Why Isiah Pacheco Never Runs Alone

Kansas City, MO – May 30, 2025

There’s something different in the way Isiah Pacheco runs. It’s not just speed or power. It’s fury. It’s purpose. It’s the quiet storm of a son who never forgot the streets of Camden, New Jersey — or the two siblings he lost to tragedy. Every yard he gains is for them. Every touchdown, for her. For him. For family.

Pacheco doesn’t often let the cameras see behind the helmet, but when he does, the pain and pride come pouring out. His older brother, Travoise, was shot and killed in 2016. A year later, his beloved sister Celeste passed away suddenly. “I know she’s watching me,” Pacheco said during a college interview. “That’s my reason. That’s why I play the way I do.”

Raised by his mother, Felicia “Jody” Cannon, and father Julio, Pacheco grew up as the youngest of five in a tough neighborhood. It was his mother who held the family together through heartbreak and hardship. “The chain I wear says ‘Jody’ — that’s my mom,” Pacheco once explained. “She’s everything to me.” She worked tirelessly to keep him focused, making sure he was the first in the family to graduate college and pursue his football dreams.

Even after reaching the pinnacle of the NFL with a Super Bowl ring and a key role in the Chiefs' offense, Pacheco’s game still begins with a whisper — a moment of silence. “I say a prayer for my brother, my sister, and a few others I’ve lost,” he once told NJ.com. “Then I give everything I have. Because my family is watching.”

His father Julio remembers those early days: “We knew he could run. He started playing when he was 8. But no one imagined this.” From Vineland to Rutgers to Kansas City, the journey was long, but the fire never dimmed.

And fans can see it. In every violent cut, every fearless carry, Pacheco runs like he’s chasing more than just a first down. He’s chasing healing. He’s chasing meaning. He’s chasing the memory of the two voices he still hears in his heart.

“If my brother could see me now,” Pacheco once said quietly, “he’d be surprised. He pushed me into football, but never got to watch me play. I hope he’s proud.”

As the Chiefs march toward another playoff run, it’s clear that Isiah Pacheco is not just Kansas City’s emotional engine. He’s the embodiment of resilience — a son, a brother, a fighter who runs with pain, and more importantly, with love.