1966 Kansas City Chiefs season
Encyclopedia
The 1966
Kansas City Chiefs
season ended with the Chiefs' second AFL Championship and first since their relocation to Kansas City, Missouri
. Instead of finishing the season with the AFL Championship win, the Chiefs were invited to play in the inaugural AFL-NFL World Championship Game
, later known as the Super Bowl
, against the NFL
's Green Bay Packers
. After a strong first half in the game, the Chiefs lost momentum and the Packers won 35–10.
31–7.
31, Buffalo Bills
7
The Bills went into the 1966 AFL Championship having already won the game the previous two years. Though the game was to be played in Buffalo, the visiting Kansas City Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense led by Head Coach Hank Stram
. The Bills were a more conventional team with a solid defensive line and a running mindset on offense.
A Bills fumble on the opening kickoff gave the Chiefs a short field to work with, and Quarterback Len Dawson
immediately took advantage of it, hitting Fred Arbanas
for the game's first score. Jack Kemp
's first pass for the Bills was a 69 yard score to Elbert Dubenion
. Late in the second quarter and trailing 14–7, Kemp led the Bills to the Kansas City 10. Bobby Crockett was open in the endzone, but Kemp's pass was intercepted by Johnny Robinson, who returned the ball 72-yards, setting up a Mike Mercer
field goal to close out the first half.
Buffalo found no offensive rhythm in the second half, and the Chiefs closed the game out in the fourth quarter with Dawson found Chris Burford
for a 45 yard gain, setting up a one foot touchdown run by rookie Mike Garrett
. Garrett scored his second touchdown less than two minutes later following another Bills fumble.
Scoring
in Los Angeles
, California
. The Packers faced the Kansas City Chiefs
from the AFL
who finished their season 11–2–1.
The Packers jumped out to an early 7–0 lead with Bart Starr's 37-yard touchdown pass to reserve receiver Max McGee
, who had been put into the game just a few plays earlier to fill in for injured starter Boyd Dowler
. Early in the second quarter, Kansas City marched 66 yards in 6 plays to tie the game on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Len Dawson
to Curtis McClinton
. But the Packers responded on their next drive, advancing 73 yards down the field and scoring on fullback Jim Taylor's 14-yard touchdown run with the team's famed "Power Sweep" play. The Chiefs then cut the lead with a minute left in the half, 14–10, on Mike Mercer's 31-yard field goal.
Early in the second half Dawson was intercepted by defensive back Willie Wood. He returned the interception 50 yards to the Kansas City 5-yard line. On the next play Elijah Pitts
rushed 5-yards for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 21–10 lead. Max McGee scored his second touchdown of the game with a 13-yard reception from Bart Starr. The Packers held the Chiefs' offense to 12 yards in the third quarter. Elijah Pitts scored another touchdown for the Packers in the third quarter on a one yard touchdown run. The Packers would win the game 35–10. Quarterback Bart Starr was name the MVP of the game, completing 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
Scoring Summary
1966 American Football League season
The 1966 American Football League season was the seventh regular season of the American Football League, and one of the last before the AFL-NFL Merger. The league entered talks with the National Football League regarding a merger, which would take effect fully in 1970.The season also saw the debut...
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
season ended with the Chiefs' second AFL Championship and first since their relocation to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Instead of finishing the season with the AFL Championship win, the Chiefs were invited to play in the inaugural AFL-NFL World Championship Game
Super Bowl I
The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
, later known as the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, against the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. After a strong first half in the game, the Chiefs lost momentum and the Packers won 35–10.
Postseason
With their 11–2–1 record, the Chiefs reappeared in the AFL Championship and defeated the reigning champion Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
31–7.
1966 AFL Championship
Kansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
31, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
7
- January 1, 1967 at War Memorial StadiumWar Memorial Stadium (Buffalo)War Memorial Stadium is the name of a stadium that formerly stood in Buffalo, New York. The stadium was on a rectangular block near the downtown area. Its main entrance was at Jefferson Avenue to the east and Best Street to the south...
, Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
The Bills went into the 1966 AFL Championship having already won the game the previous two years. Though the game was to be played in Buffalo, the visiting Kansas City Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense led by Head Coach Hank Stram
Hank Stram
Henry Louis "Hank" Stram was an American football coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the American Football League's Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs and the Chiefs of the NFL. Stram won three AFL Championships and Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs...
. The Bills were a more conventional team with a solid defensive line and a running mindset on offense.
A Bills fumble on the opening kickoff gave the Chiefs a short field to work with, and Quarterback Len Dawson
Len Dawson
Leonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
immediately took advantage of it, hitting Fred Arbanas
Fred Arbanas
Frederick Vincent Arbanas is an American former college and professional football player. Drafted out of Michigan State by the American Football League's Dallas Texans in 1961, he missed the 1961 season with injuries...
for the game's first score. Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
's first pass for the Bills was a 69 yard score to Elbert Dubenion
Elbert Dubenion
Elbert Dubenion was an American football wide receiver. He played college football for Bluffton College in northwest Ohio....
