Kansas City Chiefs
Encyclopedia
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
(AFC) in the National Football League
(NFL). Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt
in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League
(AFL). In 1963, the team relocated
to Kansas City and assumed their current name. They joined the NFL during the AFL–NFL merger of 1970. The team is legally and corporately registered as Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Incorporated and according to Forbes
is valued at just under USD
1 billion.
From 1960 to 1969, the Chiefs were a successful franchise in the AFL, winning three league championships (1962, 1966, 1969) and having an all-time AFL record of 92–50–5. The Chiefs were the second AFL team (after the New York Jets
) to defeat an NFL franchise in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game
when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings
in Super Bowl IV
. The team's victory on January 11, 1970 remains the club's last championship game victory and appearance to date. The Chiefs were the second team, after the Green Bay Packers
, to appear in more than one Super Bowl; and, they were the first team to appear in the championship game in two different decades.
league that would rival the National Football League
. Hunt's desire to secure a football team was heightened after watching the 1958 NFL Championship Game
between the New York Giants
and Baltimore Colts
. After unsuccessful attempts to purchase and relocate the NFL's Chicago Cardinals
to his hometown of Dallas, Texas
, Hunt went to the NFL and asked to create an expansion franchise in Dallas. The NFL turned him down, so Hunt then established the American Football League
and started his own team, the Dallas Texans, to begin play in 1960. Hunt hired a little-known assistant coach from the University of Miami football team
, Hank Stram
, to be the team's head coach. Hunt chose Stram after the offer was declined by Bud Wilkinson
and Tom Landry
.
The Texans shared the Cotton Bowl
with the NFL's cross-town competition Dallas Cowboys
for three seasons. While the team averaged a league-best 24,500 at the Cotton Bowl, the Texans gained less attention due to the league's relatively unknown existence. In the franchise's first two seasons, the team managed only a 14–14 record. In their third season, the Texans strolled to an 11–3 record and a berth in the team's first American Football League Championship Game
against the Houston Oilers
. The game was broadcast nationally on ABC
and the Texans defeated the Oilers 20–17 in double overtime. The game lasted 77 minutes and 54 seconds, which still stands as the longest championship game in professional football history.
Despite having a championship team in the Texans and a Cowboys team that managed only a 9–28–3 record in their first three seasons, the Dallas–Fort Worth
media market
could not sustain two professional football franchises. Hunt became interested in moving the Texans to either Atlanta
, Georgia
or Miami, Florida
for the 1963 season. Mayor of Kansas City
Harold Roe Bartle
extended an invitation to Hunt to move the Texans to Missouri
. Bartle promised to triple the franchise's season ticket sales and expand seats at Municipal Stadium
to accommodate the team.
Hunt agreed to relocate
the franchise to Kansas City on May 22, 1963 and on May 26 the team was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt and head coach Hank Stram initially planned on retaining the Texans name, but a fan contest determined the new "Chiefs" name in honor of Mayor Bartle's nickname that he acquired in his professional role as Scout Executive of the St. Joseph and Kansas City Boy Scout Councils and founder of the Scouting Society, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say
. A total of 4,866 entries were received with 1,020 different names being suggested, including a total of 42 entrants who selected "Chiefs." The two names that received the most popular votes were "Mules" and "Royals."
The franchise became one of the strongest teams in the now thriving American Football League, with the most playoff appearances for an AFL team (tied with the Oakland Raiders
), and the most AFL Championships (three). The team's dominance helped Lamar Hunt become a central figure in negotiations with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
to agree on an AFL–NFL merger. In the meetings between the two leagues, a merged league championship game
was agreed to be played in January 1967 following the conclusion of the leagues' respective 1966 seasons. Hunt insisted on calling the game the "Super Bowl" after seeing his children playing with a popular toy at the time, a Super Ball
. While the first few games were designated the "AFL–NFL World Championship Game," the Super Bowl name became its officially licensed title in years to come.
The Chiefs cruised to an 11–2–1 record in 1966, and defeated the defending AFL Champion Buffalo Bills
in the AFL Championship Game. The Chiefs were invited to play the NFL's league champion Green Bay Packers
in the first AFL–NFL World Championship Game
. Kansas City and Green Bay played a close game for the first half, but Green Bay took control in the final two quarters, winning the game by a score of 35–10. The Chiefs lost the game but gained the respect of several Packers opponents following the game. The Chiefs' interleague match-up with the Packers was not the last time that they would face an NFL opponent, especially on the championship stage. The following August, Kansas City hosted the NFL's Chicago Bears
in the 1967 preseason and won the game 66–24.
