Inspirational speaker delivers speech at MSU
Trending
His recovery from a life-altering accident highlighted the importance of relationships for Dan Meers, known for his role as the Kansas City Chiefs mascot, K.C. Wolf, from 1990-2025.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Meers delivered an inspirational speech on the MSU campus during an event hosted by Women Connect, a professional development and peer engagement program of the Minot Area Chamber EDC.
Meers said he first took the role of a mascot in 1986 as Truman Tiger at the University of Missouri. By graduation, Meers already was receiving employment offers. Meers moved on to represent the St. Louis Cardinals as Fredbird. Soon after, Meers was given the opportunity to play K.C. Wolf.
In 2013, Meers was practicing a stunt in which he would bungee jump and zipline over the crowd. The stunt went wrong when the zipline had too much slack. Instead of bouncing him up safely, he fell around 75 feet onto the concrete stadium seats below, tearing two seats from the concrete. His injuries included seven broken ribs, a collapsed left lung, a shattered tailbone, broken sacrum, broken spine and a large gash on his leg.
In 2025, he announced his retirement as a full-time mascot, opting to portray K.C. Wolf part-time while focusing on family and friends. He now delivers inspirational speeches recounting his health journey following the zipline accident.
Meers described the importance of relationships and how they helped him deal with his injuries. He said not once in the hospital did he think about the size of his house or car, highlighting the importance of human connection over materialism.
Meers said the three greatest contributors to his recovery were faith, family and friends, and he is thankful for his loved ones.
In 2025, Meers suffered the loss of his wife, Cam Meers, to leukemia. Meers explained his faith helped him through. He described feeling helpless but not hopeless. He said hope and faith cannot be separated.
Meers said one of the most important things to him in life is living the way Jesus would want him to. He teaches that no matter who the other person is, treat the person with respect and kindness.
Meers has written two books: "Wolves Can't Fly" and “Mascot on a Mission." The funds from sales support one of many charities.
"Get up, go out, love other people,” Meers said. This is reflected in his traveling charity missions. Meers said some of his favorite charities to work with are the charities supporting children. He has visited charities in countries all around the world, including Haiti, the Philippines, India, Tanzania, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
Meers advised the crowd to "live each day with character, purpose and passion."
He described life as a coin, saying you can spend it on anything you want, but you only get the one. He said he wants his audiences to reflect on where they are spending their coins and encourages them to invest their coins. This means focusing on importance rather than urgency in life, putting those you love before material possessions.