Kansas City Chiefs
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The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL).
Originally called the Dallas Texans, the club was founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs in 1963 after then-Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle guaranteed to the team that they would have increased ticket sales. The Chiefs then joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.
The Chiefs hold the distinction of being the second AFL team (after the New York Jets) to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
Franchise history
AFL
The team is owned by Lamar Hunt, who founded the team along with their original league, the American Football League, in 1960. The Dallas Texans, as they were known then, defeated the Houston Oilers in a dramatic 1962 AFL championship which went into double overtime. The Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City in 1963. Most impressive about this move was the support the team received from the community even before the team announced the move. Hunt made the move dependent upon the ability of Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle and the Kansas City community to guarantee him 35,000 in season ticket sales. Hunt had arrived at this number because that was the Texans' average attendance at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Bartle called to his office 20 business leaders and called upon them to form an association later known as "The Gold Coats", whose sole objective was to sell and take down payments on the 35,000 season tickets required. Not an easy task when one considers the move was still secret and the Gold Coats had to sell season tickets to people without knowing the team name, where it was coming from, who the owner was, what league it would play in, who the players or coaches were, when the team would play its first game in Kansas City, what its team colors would be or where it would play. Hunt gave Bartle a 4 month deadline. Bartle and the Gold Coats made good in only 8 weeks. Later, Hunt admitted he was really only hoping for 20,000, for which he still would have moved the franchise.The name, "Chiefs" was selected by a fan contest, and is derived from Mayor Bartle, who 35 years prior, founded the Native American-based honor society known as The Tribe of Mic-O-Say within the Boy Scouts of America organization, which earned him the nickname, "The Chief." It is said that Hunt actually considered keeping the team name as it was, and playing as the "Kansas City Texans."[link]
The Texans/Chiefs franchise was the flagship team of the American Football League, with the most playoff appearances as an AFL team, six (tied with Oakland), the most American Football League Championships (3), and the most Super Bowl appearances, playing in the first Super Bowl, and in the last to be played between League champions. The Texans won the classic 1962 double-overtime AFL championship game against the Houston Oilers, 20-17, at the time the longest, and still one of the best professional football championship games ever played. The Chiefs dropped the first Super Bowl to the Packers, then pulverized the Vikings 23-7 in the final "true" AFL-NFL World Championsip game after the AFL's last season in 1969. They had just one coach throughout their AFL history, Hall-of-Famer Hank Stram.
The Kansas City Chiefs' (under Dallas Texans name) first stadium was at 22nd and Brooklyn, called "Municipal Stadium". Municipal Stadium opened in 1923 and had 49,002 seats. In 1972, the Chiefs moved into the new Arrowhead Stadium. Municipal Stadium, also formerly the home of the Kansas City Royals, the minor-league Kansas City Blues and, most successfully, the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs, was demolished in 1976 and is now a community garden. The Chiefs' first game at Arrowhead Stadium was against the St. Louis Cardinals (Chiefs 24, St. Louis Cardinals 14).
Arrowhead Stadium is half of the Truman Sports Complex, along with Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals Stadium). Kansas City was viewed as taking an unnecessary risk at the time by building two stadiums instead of the popular multi-use stadiums being built in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis. With the demolition in 2005 of St. Louis' Busch Stadium, the Truman Sports Complex has now out-lived all of the multi-use stadiums built in the same era. While many applaud the Kansas City decision makers for this decision, the move was not quite by design. When it became readily apparent the old Municipal Stadium would not suffice, the decision was made to build a multi-use stadium for the Chiefs and Charlie Finley's Kansas City A's. Finley proved to be too difficult to work with, demanding a "baseball stadium that could also be used for football" or a baseball only stadium, instead of the other way around.
After much vitriole behind the scenes, Finley decided to move the team to Oakland. However, the discussion made Bartle and his advisors convinced that one stadium would be good but not great. Thus, the decision was made to build two separate stadiums after Finley left town. Coincidentally, Finley moved to Oakland's Alameda County Coliseum, a multi-use stadium in which the A's have played since moving there in 1967.
As the Chiefs, under coach Hank Stram, the team played in the first Super Bowl, losing 35-10 to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. They earned revenge three years later, upsetting the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. The team won 43 games between 1966 and 1969.
