Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Drue Tranquill teamed up with Minsky’s Pizza and raised $75,000 for Operation Breakthrough during the 2024-25 Chiefs season through sales of The Tranquilo Crunch Gourmet Pizza!
During the 2024-25 NFL season, Minsky’s Pizza teamed up with Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Drue Tranquill to create an all-new gameday Gourmet Pizza creation – The Tranquilo Crunch! Not only was it a delicious pizza, but proceeds from The Tranquilo Crunch also benefited Kansas City’s Operation Breakthrough. To say the collaboration was a success is an understatement – the first year’s collaboration raised $75,000!
Minsky’s launched The Tranquilo Crunch in all 17 KC Metro area and Lawrence stores during the 2024-2025 Chiefs pre-season with high hopes. After all, a similar collaboration with Travis Kelce and “The Kelceroni” pizza yielded a $55,000 donation to Operation Breakthrough in year one and $135,000 in donations over three years. As the season began, Minsky’s goal for the pizza was to raise over $25,000 during the entire football season. But Drue’s goal for The Tranquilo was to beat Travis’ first-year donation.
As Drue and the Chiefs rolled into the postseason – all the way to the Super Bowl – Tranquilo Crunch sales rolled right along with them through February 2025. And, thanks to Chiefs Kingdom and their love for the Tranquilo Crunch, initial donation goals were blown out of the water! Over 16,000 Tranquilos were sold, raising over $40,000. The Tranquill family then upped the ante with a personal donation of $25,000 to the cause. To top the fundraising off, the Kansas City Chiefs, through the Hunt Foundation, also stepped up with a significant contribution. The combined total: A $75,000 contribution, which was presented to Operation Breakthrough on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
At the check presentation press conference, Drue and Operation Breakthrough announced that the funds would be used toward building a new multi-use outdoor sport court at Operation Breakthrough, aptly named “Zone 23″ as a nod to Drue’s jersey number. The initial renderings for the new outdoor youth athletic area include pickleball courts and a basketball court, a giant outdoor chess set (Drue was the NFL chess champion in 2023), along with a completely refurbished playground area complete with stylized graphics featuring Chiefs red and gold colors, Minsky’s Pizza graphics, and, of course, the new “Zone 23” logo.
In Drue’s words:
“Sports are life. Through sports, we learn about what we can achieve. We learn about competition – sometimes winning and sometimes losing. And all the while, participation in sports leads to better physical and mental health. I’m excited about what this donation can bring to the thousands of kids and parents Operation Breakthrough serves in Kansas City each month.”
Said Minsky’s founder Gregg Johnson:
“Drue is a great guy with a wonderful family. Drue and Jackie have really embraced the Kansas City community, and they wanted to do something notable to demonstrate their gratitude to KC for welcoming them into Chiefs Kingdom. Minsky’s worked with Travis Kelce for several years, raising funds for Operation Breakthrough through sales of The Kelceroni, so it was natural to reach back out to them.
Once Drue and his family learned more about Operation Breakthrough and the great work they do, they knew it was a perfect match. Thanks to Chiefs Kingdom and their appetite for The Tranquilo Crunch, Minsky’s is able to make a nice contribution. And with Drue and his family stepping up with their own $25,000 donation, and a significant contribution from the Kansas City Chiefs, we’re able to donate far more than expected and help create something really special at Operation Breakthrough.”
Minsky’s and Drue also announced that The Tranquilo Crunch will be back for the 2025-26 football season – so get those taste buds ready, Kansas City, and stay tuned, there’s more to come!
