HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – “I thought I was going to freeze to death, but I was still having a blast.”
Even after flirting with frostbite, nothing’s able to bring down the spirits of Eun Ahn.
The UH West Oahu professor of business is still riding high after watching his Chicago Bears battle the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC Divisional Round title at Soldier Field.
His life-long fandom was on full display with a sign, reading, “I LEFT WAIKIKI 2C A BEARS PLAYOFF VICTORY.”
Celebrity podcaster singles out fan
Walking into the game on Jan. 18 with only long sleeves and an aloha shirt, Ahn caught the eye of celebrity podcaster Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz from Barstool Sports.
“I was like, ‘Dude, it’s gonna be cold.’ He said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m ready.’ He was not ready…he was vibrating because he was so cold,” said Katz.
Hyped up for Ahn’s die-hard fandom, Katz took a picture and posted it on X. The image depicting Ahn’s stoic, frigid face immediately went viral, now with more than 1 million views.
Ahn stays for entire game
He explained his attire wasn’t due to a lack of preparation.
“I wanted my aloha shirt to fit, because I’m not going to fit over a parka or a ski jacket, I was underdressed. But to me, if I was going to rep Hawaii, I needed that aloha shirt,” said Ahn.
After a full half of waving his poster, trying to get on the Jumbotron, Ahn says the ‘Bear Weather’ got to him, and he caved to buying an extra sweatshirt from the gift shop.
But even with the added layer, Ahn’s teeth continued chattering as the wind chill dropped temperatures to negative four degrees.
Ahn powered through and stayed for the entire game. He credits his lifelong love for the Bears as his fuel, which began when he was a child growing up in the Windy City.
“I played everything I could possibly play… sunrise to sundown hanging out because I was a child of an immigrant family and my parents were gone 8 a.m. till 10 p.m,” he said.
Martial arts shaped sports passion
While Ahn used to play football, he says it was Taekwondo where he excelled the most, earning a sixth-degree black belt.
It wasn’t just Ahn with some serious martial arts skills.
His brother Philip was also an expert who was eventually cast as the live-action model for the Shang Tsung character in Mortal Kombat II.
“My brother and I both probably could have had a shot towards the Olympics in ’88,” said Ahn. “But we were both studying so much because we were both in college.”
From Chicago to Hawaii
After graduating from Wheaton College in Illinois, Ahn met his wife while attending church. After years of conversation, she finally convinced him to move closer to her family on Oahu, away from the harsh winters.
“I personally thought we were never going to move,” he said. “I liked Hawaii, but I mean, my roots are in Chicago. My wife just couldn’t take the cold anymore.”
Nearly two decades and four children later, Ahn’s wife is still helping him support the Bears from more than 4,000 miles away.
“She knew who she married, as far as how much I love sports. I think she more than tolerates it,” said Ahn. “She supports it, actually, because I don’t have that many wants.”
No regrets
Even though the Bears lost to the Rams in overtime, Ahn says the chilly game left him feeling warm and fuzzy.
“I don’t regret anything. I had a blast,” said Ahn. “I had great memories. I didn’t accomplish my task of getting on the mega screen, but somehow I still got some sort of coverage that I hope makes people happy.”
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