This week on Canal Street Spotlights, we interviewed Chris Kirchein about how he became a New Orleans Saints fan, his favorite players/moments and more.
CSC: Please tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from
Chris: My name is Chris Kirchein and I currently live in Rockaway Beach, NY. I work for the Federal Government and I’m a very big Saints, New York Mets, and New York Islanders fan. My mother Janet and father David are Giants fans who have had season tickets since before I was born.
CSC: How and why did you become a Saints fan?
Chris: I fell in love with the city of New Orleans from a very early age. In 2003 I made my first trip down to New Orleans when my uncle bought a residence in the French Quarter. We went down every summer and in 2005 he took me to my first Saints game. It was the preseason game against Seattle, and I was hooked ever since. I kept going down to New Orleans at least once a year thereafter and every time I went down, I found more things I loved about the city. Eventually my love for Louisiana turned into me transferring down to LSU and finishing up my degree down there.
CSC: Who is your favorite Saints player? (Past or present)
Chris: My all-time favorite player is Jonathan Vilma. Back in 2010 he posted a video on his website saying he was looking for the Craziest Saints Fan. I made a video explaining how I became a fan and everything I had in my room, and he picked me as the winner. My mother and I flew down to NO where I was his VIP at training camp all day. I met him after practice, got a bunch of photos with him and we talked about a lot of different things for about a half hour. I met a bunch of other players that day including Brees, Bush, Colston, Shockey, Porter, and Meachem. Ever since that day we always stayed in touch. I’ve seen him at Saints games, NYC when he worked for Fox. One of my favorite moments was seeing him be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2017. I knew how special that was for him because of his never-ending love for New Orleans.
CSC: Favorite moment in Saints history so far?
Chris: I have a few depending on how you look at it.
My favorite memory of all time was winning Vilma’s contest. I’ll cherish that moment forever and the impact it left on me.
My favorite moment of all time was the Porter interception. That moment is a feeling that is very hard to describe to other people, especially those that have never experienced something like that. Knowing you’re going to see your team win a championship is a high that I can’t wait to experience again.
My favorite game of all time was 2015 vs. the Giants. One of the best games I’ve ever been to, and it was the last game I went to with my father.
Thank you again to Chris for taking the time to chat with us and feel free for follow him at @chriskirchein on social media.
Do you want to be our next featured fan on Canal Street Spotlights? Message us on Twitter, Facebook or email your story to canalstreetchronicles@sbnation.com.
Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, and make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel
Loading comments...