SALT LAKE CITY — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid swapped the football field for the choir loft Sunday, urging Americans to use teamwork and respect to build a “more perfect union” as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.
Reid served as the guest narrator for the July 5 broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word,” featuring The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. The special Independence Day weekend performance, originating from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, aired locally on News Talk KVNU, and nationally on C-SPAN, NewsNation, and various other network affiliates.
Drawing on his career as a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach entering his 14th season leading Kansas City, Reid compared the nation’s founding documents to a strategic playbook. He noted that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide a “game plan to keep moving toward … a ‘more perfect union.'”
“Whether on the football field, in our communities, or in our homes, progress can at times feel like an uphill climb,” Reid told the audience. “But I’ve learned that when people come together for a common goal — when they respect and support one another — progress happens. That’s what a team does. It works to get better every single day.”
Reid emphasized that the foundational truths of equality, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness help societies correct mistakes and persevere through difficult times. He shared a historic anecdote from the signing of the Constitution, recalling Benjamin Franklin’s famous observation of the sun carved into George Washington’s chair. While Franklin long wondered if it was a rising or setting sun, he ultimately concluded it was rising.
“For 250 years, that sun has continued to rise on this land,” Reid said. “And I believe it will for generations to come. We can all do our part.”
The audience at the Tabernacle included prominent leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Church President Dallin H. Oaks and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, alongside other general presidency members.
Reid’s patriotic message echoed the themes of the Church’s expansive America250 efforts. On July 4, those initiatives included community service drives by JustServe volunteers in Los Angeles and the inclusion of Church contributions in a national time capsule in Philadelphia. To further mark the semiquincentennial, the Church invited U.S. members to participate in a day of fasting and prayer for global religious freedom on July 5, while expanding nationwide food donations and family history resources through FamilySearch.