NFL
In 1971 The Chiefs made it back to the Playoffs as they won the AFC West Title, but on December 25 of that year, they lost a double overtime heartbreaker to the Miami Dolphins 27-24. The Chiefs had only two winning seasons between 1974 and 1986. They did not get to the playoffs for 15 straight years.In 1989, Carl Peterson became the team's new President and General Manager. Peterson hired Marty Schottenheimer as the team's coach. Schottenheimer helped establish six straight playoff appearances, three AFC West championships, nine winning seasons, and 76 consecutive soldout games at Arrowhead. Since 1992, no NFL team has a better regular season home winning percentage than Kansas City (27-5 (.844) record). However, the Chiefs have only won three playoff games since Peterson became general manager, the last in 1993.
In 1993, Joe Montana was traded to Kansas City from the San Francisco 49ers. Along with Marcus Allen from the Los Angeles Raiders, the Chiefs gained both a powerful passer and rusher, advancing to the AFC Championship Game. Montana retired after the 1994 season and was replaced by Steve Bono with Rich Gannon as backup. In 1995, the Chiefs went 13-3 and were a sure thing to win the Super Bowl. However, on a cold night full of dropped passes and missed field goals, they lost 10-7 against the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs.
After going from 13-3 in 1997 and losing the playoff game to the Denver Broncos (10-14), the Chiefs fell to 7-9 in 1998. Marty Schottenheimer took much of the blame for his failed attempts at clock control (also nicknamed Martyball by his critics). He was also in the midst of a quarterback controversy.
In 1997, he started with Elvis Grbac as quarterback. After a loss to Denver, Grbac was injured and Rich Gannon took over. After going 13-2 during the season, Gannon was replaced by Grbac in the playoff game against Denver. The choice to play Grbac over Gannon made many fans angry with Schottenheimer. The following losing season with Grbac at quarterback did not help.
Schottenheimer left as head coach, replaced by his defensive coach Gunther Cunningham. In two years, Cunningham showed little improvement, going 9-7 and 7-9. After the loss of Derrick Thomas, the collapse of the defense was unmistakable. The Chiefs' wins were mostly made by a high scoring offense rather than a powerful defense.
After coaching the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl and retiring, Dick Vermeil took over as head coach in 2001 with the statement that it takes three years to get a team ready for the Super Bowl. Elvis Grbac left the team to join the Baltimore Ravens, and Vermeil replaced him with his primary pick for the Rams' quartback, Trent Green. Another notable replacement was Priest Holmes at running back. Three years later, the Chiefs went 13-3 in 2003 and set many records along the way. However, the season sputtered by November and the Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs. As with the loss to the Broncos in the 1997 season, this loss led to a poor following season.
In 2004 Gunther Cunningham was brought back as the defensive coach. However, the defense showed little improvement. The offense, unable to record the same high scores as the previous year, was unable to bring in the wins as they had the previous year.
For the 2005 campaign, the Chiefs brought several new players to boost a defense that has finished among the worst units the past three years. Starting with first draft pick, LB Derrick Johnson from the University of Texas, free agent LB Kendrell Bell, free agent CB Patrick Surtain and free agent S Sammy Knight, the Chiefs had high hopes for the '05 season.
The Chiefs got off to a good 2-0 start, winning their Week 1 home-opener against the New York Jets (27-7) and then went on the road to beat their old time division-rival Oakland Raiders (23-17). However, they then lost at INVESCO Field at Mile High 30-10 to another division rival, the Denver Broncos. Then in Week 4, the Chiefs hosted the Philadelphia Eagles. K.C. got off to a fast start and led 24-13 at halftime. Unfortuantely, the Eagles hung tough and their QB Donovan McNabb managed to lead his team back into the fray, despite having a sports hernia. In the end, the Chiefs lost 37-31. They then used their Bye Week in Week 5 to regroup and get back to what they do best. They managed to win a very good fight at home with the Washington Redskins 28-21.
