Laila Edwards' Dad Thanks Kelce Brothers For Unforgettable Olympic Experience

Hometown heroes helping hometown heroes … that’s exactly what went down for Laila Edwards’ gold medal run.

Before she lit it up for Team USA in Milan, Laila’s dad, Robert Edwards, launched a GoFundMe with a $50,000 goal -- hoping they wouldn’t have to choose between airfare to Italy and paying the electric bill back home in Cleveland Heights.

And as we previously told you, the biggest donation came from Jason and Travis Kelce -- to the tune of $10k.

“It was a significant amount of money and it definitely boosted us,” Robert tells TMZ Sports. “But more than that, it just felt good that they cared enough to support us and to help Laila.”

Robert says having family in the building for the Games made the entire experience go “beyond expectations.” They had a travel party of roughly 12 people who made the trip to support Edwards.

“We're very pleased and overwhelmed and humbled by their support and by their interest,” Robert said. “We follow them as people and we love them and everything they stand for. And we're hoping that they can feel the same way about us and Laila."

There was even a quick Milan meetup … Robert spotted Jason and called out to him -- at first, the NFL legend thought he was just another fan. Then came the reveal: “I’m Laila’s dad.”

That flipped the switch.

“He opened up. He said he was very proud,” Robert recalled. The two shook hands before getting back to the game -- Team USA had business to handle.

The support didn’t stop at the donation, either. Jason and Kylie Kelce were in the stands for the semifinal and gold medal wins. Laila also appeared on Kylie’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, gifting the couple Team USA jerseys.

And while Travis was stateside watching with Taylor Swift, he kept it playful on this week’s “New Heights” podcast … joking he’s got “two banners” hanging in the Cleveland Heights rink after Laila teased she might be the city’s best athlete.

Still, he tipped his cap to Edwards, the first black woman to play for the U.S. women's senior national team.

“I’ll let you have it because you’re the only one to have gold.”

For Robert, it all comes back to the hometown bond.

“The community takes pride in the Kelces. They take pride in Laila,” he said. “Having them together was great for everybody.”