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This Is Purdue
Get To Know George Karlaftis — Former Purdue Football Star and Two-Time Super Bowl Champion With the Kansas City Chiefs
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- [00:00]
George Carloftis
This is George Carloftis and you're listening to this Is Purdue.
- [00:08]
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.
- [00:43]
George Carloftis
Playing at West Lafayette and then, you know, 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. Ball is on the ground. The ball is out. Carloftis is there. For Kansas City, the first signal is a chief recovery. Well, the ball's definitely out. Carloftis 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.
- [01:24]
Kate Young
In this episode of this Is Purdue, we're talking to George Carloftis, 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 2 for 2 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, Aiken, Adele and Mark Herman. 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 2 back to back super bowl wins, and even his recent cameo in the upcoming Hallmark Channel movie Holiday, A Chief's Love Story. Hmm.
- [02:31]
Interviewer
I wonder what, or rather who, inspired this movie.
- [02:35]
Kate Young
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.
- [03:06]
Interviewer
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.
- [03:22]
George Carloftis
Awesome.
- [03:23]
Interviewer
Thank you again for taking the time. We appreciate it.
- [03:26]
George Carloftis
Absolutely, yeah. Thank you for having me.
- [03:28]
Interviewer
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?
- [03:49]
George Carloftis
To me, it's been amazing. You know, kind of came to terms with it. Now we're on to a new season and, you know, trying to do something that nobody's ever done before. But it's been amazing. You know, it's been a blessing, and it's. It's been a whole lot of fun. So I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.
- [04:03]
Interviewer
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?
- [04:11]
Kate Young
How do you approach those massive games.
- [04:13]
George Carloftis
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, you know, at any level, really, your first experience of anything, you're. You're pretty nervous for that. I was pretty nervous, but I know I had put the time and 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, we got the job done, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.
- [04:40]
Interviewer
Absolutely. You just talked about, you know, 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?
- [04:52]
George Carloftis
So far, 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. You know, I can mention guys like, guys that I talk to on a daily basis, like Chris Jones and 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 were great, but also like, a guy like, you know, now it's taking kind of the world by storm. But Travis Kelsey, you know, those are just guys that are great role models. One, but also been phenomenal friends and teammates.
- [05:26]
Interviewer
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?
- [05:38]
George Carloftis
Yeah.
- [05:38]
Interviewer
What has that been like for you?
- [05:40]
George Carloftis
That's been awesome. You know, now it's like whenever the team starts becoming more and more successful, more and more people, you know, start to dislike them or hate them. You know, hate's kind of a strong word, but. 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, you know, for this recent craze and all the success we've had. It's a lot of fun. There's been a lot of naysayers in the past couple years, but we like proving people wrong, so it's been awesome.
- [06:06]
Interviewer
Yeah. And you've done it two years in a row, so.
- [06:09]
George Carloftis
Yeah.
- [06:09]
Interviewer
Take us back to this past super bowl. Super Bowl 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?
- [06:20]
George Carloftis
Well, actually, it was a bad play by me because there was some miscommunication at the line, and I was. I was out of position, actually. But sometimes you're out of position, and that puts you in the perfect position. So the ball's on the ground. I got on it first. And you. Yeah, Now I have the ball at my house sometimes my. My dog in place with it, so.
- [06:37]
Interviewer
Oh, my gosh.
- [06:38]
George Carloftis
Yeah. You know, it's just sometimes you're at the right place at the right time.
- [06:41]
Interviewer
Yes, for sure. Okay, so when the confetti is falling on the field after a Super bowl win, tell us what that feeling is like.
- [06:48]
George Carloftis
It's amazing. You know, I remember my. 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 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. And 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.
- [07:19]
Interviewer
Do you have any behind the scenes stories? How does one celebrate a Super bowl win?
- [07:24]
George Carloftis
There's a lot of stuff that goes on in those super bowl celebrations. Some that are maybe not. Not to be shared in public.
- [07:31]
Interviewer
Not podcast appropriate.
- [07:33]
George Carloftis
Yeah. Not. Not to be repeated. Keep it at that. But, you know, for me, this past super bowl, we went out a little bit and then just hung out with a great group of friends and some family, you know, had a rental house there, and we just spent the whole night just celebrating.
- [07:46]
Kate Young
After winning that second Super Bowl, George became the 10th Boilermaker to win multiple super bowl 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.
