[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 112 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4228-S4229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MITCH HOLTHUS

 Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and 
recognize Mr. Mitch Holthus of Smith Center, KS.
  Mitch is the play-by-play announcer and the voice of the Kansas City 
Chiefs. After three decades as a decorated announcer, Holthus is the 
longest tenured voice in franchise history. During every Chiefs game, 
``Touchdown, KAN-SAS-CITY!'' can be heard thundering throughout the 
Chiefs kingdom. Today, because of his impact on football commentary and 
as a son of Kansas, Mitch Holthus is honored with the 2024 Kansan of 
the Year Award.
  Mitch grew up on a farm in Smith Center, KS, and the valuable lessons 
he learned there gave him the work ethic needed to become who he is 
today. He graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelors in 
journalism and business administration. A devoted family man of 
Christian faith, Mitch is married to Tami Johnson of McPherson, KS, and 
together, they have two wonderful children.
  The foundations of his incredible career began as a broadcaster 
calling games for the Pratt High School Greenbacks. In 1983, Mitch 
continued his career as the voice of the K-State Wildcats and worked 
for 13 years on the K-State Radio Network. Since 1994, he has been the 
Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs. His work includes multiple Super 
Bowls, hosting the Hy-Vee Chiefs Insider Television show, the Chiefs 
Field Pass Pregame show, the Chiefs Rewind show, and the ``Minute with 
Mitch'' radio and television series. Mitch delivers a comprehensive and 
precise analysis of the sport that we all love. It is no surprise that 
he has earned a litany of awards and accolades. He is a member of the 
Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Kansas State 
University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Missouri Broadcasters 
Association Hall of Fame, and has received the Kansas City Sports 
Journalist of the Year, the Hod Humiston Award of Excellence by the 
Kansas Association of Broadcasters, and five Emmys.
  Mitch's passion, loyalty, and hard work for the game is an 
inspirational template for future announcers and broadcasters. As the 
voice for the greatest football team in the world, Mitch is a strong 
ambassador for Kansas and embodies our values. I ask my colleagues to 
join me in recognizing his amazing career, and I wish him nothing but 
the best in the following years and as he continues his work. We are 
proud to call him a Kansan, and the people of Kansas thank him for his 
dedication to the Chiefs and the State.
  ``You can doubt the Chiefs, you can dislike the Chiefs, you can 
disrespect the Chiefs. But you're going to have to deal with the 
Chiefs,'' Mitch Holthus at the 2022 AFC Championship victory over the 
Bengals.

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