Despite losing to the division rival Oakland Raiders twice in the regular season in 1969, the two teams met for a third time in the AFL Championship Game where Kansas City won 17–7. Backup quarterback Mike Livingston
led the team in a six-game winning streak after Len Dawson
suffered a leg injury which kept him out of most of the season's games. While getting plenty of help from the club's defense, Dawson returned from the injury and led the Chiefs to Super Bowl IV
. Against the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings
, who were favored
by 12½, the Chiefs dominated the game 23–7 to claim the team's first Super Bowl championship. Dawson was named the game's Most Valuable Player after completing 12-of-17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, with 1 interception. The following season, the Chiefs and the rest of the American Football League merged with the National Football League after the AFL–NFL merger became official. The Chiefs were placed in the American Football Conference
's West Division.
In 1970, the Chiefs won only seven games in their first season in the NFL and missed the playoffs. The following season, the Chiefs tallied a 10–3–1 record and won the AFC West Division. Head coach Hank Stram considered his 1971 Chiefs team as his best, but they failed to capture their championship dominance from 1969. Most of the pieces of the team which won Super Bowl IV two years earlier were still in place for the 1971 season. The Chiefs tied with the Miami Dolphins
for the best record in the AFC, and both teams met in a Christmas Day playoff game which the Chiefs lost 27–24 in double overtime. The Dolphins outlasted the Chiefs with a 37-yard field goal
. The game surpassed the 1962 AFL Championship Game as the longest ever at 82 minutes and 40 seconds. The game was also the final football game at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium.
In 1972, the Chiefs moved into the newly constructed Arrowhead Stadium
at the Truman Sports Complex
outside of Downtown Kansas City. The team's first game at Arrowhead was against the St. Louis Cardinals
, a game which the Chiefs won 24–14. Linebacker Willie Lanier
and quarterback Len Dawson won the NFL Man of the Year Award
in 1972 and 1973, respectively. The Chiefs would not return to the post-season for the remainder of the 1970s, and the 1973 season was the team's last winning effort for seven years. Hank Stram was fired following a 5–9 season in 1974, and many of the Chiefs' future Hall of Fame
players would depart by the middle of the decade. From 1975 to 1988, the Chiefs had become a laughing stock of the NFL and provided Chiefs fans with nothing but futility. Five head coaches struggled to achieve the same success as Stram, compiling an 81–121–1 record.
In 1981, running back Joe Delaney
rushed for 1,121 yards and was named the AFC Rookie of the Year. The Chiefs finished the season with a 9–7 record and entered the 1982 season with optimism. However, the NFL Players Association strike curbed the Chiefs' chances of returning to the postseason for the first time in over a decade. By employing replacement players, the Chiefs tallied a 3–6 record and in the off-season, Joe Delaney died while trying to save several children from drowning in a pond near his home in Louisiana.
The Chiefs made a mistake in drafting quarterback Todd Blackledge
over future greats such as Jim Kelly
and Dan Marino
in the 1983 NFL Draft
. Blackledge never started a full season for Kansas City while Kelly and Marino played Hall of Fame careers. While the Chiefs struggled on offense in the 1980s, the Chiefs had a strong defensive unit consisting of Pro Bowlers such as Bill Maas
, Albert Lewis
, Art Still
and Deron Cherry
.
John Mackovic
took over head coaching duties for the 1983 season after Marv Levy
was fired. Over the next four seasons, Mackovic coached the Chiefs to a 30–34 record, but took the team to its first post-season appearance in 15 years in the 1986 NFL playoffs. Following the team's loss to the New York Jets
in the playoffs, Mackovic was fired. Frank Gansz
served as head coach for the next two seasons, but won only eight of 31 games.
as the team's new president, general manager, and chief executive officer. Peterson fired head coach Frank Gansz two weeks after taking over and hired Marty Schottenheimer
as the club's seventh head coach. In the 1988
and 1989
NFL Draft
s, the Chiefs selected both defensive end Neil Smith and linebacker Derrick Thomas
, respectively. The defense that Thomas and Smith anchored in their seven seasons together was a big reason why the Chiefs reached the postseason in six straight years.