- [08:01]
George Carloftis
I didn't realize that. Well, that's pretty cool, I guess. You know, there's not a lot of guys that have done that, you know, to get more obviously, as the years go on. And it's just an incredible honor when you, when you win a Super bowl, you're part of an elite group of people that have not done it. You know, 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. Any group of guys that have won multiple. Just. Just a huge honor.
- [08:24]
Kate Young
And speaking of Boilermakers with NFL careers, what is it like for George to play against other Purdue athletes like Aiden O'Connell?
- [08:31]
George Carloftis
It's awesome. Sometimes you play against guys like I played against Raheem. He was Miami last year and he's still with them now, obviously. But we didn't play with each other at Purdue. I mean, 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 Aiden, who I've known since I'm 17 years old and is a great and dear friend of mine, it's. It's awesome, you know, not. Not just him, I know against Payne this year and David and all those guys. So it's cool. It's kind of surreal, you know, especially with Aiden 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.
- [09:09]
Interviewer
That was a little competitive, but also there's that friendship underneath, right?
- [09:14]
George Carloftis
Absolutely, absolutely.
- [09:15]
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 5 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.
- [09:44]
Interviewer
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 know you played water polo.
- [09:56]
George Carloftis
Yeah.
- [09:56]
Interviewer
You didn't start playing football until you moved to West Lafayette in eighth grade. So tell us a little bit of that story.
- [10:03]
George Carloftis
My parents met at Purdue, actually at the co rec, 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, you know, we had some. 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 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 the 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 had to realize 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, you know, I've learned more and more as the years have gone on. Everybody's got to start somewhere, I guess.
- [11:06]
Interviewer
What made you want to start playing football? What made you so passionate about it?
- [11:10]
George Carloftis
I mean, 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, 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, you know, I think I could. 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, you know, the rest is history for the most part. Obviously, there's trials and tribulations through everything, but.
- [11:40]
Interviewer
Well, and your parents were both big athletes, too, right?
- [11:42]
George Carloftis
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. My. My dad was track and field and football at the University of Miami 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 about that, so.
- [11:58]
Interviewer
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?
- [12:07]
George Carloftis
No, that was not really. Okay. I had, like, a Purdue basketball jersey and stuff like that. I mean, I 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 know, all right, this is like, 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, you know, that's all I knew. And so I guess a little bit. But not like a passionate Purdue fan and that kind of stuff. Not growing up, at least when I was young.
- [12:38]
Interviewer
Not a super fan of.
- [12:39]
George Carloftis
No, when I was very young. No, no.
- [12:41]
Interviewer
So after playing at West Lafayette High School, you decided to stay in town, play for Purdue. What was the determining factor for that?
- [12:49]
George Carloftis
I think a few things for me in my situation, and everybody's situation is 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 were all like, you know what? Like, Coach Braum is like, 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 recruitment. 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, you know, 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, you know, a Lot of guys, they leave and they, they have younger siblings, like, they get to see them maybe once or twice and 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. So.
- [13:51]
Interviewer
Yeah. And your little brother now plays for Purdue?
- [13:53]
George Carloftis
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, so.
- [14:00]
Interviewer
Oh, awesome. And do you think your brother was like, oh, I want to follow in my big brother's footsteps, or did you play a role in that?
- [14:07]
George Carloftis
I don't necessarily think that was the case for him. You know, this, like I said, everybody's situation is different. He always has leaned on me and like, 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, like, 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 and you gotta figure it out for yourself or else you got in the back of your mind, oh, what if I'd done this? Or what, what if I'd 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 going to do it, it's been great.
- [14:47]
Interviewer
What were some of the advantages of playing high school football and college football.
- [14:52]
Kate Young
In the same town?
- [14:53]
George Carloftis
You know, it was awesome. I talked about this, you know, a little bit. Playing in what in the grand scheme, I think 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, it's a little slower than playing in against. Like, I have friends of mine that played in, at modern day high school. It's like the biggest high school in the country and they're, they're basically going against college competition. I don't know if I would have 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, you know, 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.
- [15:46]
Interviewer
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?