The Chiefs had little time to celebrate, because they were called and told that because Hurricane Wilma was going to strike Miami on Sunday, they would have to face the Dolphins two days earlier. Despite the sudden change of the schedule, the Chiefs manged to pull through and win against the Miami Dolphins 30-20. However, despite having over a week to rest up, they couldn't hold down the San Diego Chargers on the road and lost 28-20. The Chiefs would rebound at home and win a well-fought rematch with their old time rivals, the Oakland Raiders, with a final of 27-23. Unfortunately, despite outgaining them in yards from scrimmage by a large margin, they would lose a well-fought game on the road against the Buffalo Bills 14-3. The Chiefs would then get a three-game winning streak going. First, they would beat the hapless Houston Texans on Sunday Night (45-17) and then they would win back-to-back home games against the two-time defending champion New England Patriots (26-16) and then a rematch win their division rival, Denver Broncos (31-27). In the following weeks, the Chiefs dug themselves a huge hole with back-to-back interconference road losses to the Dallas Cowboys (31-28) and the New York Giants (27-17). Their realistic playoff possibilities were shot after falling to 8-6. Fortunately, the Chiefs were able to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive after a 20-7 home victory over the San Diego Chargers in week 16. In Week 17, even though the Chiefs got a blowout win at home against the Cincinnati Bengals 37-3, the Steelers won against the Lions 35-21, ending their chances of getting into the playoffs. It also made them the fourth team in NFL history to go 10-6 and not get into the playoffs. Head coach Dick Vermeil retired once the Chiefs' 2005 campaign ended.
On Monday, January 9, 2006, the Chiefs made their first step throughout the 2006 Offseason, as they hired Herman Edwards from the New York Jets as their new head coach. Also, during the 2006 NFL Draft, the Chiefs used their first pick on Penn St. DE Tamba Hali. They then used their next pick on Purdue Safety Bernard Pollard. The rest of their picks included Alabama QB Brodie Croyle, Miami University (FL) CB Marcus Maxey, Ole Miss OT Tre' Stallings, San Diego St. WR Jeff Webb, and UCLA Safety Jarrad Page.
Chiefs tragedies
The Chiefs have been struck by an unusual number of tragic losses in their history.- August 30, 1963: Rookie running back Stone Johnson, a sprinter in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck in a preseason game with the Oakland Raiders in Wichita, Kansas. He died 10 days later, on September 8. He was 22.
- December 12, 1965: Second-year running back Mack Lee Hill dies during surgery to repair a knee injury sustained in a game against the Buffalo Bills three days earlier. He had suffered heatstroke, which was undetected, and this caused a pulmonary embolism during the surgery. He was 25.
- September 15, 1980: Former Chiefs offensive tackle Jim Tyrer suffered business difficulties following his football career, and suffered from depression, until he shot and killed his wife, and then himself. He was 41.
- June 29, 1983: After just two seasons with the Chiefs, including winning the 1981 NFL Rookie of the Year award, running back Joe Delaney drowned in Monroe, Louisiana, attempting to rescue two boys from a rain-swollen pit shortly after rescuing one other. He was 24. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal and the NCAA Award of Valor. [37Forever.org] was formed to teach KC area kids how to swim in honor of the valor that Joe Delaney demonstrated. Delaney was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of fame posthumously in 2005.
- January 23, 2000: Derrick Thomas, one of the finest linebackers of his era, suffered spinal injuries in a car accident in Kansas City. These injuries are mainly due to him not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. He spent his last week knowing he would never walk again. While still hospitalized, Thomas died from a pulmonary embolism, a complication resulting from his surgery. February 8. He was 33.
Logo and uniforms
When the team debuted in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, the logo consisted of the state of Texas in white with a yellow star marking the location of Dallas. Since moving to Kansas City in 1963, the logo has been a white arrowhead bearing the initials "K.C."
The uniform design has essentially remained the same throughout the club's entire history. It consists of a red helmet, and either red or white jerseys with the opposite color numbers and names trimmed in yellow. White pants were used with both jerseys until 1969, when red pants were used with the white jerseys. The white jersey–red pants combination was not used between 1989 and 1999, primarily during the period when Marty Schottenheimer was the team's head coach.