In Schottenheimer's tenure as head coach (1989–1998), the Chiefs became a perennial playoff contender, featuring offensive players including Steve DeBerg
, Christian Okoye
, Stephone Paige
and Barry Word
, and a strong defense, anchored by Thomas, Smith, Albert Lewis and Deron Cherry. The team recorded a 101–58–1 record, and clinched seven playoff berths. The Chiefs' 1993 season was the franchise's most successful in 22 years. With newly-acquired quarterback Joe Montana
and running back Marcus Allen
—two former Super Bowl
champions and MVP's—the Chiefs further strengthened their position in the NFL. The 11–5 Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers
and Houston Oilers
on their way to the franchise's first and to date only AFC Championship Game
appearance against the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs were overwhelmed by the Bills and lost the game by a score of 30–13. The Chiefs' victory on January 14, 1994 against the Oilers remains the franchise's last post-season victory to date.
In the 1995 NFL playoffs, the 13–3 Chiefs hosted the Indianapolis Colts in a cold, damp night game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City lost the game 10–7 against the underdog Colts after kicker
Lin Elliot
missed three field goal attempts and quarterback Steve Bono threw three interceptions. The Chiefs selected tight end
Tony Gonzalez with the 13th overall selection in the 1997 NFL Draft
, a move which some considered to be a gamble being that Gonzalez was primarily a basketball
player at California
. During a 1997 season full of injuries to starting quarterback Elvis Grbac
, backup quarterback Rich Gannon
took the reins of the Chiefs' offense as the team headed to another 13–3 season. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer chose Grbac to start the playoff game against the Denver Broncos
despite Gannon's successes in previous weeks. Grbac's production in the game was lacking, and the Chiefs lost to the Broncos 14–10. Denver went on to capture their 6th AFC Championship by defeating Pittsburgh, and then defeated the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.
Coach Schottenheimer announced his resignation from the Chiefs following the 1998 season, and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham
took over coaching duties for the next two seasons, compiling a 16–16 record. By the end of the Chiefs' decade of regular-season dominance, Gannon had signed with the Oakland Raiders, Neil Smith signed with the Denver Broncos, and Derrick Thomas was paralyzed from a car accident
on January 23, 2000. Thomas died from complications of his injury weeks later. After allegedly reading online that he would be relieved of duties, head coach Gunther Cunningham was fired.
Looking to change the Chiefs' game plan which relied on a tough defensive strategy for the past decade, Carl Peterson contacted Dick Vermeil
about the Chiefs' head coaching vacancy for the 2001 season. Vermeil previously led the St. Louis Rams
to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV
. Vermeil was hired on January 12. The Chiefs then traded a first round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft
to St. Louis for quarterback Trent Green
and signed free agent running back Priest Holmes
to be the team's cornerstones on offense.
In 2003, Kansas City began the season with nine consecutive victories, a franchise record. They finished the season with a 13–3 record and the team's offense led the NFL in several categories. Running back Priest Holmes
surpassed Marshall Faulk
's single-season touchdown record by scoring his 27th rushing touchdown against the Chicago Bears
in the team's regular season finale. The team clinched the second seed in the 2004 NFL playoffs
and hosted the Indianapolis Colts
in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. In a game where neither team punted, the Chiefs lost the shoot-out 38–31. It was the third time in nine seasons that the Chiefs went 8–0 at home in the regular season, and earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs, only to lose their post-season opener at Arrowhead.
After a disappointing 7–9 record in 2004, the 2005 Chiefs finished with a 10–6 record but no playoff berth. They were the fourth team since 1990 to miss the playoffs with a 10–6 record. Running back Larry Johnson started in place of the injured Priest Holmes and rushed for 1,750 yards in only nine starts. Prior to the Chiefs' final game of the season, head coach Dick Vermeil announced his retirement. The Chiefs won the game 37–3 over the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals
.
Within two weeks of Vermeil's resignation, the Chiefs returned to their defensive roots with the selection of its next head coach. The team introduced Herman Edwards
, a former Chiefs scout and head coach of the New York Jets, as the team's tenth head coach after trading a fourth-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft
to the Jets. Quarterback Trent Green suffered a severe concussion in the team's season opener to the Cincinnati Bengals which left him out of play for eight weeks. Backup quarterback Damon Huard
took over in Green's absence and led the Chiefs to a 5–3 record.