- [15:54]
George Carloftis
Yeah, I mean, I think as, as soon as I really even learned what football was, I kind of arrogantly almost like, yeah, I think I'm gonna go to the NFL honestly, without, without really knowing what that would, that would require and what that would entail. But that was really my goal. I started doing it and I, I almost became obsessed and that, that's kind of where I'm at still. It's been amazing. And yeah, I mean, once I learned what it is and you know, once I really learned the game, I'm like, there's nothing like it.
- [16:22]
Interviewer
The persistence paid off.
- [16:24]
George Carloftis
Yeah, absolutely. Always does.
- [16:26]
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.
- [16:44]
George Carloftis
I graduated high school and enrolled into Purdue early, so I would have 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 recorded lectures. I'm great with technology and being able to do stuff online. Like still to this day, like, 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, you know, cause I, I had football, I had school, I had some time with my family, so it was a great balance.
- [17:31]
Interviewer
How do you think that your experience is at Purdue? On the field, in the classroom? How has that shaped who you are today?
- [17:38]
George Carloftis
At the end of the day, it's all about becoming a well rounded individual in everything that you do, really. Coach Brown was always big about is, would talk about the three Fs, 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.
- [18:04]
Interviewer
So outside of football talk about life as a boilermaker. What were some of your favorite things to do on campus?
- [18:10]
George Carloftis
Well, my experience was a little different than most people's because I already knew my way around campus.
- [18:16]
Interviewer
Sure.
- [18:17]
George Carloftis
High school. My experience, I guess, would be a lot different than most people. You know, my cousin and I lived together. My best friend, that was really special. I spent a lot of, a good, 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 gone to them so much in high school, but I, I 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.
- [18:57]
Interviewer
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, that came from Purdue?
- [19:10]
George Carloftis
From a football perspective, I went through a lot of change. You know, 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 try 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, that kind of helped me out. And then my position coach in college, Coach Hagen, who's been he, 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, that's just fine. And I. 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.
- [20:03]
Interviewer
A little slogan. I love it.
- [20:05]
George Carloftis
Yeah.
- [20:06]
Interviewer
What advice would you give to Purdue student athletes between football, volleyball, you know, basketball, who want to make it to a professional level?
- [20:14]
George Carloftis
I've always been a very goal oriented person. Coach Reed here with the Chiefs and you know, having whatever experience I've had in the, in the NFL, it's all about eliminating distractions. If you're truly serious about a goal, eliminate your distractions. Become to a certain apart, obsessed. Do everything you can to reach that goal. That'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 this is almost counterintuitive, but always try to have fun and never take it too seriously. When you take stuff too seriously, 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 light hearted.
- [20:59]
Kate Young
George shares some of his best memories from his time at Purdue.
- [21:03]
George Carloftis
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 season, we beat iu.
- [21:14]
Kate Young
Always.
- [21:15]
Interviewer
Good.
- [21:15]
George Carloftis
That was great. You know, obviously graduating, because that's something that nobody can take away from you. I'd say the combination of those two moments, it would be for me.
- [21:24]
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.
- [21:37]
Interviewer
Okay, so take us through that 2022 NFL Draft night. What are you feeling? How did you feel when you got the official call?
- [21:45]
George Carloftis
It was a lot, you know, 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 thinking is going to happen, but at the end of the day, you never know because the decision is 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, 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. You know, 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 you know, I'm doing it with some great people too.
- [22:29]
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.
- [22:53]
George Carloftis
You know, a lot of people, like, ask me where I'm from and most people assume I'm because I went to high school in Indiana. I'm from Indiana, I'm from West. I'm not, I'm not really from there. I mean, I went to high school there. I love West Lafayette, the people there and all that stuff. But I'm, I'm from Athens, I'm from Greece, you know, 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.
- [23:24]
Interviewer
Has your family in Greece been able to watch you at an NFL game yet? Okay, good.
- [23:30]
George Carloftis
They're able to watch like the games that are earlier, you know, like a 3:00 game, maybe. The night games 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 it access, to get, 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.
- [23:53]
Interviewer
Greece is on my bucket list. Oh my goodness.
- [23:55]
George Carloftis
Yeah. Oh yeah. It's the best.
- [23:57]
Interviewer
You know, you said during your college career that one of your mottos is, I was watching this in the video earlier this morning too. But it's that prove them wrong motto.
- [24:05]
George Carloftis
Always, always.
- [24:06]
Interviewer
Do you still think this rings true?