Popular gameday traditions
Even when their team suffers through losing seasons, devoted Chiefs fans are known for being the loudest in the NFL. These fans often reach sound levels of over 120 decibels (the sound of a jet airliner taking off). Because of this, Sports Illustrated has given the Chiefs' home field, Arrowhead Stadium, the title of being the "Toughest Place to Play" [link]At the end of the National Anthem fans are known to yell "and the home of the CHIEFS!" where traditionally "the brave" is supposed to be said. Only after the September 11, 2001 attacks did Chiefs fans refrain from doing so in honor of those who lost their lives. In fact, the September 23 2001 home game versus the New York Giants, the first Kansas City regular season contest since the September 11, 2001 attacks, was the only time in Chiefs history where Kansas City fans welcomed an opposing team onto the field without booing. [link]
Fans' occasional use of "The War Chant" popularized by the Florida State Seminoles, especially when playing the Washington Redskins has become a tradition and also a controversy among Native American activists who protest the chant.
After every Chiefs touchdown, even if the team is getting badly beaten, the crowd chants "We're gonna beat the hell outta you...you...you, you, you, you," over Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part 2)."
Kickoff begins with in-stadium music from Mötley Crüe ("Wild Side" & "Kickstart My Heart"), AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)", Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones and Ram Jam's "Black Betty".
Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = TiesTeam records
The following are team and league records. They may have been surpassed between the time of making the record and the current date. Records are listed in chronological order.League records
- 1966: Len Dawson ties Johnny Unitas for 4 seasons leading the league in touchdowns.
- 1969: Len Dawson records 6 consecutive seasons leading the league in pass completions.
- December 25, 1971: Ed Podolak amasses 350 all-purpose yards against the Miami Dolphins, a playoff record. The double-overtime game, at 82 minutes, 40 seconds, is the longest NFL game ever played.
- 1975: Len Dawson records 8 seasons leading the league in pass completions.
- November 11, 1990: Derrick Thomas sets league record for most sacks in a game with 7.0.
- 1993: Nick Lowery sets record for most seasons with 100 or more points with 11.
- 1993: Dave Krieg gets record 494 times sacked in a career. Kansas City fans like having that record broken in 1998 by John Elway.
- 1998: Chiefs set the record for most penalties (158) and most penalty yardage (1,304) in a season.
- 2002: Morten Andersen sets record with 40 field goals over 50 yards in a career.
- December 22, 2002: Trent Green to Marc Boerigter tied for longest pass completion of 99 yards.
- 2003: Morten Andersen of Kansas City and Gary Anderson of Pittsburg tie for most seaons with 100 or more points with 14.
- 2003: Morten Andersen has record 316 consecutive scoring games.
- 2003: Dante Hall ties league record with 4 kick-returns for touchdowns in a single season.
- 2003: Priest Holmes sets league record for most touchdowns as well as most rushing touchdowns with 27.
- October 24, 2004: the Chiefs completed 8 running touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons, setting the league record for most running touchdowns in a single game.
- October 2, 2005: Dante Hall ties league record with 6 career kickoff returns for touchdowns.
- October 21, 2005: The Chiefs became the only NFL team to travel and play an away game on the same day. The approach of Hurricane Wilma prompted the Commissioner on October 20 to move up the game vs. the Miami Dolphins from Sunday to Friday, requiring a waiver of the rule requiring both teams to be in the game city at least 24 hours before kickoff. The Chiefs went on to win the game by a score of 30-20.
- December 24, 2005: Chiefs extend their December home win streak to 18 games—the longest in the NFL since 1970—and giving them a 20-1 December home record since 1995. Their last loss at home in December was versus the Indianapolis Colts on December 15, 1996.
Franchise records
- 1987: Gary Spani records his team-record 999th career tackle and retires in the off-season.
- 1990: Derrick Thomas sets team record with 20.0 sacks in a season.
- 1990: Derrick Thomas established an NFL single-game record with 7.0 sacks in an inspiring Veterans Day performance vs. Seattle (11/11). The game was won by the Seahawks 17-16, after a last-second 25-yard TD pass to WR Paul Skansi by future Chiefs QB Dave Krieg. Kreig barely slipped out of Thomas' arms for what would have been the record breaking eighth sack.