Kansas City was awarded a Thanksgiving game
against the Denver Broncos in response to owner Lamar Hunt's lobbying for a third Thanksgiving Day game. The Chiefs defeated the Broncos 19–10 in the first Thanksgiving Day game in Kansas City since 1969. Hunt was hospitalized at the time of the game and died weeks later on December 13 due to complications with prostate cancer
. The Chiefs honored their owner for the remainder of the season, as did the rest of the league.
Trent Green returned by the end of the season, but struggled in the final stretch, and running back Larry Johnson set an NFL record with 416 carries in a season. Kansas City managed to clinch their first playoff berth
in three seasons with a 9–7 record and a bizarre sequence of six losses from other AFC teams on New Year's Eve, culminating with a Broncos loss to the 49ers. The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Chiefs in the Wild Card playoffs and defeated Kansas City 23–8.
In 2007, Trent Green
was traded to the Miami Dolphins leaving the door open for either Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle
to become the new starting quarterback. After starting the season with a 4–3 record, the Chiefs lost the remaining nine games when running back Larry Johnson suffered a season-ending foot injury and the quarterback position lacked stability with Huard and Croyle. Despite the team's 4–12 record, tight end Tony Gonzalez broke Shannon Sharpe
's NFL record for touchdowns at the position (63) and defensive end
Jared Allen
led the NFL in quarterback sacks with 15.5.
The Chiefs began their 2008 season with the youngest team in the NFL. The starting lineup had an average of 25.5 years of age. By releasing several veteran players such as cornerback Ty Law
and wide receiver Eddie Kennison
and trading defensive end Jared Allen, the Chiefs began a youth movement. The Chiefs had a league-high thirteen selections in the 2008 NFL Draft and chose defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey
and offensive lineman Branden Albert
in the first round. Analysts quickly called Kansas City's selections as the best of the entire draft. Entering the season, the Chiefs were unsure if injury-prone quarterback Brodie Croyle, who was the incumbent starter, could be their quarterback in the long-term. Croyle was injured in the team's first game of the season and Damon Huard started in Croyle's absence. Tyler Thigpen
become the third Chiefs starting quarterback in as many games for a start against the Atlanta Falcons
. After a poor performance by Thigpen, in which he threw three interceptions against the Falcons defense, Huard was retained as the starting quarterback. The Chiefs struggled off the field as much as on as tight end Tony Gonzalez demanded a trade and running back Larry Johnson was involved in legal trouble.
Croyle returned for the Chiefs' game against the Tennessee Titans, but both he and Damon Huard suffered season-ending injuries in the game. The Chiefs reorganized their offense to a new spread offense game plan focused around Tyler Thigpen. The Chiefs' new offense was implemented to help Thigpen play to the best of his abilities and also following the absence of Larry Johnson, who was suspended for his off-field conduct. The Chiefs made a huge gamble by using the spread offense, as most in the NFL believe that it cannot work in professional football, and also head coach Herman Edwards was traditionally in favor of more conservative, run-oriented game plans.
, and allowed a franchise-high 54 points against the Buffalo Bills. The team's general manager, chief executive officer, and team president Carl Peterson resigned at the end of the season, and former New England Patriots
vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli
was hired as his replacement for 2009. On January 23, 2009 Herman Edwards was fired as head coach, and two weeks later Todd Haley
signed a four-year contract to become Edwards' successor. In April, Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons
after failed trade attempts over the previous two seasons. The Chiefs also fired Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey 2 weeks before the start of the season. Throughout 2009 the Chiefs acquired veterans to supplement the Chiefs' young talent including Matt Cassel
, Mike Vrabel
, Bobby Engram
, Mike Brown, Chris Chambers
, and Andy Alleman
.
On December 26, 2010, the Kansas City Chiefs won their first AFC West title since 2003, by beating the Tennessee Titans at The New Arrowhead Stadium. On January 9, 2011, the Chiefs lost their Wild Card Playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens 30–7. Six players were chosen for the Pro Bowl: Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Brian Waters, Tamba Hali, Matt Cassel and rookie safety Eric Berry. Jamaal Charles won the FEDEX ground player of the year award and Dwayne Bowe led the NFL in Touchdown Receptions.
