

You said during your college career that one of your mottos is, I was watching this in a video earlier this morning too, but it’s that prove them wrong motto. 

George Karlaftis: 

Always. Always. 

Kate Young: 

Do you still think this rings true? 

George Karlaftis: 

No matter what level, no matter who you are, people are always going to doubt you for some reason. I play with maybe arguably the greatest quarterback to ever live, or one of them at that, and people still seem to doubt what he can do, so I’ve seen it with all-time greats. And it’s really all about proving people wrong. 

When you have success at any capacity, that’s when jealousy and other people starts to kick in. That’s when people want to see you fail. That’s when you have to prove them wrong. So for me, it’s always going to be a motto, kind of something to intrinsically motivate me. So it’s been great. 

Kate Young: 

Your career has been super inspirational, it’s unique. Do you think, looking back, that the 13-year-old George who moved to West Lafayette from Greece would be surprised? Or do you think he knew that you were destined for this career and these great things? 

George Karlaftis: 

When I was 13, my family, my friends, my girlfriend that we’ve been together for all these years, all of them could probably attest to this, but when I was younger, maybe a little arrogant or maybe a little cocky to a certain extent, but I always knew I was going to do something, especially in sports. Now, tell me I had the success I’ve had, I’d be a little surprised to see myself do the things I’m doing, but I was raised by parents and been around a family that, at the end of the day, works really hard, so I think hard work always pays off. 

Kate Young: 

Absolutely. What would you say your next giant leap is as you start your third NFL season? 

George Karlaftis: 

I think for me, we play in two weeks from today that we’re talking now, I think it’s starting the year off strong for us and for this team and striving to achieve something that no NFL team has accomplished ever in winning three super Bowls in a row. You got to start with winning the first game and taking it one week at a time, but having that goal in sight has always been important to us ever since we won too. So I guess that’d be the next giant leap for me, and then kind of taking things from there. 

Kate Young: 

Okay, I couldn’t let George go without asking him about his cameo in that Hallmark Channel movie I mentioned earlier. He’s already a two-time Super Bowl champ, so is he going to add movie star to his resume now too? 

Super curious about your upcoming movie cameo in a Hallmark Channel movie. How did you become a part of Holiday Touchdown: A Chief’s Love Story? 

George Karlaftis: 

It was started in Kansas City. The opportunity presented itself to me and a few other guys on the team. I was like, I couldn’t pass it down. So it was a lot of fun to do something like that. I can’t wait to see how it actually turns out, and it was awesome. 

Kate Young: 

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story premieres on Saturday, November 30th at 8:00 PM Eastern on the Hallmark Channel, if anyone else is interested in tuning in as well. We also asked George a few rapid fire questions from his time at Purdue, to his journey as a professional athlete, to how he unwinds in the off season. Favorite Purdue memory? 

George Karlaftis: 

I’d say beating Iowa. 

Kate Young: 

Favorite Purdue football tradition? 

George Karlaftis: 

The bucket. The bucket, the old Oakland bucket where we beat Indiana. I’d say that. 

Kate Young: 

Perfect, love it. Favorite campus restaurant? We talked about this a little bit. 

George Karlaftis: 

Oh, jeez. Yeah, that’s really tough. Every time I go back to West Lafayette, I have to get Dog n Suds, so I’ll say that. 

Kate Young: 

Love it. What’s the thing you miss most about West Lafayette? 

George Karlaftis: 

My family. 

Kate Young: 

What is your favorite place to visit? 

George Karlaftis: 

In the world? 

Kate Young: 

Yeah. 

George Karlaftis: 

Or in the West Lafayette? 

Kate Young: 

Oh, no, no. 

George Karlaftis: 

In the world? There’s a lot of places out there. I’d say Greece, not only because of my family, but it’s awesome and I can truly relax there. 

Kate Young: 

Favorite way to spend the off season? 

George Karlaftis: 

Favorite way to spend the off season. A little bit of downtime, but also a little bit of training. 

Kate Young: 

Something that would surprise people about being an NFL player? 

George Karlaftis: 

The hours are extremely long. I’m there at least 12 hours a day at work. 

Kate Young: 

Oh, wow. Okay. 

George Karlaftis: 

Yeah. 

Kate Young: 

Favorite memory with the Kansas City Chiefs? 

George Karlaftis: 

Winning two super Bowls. That’s pretty easy. 

Kate Young: 

Do you have a special place where you keep your Super Bowl rings? 

George Karlaftis: 

I’m not going to reveal that. They’re at my house somewhere, but yeah. 

Kate Young: 

Touche, all right. That’s fair. What are you looking forward to most in the 2024-2025 season? 

George Karlaftis: 

Just seeing how this team, every team is different, so just seeing this team’s identity and how we attack the season and try to do something special. 

Kate Young: 

We are so thankful George took the time to chat with us, especially as he was going into full on football season mode. Best of luck to George and the Kansas City Chiefs this season. I can’t tell you how much we appreciated it. It was so nice to talk to you. 

George Karlaftis: 

Absolutely. Thank you so much. 

Kate Young: 

We have a few more behind the scenes videos with George that you can watch on our This is Purdue YouTube page. For example, which quarterback does George think is the hardest to sack in the NFL right now? Just head over to youtube.com/@thisispurdue, and click that subscribe button from there so you never miss any of our content. 

And by the way, if you are interested in hearing more from our Purdue football greats, you can check out our episodes with Kyle Orton, Jim Everett, Curtis Painter, and more by searching for those names in our podcast feed. And as always, be sure to follow This Is Purdue on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography for this episode was led by Ted Schellenberger, in collaboration with Thad Boone. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gou. Our podcast YouTube promotions is managed by Kirsten Bauman. Additional Writing and research assistant is led by Sophie Ritz. Our This Is Purdue intern is Caroline Keim. And special thanks to the NFL and Purdue Athletics for sharing photos and video with us for this incredible episode. 

Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcasts. There, you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, Boiler up.