. Late in the second quarter and trailing 14–7, Kemp led the Bills to the Kansas City 10. Bobby Crockett was open in the endzone, but Kemp's pass was intercepted by Johnny Robinson, who returned the ball 72-yards, setting up a Mike Mercer
Mike Mercer (American football)
Michael Mercer is a former American football kicker and punter who played for six teams from . In the American Football League, he played for the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills...
field goal to close out the first half.
Buffalo found no offensive rhythm in the second half, and the Chiefs closed the game out in the fourth quarter with Dawson found Chris Burford
Chris Burford
Christopher William Burford, III is a former American football wide receiver. Burford was a master of sideline receptions for the Dallas Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs. What he lacked in great speed or physical presence, he made up for by running perfectly choreographed pass routes that...
for a 45 yard gain, setting up a one foot touchdown run by rookie Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...
. Garrett scored his second touchdown less than two minutes later following another Bills fumble.
Scoring
- KC – Arbanas 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick)KC 7–0
- BUF – Dubenion 69 pass from Kemp (Lusteg kick)7–7
- KC – Taylor 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick) KC 14–7
- KC – Field goal Mercer 32 KC 17–7
- KC – Garrett 1 run (Mercer kick) KC 24–7
- KC – Garrett 18 run (Mercer kick) KC 31–7
AFL-NFL World Championship (Super Bowl I)
The first ever AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl I, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The Packers faced the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
from the AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
who finished their season 11–2–1.
The Packers jumped out to an early 7–0 lead with Bart Starr's 37-yard touchdown pass to reserve receiver Max McGee
Max McGee
William Max McGee was a professional football wide receiver who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1954-67. He served as the team's punter during a few years of his career. McGee may be best known for his performance during the first Super Bowl game. Prior to his NFL career, he played college...
, who had been put into the game just a few plays earlier to fill in for injured starter Boyd Dowler
Boyd Dowler
Boyd Hamilton Dowler is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played twelve seasons for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins from 1959 to 1971...
. Early in the second quarter, Kansas City marched 66 yards in 6 plays to tie the game on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Len Dawson
Len Dawson
Leonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
to Curtis McClinton
Curtis McClinton
Curtis McClinton is a former collegiate and professional American football player.McClinton attended Wichita High School North in Wichita, Kansas before attending the University of Kansas. A three-time All-Big Eight selection as a Jayhawk, McClinton led the team in rushing in 1959 and rushed for...
. But the Packers responded on their next drive, advancing 73 yards down the field and scoring on fullback Jim Taylor's 14-yard touchdown run with the team's famed "Power Sweep" play. The Chiefs then cut the lead with a minute left in the half, 14–10, on Mike Mercer's 31-yard field goal.
Early in the second half Dawson was intercepted by defensive back Willie Wood. He returned the interception 50 yards to the Kansas City 5-yard line. On the next play Elijah Pitts
Elijah Pitts
Elijah Eugene Pitts was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.Pitts scored two touchdowns in the original Super Bowl...
rushed 5-yards for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 21–10 lead. Max McGee scored his second touchdown of the game with a 13-yard reception from Bart Starr. The Packers held the Chiefs' offense to 12 yards in the third quarter. Elijah Pitts scored another touchdown for the Packers in the third quarter on a one yard touchdown run. The Packers would win the game 35–10. Quarterback Bart Starr was name the MVP of the game, completing 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
Scoring Summary
- GB – McGeeMax McGeeWilliam Max McGee was a professional football wide receiver who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1954-67. He served as the team's punter during a few years of his career. McGee may be best known for his performance during the first Super Bowl game. Prior to his NFL career, he played college...
37 pass from StarrBart StarrBryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
(ChandlerDon ChandlerDonald Gene "Don" Chandler was an American college and professional football player who was a punter and placekicker in the National Football League for twelve seasons in the 1950s and 1960s...
kick) 7–0 GB - KC – McClintonCurtis McClintonCurtis McClinton is a former collegiate and professional American football player.McClinton attended Wichita High School North in Wichita, Kansas before attending the University of Kansas. A three-time All-Big Eight selection as a Jayhawk, McClinton led the team in rushing in 1959 and rushed for...
7 pass from DawsonLen DawsonLeonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
(MercerMike Mercer (American football)Michael Mercer is a former American football kicker and punter who played for six teams from . In the American Football League, he played for the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills...
kick) 7–7 - GB – Taylor 14 run (Chandler kick) 14–7 GB
- KC – FG Mercer 31 14–10 GB
- GB – PittsElijah PittsElijah Eugene Pitts was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.Pitts scored two touchdowns in the original Super Bowl...
5 run (Chandler kick) 21–10 GB - GB – McGee 13 pass from Starr (Chandler kick) 28–10 GB
- GB – Pitts 1 run (Chandler kick) 35–10 GB