Marlins Man to donate $5,000 worth of seats to Wichita for Wind Surge home opener
Marlins Man made his first trip to Wichita on Thursday, complete with an appearance at Koch Arena for Wichita State’s 72-69 basketball victory over Temple on ESPN.
But the real news will come on his second trip, which he has planned for April 14 to attend the home opener for the Wind Surge, Wichita’s new baseball team and Triple-A affiliate for the Miami Marlins. And he’s planning on bringing some new friends with him.
“I wanted to buy season tickets for the first row, but they were already sold out,” said Laurence Leavy, who is better known as “Marlins Man,” his sports super fan alter-ego. “So instead, I bought $5,000 worth of seats for the home opener and I’m going to give them away to police, firemen, military and teachers. That’s 333 seats, a whole section. I want people who can’t afford to go to the games on their own.”
Leavy, 63, is best known for sitting in the front row of major sporting events on national television dressed in his customized, bright orange Marlins jersey. He owns a workers’ compensation firm in Jacksonville, Florida, which allows him to travel the country and attend Super Bowls, World Series and NBA Finals.
But he also uses his wealth for generosity like the donation he is giving to Wichita baseball fans. According to Leavy, he will give the tickets to local radio and television stations to distribute before the game.
“I mean how many times in your life can you go to the first game for a brand-new team at a brand-new stadium?” Leavy said. “The only time that came close to happening to me was in 1993 with the Marlins, but that stadium already existed for the Dolphins. So this is the first time I can remember a brand-new stadium with a brand-new team. I think that will be an awesome experience for people.”
So how did Marlins Man wind up in Wichita in the first place?
It actually stemmed from his strong connection to Kansas City, where his legend first began to grow during the 2014 World Series, when his orange Marlins jersey stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of blue behind home plate at Kauffman Stadium. He has since fallen in love with KC, its sporting teams and its fans, and he has been told on recent trips to Royals and Chiefs games that he must give Wichita a try.
Leavy had a trip to Kansas planned, centered around a trip to Manhattan for last Saturday’s Kansas State-Texas basketball game and then to Lawrence for Monday’s Kansas-Oklahoma State basketball game. He had Tuesday free, so Leavy drove down to Wichita with plans of only visiting Doc, one of two World War II-era B-29 Superfortresses in the world that can fly, and touring the new Wichita ballpark.
“That’s when they told me that there’s a Shockers game tonight on ESPN,” Leavy said. “I said, ‘Hold on, ESPN? That’s my language.’ I had to come.”
Leavy, dressed in his orange Marlins jersey, sat in the first row behind the Temple bench for Thursday’s game. He was highlighted on the overhead video board during the game and given a round of applause, as fans lined up at halftime to take a selfie with Marlins Man, who was more than happy to oblige.
“I love it here,” Leavy said, smiling. “Everybody is so nice.”
Leavy said his visit to Wichita lived up to the hype. He was fascinated by Doc and plans to return on April 19 to take a ride in the historic bomber. He enjoyed visiting the Keeper of the Plains. He loved his lunch at Pig In! Pig Out! BBQ on East 13th Street.
And to top it off, he was impressed by his first experience at Koch Arena.
“It’s loud in here, a lot louder than I thought it would be,” Leavy said. “I guess I didn’t realize the energy in this place.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:58 AM.
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