- [24:09]
George Carloftis
You know, 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 they. People still seem to Doubt what he can do. So I've seen it with all time greats and you know, it's really all about proving people wrong. When you have success at any capacity, that's when jealousy in 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.
- [24:44]
Interviewer
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, for this career and these great things?
- [24:59]
George Carloftis
When I was 13, you know, my family, my friends, I mean my girlfriend that we've been together for all these years, I mean 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, 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 what the things I'm doing. But, but I was raised by parents and been around a family that at the end of the day works really hard. So that's, you know, I think hard work always pays off.
- [25:31]
Interviewer
Absolutely. What would you say your next giant leap is as you start your third NFL season?
- [25:38]
George Carloftis
I think for me it's, you know, we play in two weeks from today that we're, that we're talking now. I think it's starting the year off strong for us and for this team and you know, striving to achieve something that no NFL team has, has accomplished ever. And winning three Super Bowls in a row. You gotta 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 two. So I guess that'd be the next giant leap for me and then kind of taking things from there.
- [26:07]
Kate Young
Okay. I couldn't let George go without asking him about his cameo in that Hallmark Channel movie I mentioned earlier. I mean he's already a two time.
- [26:15]
Interviewer
Super bowl champ, so is he going.
- [26:17]
Kate Young
To add movie star to his resume now too?
- [26:20]
Interviewer
Super curious about your upcoming movie. Cameo in a Holiday Channel movie. How did you become a part of Holiday A Chief's Love Story?
- [26:31]
George Carloftis
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.
- [26:44]
Kate Young
Holiday Touchdown. A Chief's Love Story premieres on Saturday, November 30th at 8pm 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.
- [27:04]
Interviewer
Favorite Purdue memory.
- [27:06]
George Carloftis
I'd say beating Iowa.
- [27:07]
Interviewer
Favorite Purdue football tradition.
- [27:09]
George Carloftis
The bucket. The bucket. You know, the old Oakland bucket where we. We beat Indiana. I'd say that.
- [27:14]
Interviewer
Perfect. Love it.
- [27:15]
Kate Young
Favorite campus restaurant.
- [27:16]
Interviewer
We talked about this a little bit.
- [27:17]
George Carloftis
Oh, geez. Yeah, that's really tough. I mean, every time, every time I go back to West Lafayette, I have to get dog and suds, so I'll say that.
- [27:24]
Interviewer
Love it. What's the thing you miss most about West Lafayette?
- [27:28]
George Carloftis
My family.
- [27:28]
Interviewer
What is your favorite place to visit.
- [27:30]
George Carloftis
In the world or in West Lafayette? Oh, no, no, in the world. I mean, there's a lot of places out there. I'd say Greece. Not only because of my family, but this. It's awesome and I can truly relax there.
- [27:42]
Interviewer
Favorite way to spend the off season?
- [27:44]
George Carloftis
Favorite way to spend the off season. You know, a little bit of downtime, but also a little bit of training.
- [27:49]
Interviewer
Something that would surprise people about being an NFL player.
- [27:52]
George Carloftis
The hours are extremely long. You know, I'm there at least 12 hours a day at work.
- [27:58]
Interviewer
Favorite memory with the Kansas City Chiefs.
- [28:00]
George Carloftis
Winning two Super Bowls, that's pretty easy.
- [28:03]
Interviewer
Do you have a special place where.
- [28:04]
Kate Young
You keep your super bowl rings?
- [28:06]
George Carloftis
I'm not going to reveal that. They're in my house somewhere. Yeah.
- [28:11]
Interviewer
Touche. All right, that's fair. What are you looking forward to Most in the 2024, 2025 season?
- [28:17]
George Carloftis
Just seeing how this team, every team is different. So just seeing this team's identity and what we. How we attack the season and try to do something special.
- [28:25]
Interviewer
We are so thankful George took the.
- [28:27]
Kate Young
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.
- [28:36]
Interviewer
I can't tell you how much we appreciate it. It was so nice to talk to you.
- [28:39]
George Carloftis
Absolutely. Thank you so much.
- [28:40]
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/thisisperdue and click that subscribe button from there so you never miss any of our content. And by the way, if you you're 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 Schellenberg 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 goo. Our podcast, YouTube promotions is managed by Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing and research assistance 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 podcast. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review and as always, boiler up.