- 1995: Chiefs make team record sixth consecutive playoff berth.
- 1996: Chiefs have first 4-0 start.
- 2001: Priest Holmes sets the team single-season rushing record with 1,555 yards.
- 2002: Team sets franchise record for most offensive yards with 6,000.
- 2002: Priest Holmes sets the team single-season rushing record with 1,615 yards.
- November 9, 2003: the Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns (41-20), winning their ninth straight game which sets a new franchise record for consecutive victories.
- 2003: Priest Holmes surpasses Otis Taylor for most career touchdowns by a Chief.
- November 28, 2004: Dante Hall sets team record with 213 kickoff returns.
- December 5, 2004: Will Shields extends team record of consecutive starts to 187 (actual consecutive games also a team record of 188).
- December 5, 2004: Trent Green extends team record of consecutive quarterback starts to 60.
- October 21, 2005: Priest Holmes surpasses Christian Okoye's previous record of 1246 career carries as a Chief.
- January 1, 2006: After only his ninth game start in the season, Larry Johnson surpasses Priest Holmes's single-season rushing record with 1,750 yards and scores a career-high three touchdowns. This is also his ninth straight 100-yard game (including two 200-yard performances) to tie him for third-longest streak in NFL history with Walter Payton, Fred Taylor and Deuce McAllister.
Players of note
Current roster
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[DEPTH CHART] Offensive backs
Receivers
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- Marcus Allen (November 9, 2003; 1992-1997) Running Back. Scored the 100th rushing touchdown of his career as a Chief.
- Bobby Bell (July 30, 1983; 1963-1974) Linebacker.
- Buck Buchanan (1990; 1963-1975) Lineman. First player taken in 1963 American Football League Draft. NAIA All-America in 1962.
- Len Dawson (1987; 1963-1975) Quarterback. Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1978. Two AFL championships. MVP of Super Bowl IV. 19-year career, passed for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns. 11th ranked passer in NFL history (retired No. 1).
- Lamar Hunt (1972; 1960-present) Owner. Started American Football League that was the genesis of modern professional football.
- Willie "Contact" Lanier (1986; 1967-1977) Outside linebacker. Second Chief selected to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 1969 Super Bowl IV Champion.
- Marv Levy (2001; 1978-1982) Head Coach.
- Joe Montana (2000; 1993-1994) Quarterback. Popular for come-from-behind wins, including the 1993 playoffs and the outdueling of Elway in 1994 as a Chief.
- Warren Moon (2006; 1999-2000) Quarterback.
- Jan Stenerud (1991; 1967-1979) Placekicker. Only pure kicker in the Hall of Fame. 19-year career. 186 consecutive games played. Career 409 PATs and 436 field goals attempted. 44 field goals in a season. 7 field goal attempts in a game. six postseason All-Star games (four NFL Pro Bowl). 48-yard field goal, the longest in Super Bowl history, against the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
- Hank Stram (2003; 1960-1974) Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs coach won three AFL titles and Super Bowl IV. Victories 87. Post-season appearances 6. Post-season record 5-1. Head coach of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs for the entire ten-year history of the AFL.
- Mike Webster (1997; 1989-1990) Offensive line coach and center.
Retired numbers
#3 Jan Stenerud (Placekicker)#16 Len Dawson (Quarterback)#28 Abner Haynes (Running Back)#33 Stone Johnson (Running Back)#36 Mack Lee Hill (Running Back)#58 Derrick Thomas (Linebacker)#63 Willie Lanier (Linebacker)#78 Bobby Bell (Linebacker)#86 Buck Buchanan (Defense Tackle)
Also the number 37 has not been worn since the death of Joe Delaney and is considered to be unofficially retired. Numbers 16 and 28 are the only numbers to have been worn by a single player.
Chiefs Hall of Fame
External Link: [Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame]| The American Football League |
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| Eastern Division |
| Boston Patriots | Buffalo Bills | Houston Oilers | New York Titans/Jets | Miami Dolphins |
| Western Division |
| Denver Broncos | Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs | Oakland Raiders | Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Seasons | Playoffs | All-Star games | AFL Draft | All-Time Team | NFL |
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