, and 26th overall, the team selected Jonathan Baldwin, Wide Receiver
from Pitt
, who was predicted to go in the second or third round. This was one of the biggest shocks in the first round because of Baldwin's character and Pioli's strict self enforced rules on drafting players who have had a police record. For their 135th pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the Chiefs selected quarterback Ricky Stanzi
from the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
Record as of the end of the 2010 NFL season
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; width:98%;"
|-
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Season
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Team
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|League
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Conference
!rowspan="2"|Division
!colspan="4"|Regular season
!rowspan="2" style="width:27%;"|Post Season
Results
!rowspan="2" style="width:30%;"|Awards
|-
!Finish
!Wins
!Losses
!Ties
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2000
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|3rd
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|
|
|-
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2001
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|0
|
|
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2002
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|
|Priest Holmes
NFL Offensive Player of the Year
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2003
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center" bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|1st
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|Lost Divisional Playoffs
(Colts
) 38–31
|Dante Hall
NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2004
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|3rd
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|
|Priest Holmes
Ed Block Courage Award
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2005
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|2nd
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|
|Will Shields
Ed Block Courage Award
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2006
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|2nd
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
| Lost Wild Card Playoffs
(Colts
) 23–8
|
|-
!align="center"|2007
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|3rd
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|0
|
|Dwayne Bowe
(ROTW x2)
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2008
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|0
|
|Maurice Leggett
Special Teams POW x1
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2009
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|0
|
|Brian Waters
(MOY
)
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2010
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center" bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|1st
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Ravens
) 30–7
|Jamaal Charles
FEDEX Ground Player of the Year Award
|-
!align="center" rowSpan="3" colSpan="6"|Total
|align="center"|395
|align="center"|364
|align="center"|12
|colSpan="2"|(1960–2010, includes only regular season)
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|0
|colSpan="2"|(1960–2009, includes only playoffs)
|-
!align="center"|403
!align="center"|377
!align="center"|12
|colSpan="2"|(1960–2010, includes both regular season and playoffs; 3 AFL Championships, 1 Super Bowl Championship)
in white with a yellow star marking the location of the city of Dallas. Originally, Hunt chose Columbia blue
and orange
for the Texans' uniforms, but Bud Adams
chose Columbia blue and scarlet for his Houston Oilers
franchise. Hunt reverted to red and gold for the Texans' uniforms, which even after the team relocated to Kansas City, remain as the franchise's colors to this day.
The state of Texas on the team's helmet was replaced by an arrowhead
design originally sketched by Lamar Hunt on a napkin. Hunt's inspiration for the interlocking "KC" design was the "SF" inside of an oval on the San Francisco 49ers
helmets. Unlike the 49ers' logo, Kansas City’s overlapping initials appear inside a white arrowhead instead of an oval and are surrounded by a thin black outline. From 1960 to 1973, the Chiefs had grey facemask bars on their helmets, but changed to white bars in 1974.
The Chiefs' uniform design has essentially remained the same throughout the club's history. It consists of a red helmet, and either red or white jerseys with the opposite color numbers and names. White pants were used with both jerseys from 1960–1967 and 1989–1999. Beginning in 2009, during the Pioli/Haley era, the team has alternated between white and red pants for road games during the season. When the Chiefs wear their red uniforms, they always wear white pants. The Chiefs have never worn an alternate jersey in a game, although custom jerseys are sold for retail.
The Chiefs wore their white jerseys with white pants at home for the 2006 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The logic behind the uniform selection that day was that the Bengals would be forced to wear their black uniforms on a day that forecasted for steamy temperatures.
In 2007, the Kansas City Chiefs honored Lamar Hunt and the AFL with a special patch. It features the AFL's logo from the 1960s with Hunt's "LH" initials inside the football. In 2008, the patch became permanently affixed to the left chest of both Kansas City's home and away jerseys.
In select games for the 2009 season, the Chiefs—as well as the other founding teams of the American Football League
—wore "throwback" uniforms to celebrate the AFL's 50th anniversary and the 1962 Dallas Texans
team that won the AFL Championship.
serves as the stadium's concession provider and Sprint Nextel
, Anheuser-Busch
and Coca-Cola
are major corporate sponsors.
Dating back to the Chiefs' home opener in 1991 to mid-2009, the Chiefs had 155 consecutive sellout games. The streak ended with the final home game of the 2009 season against the Cleveland Browns, resulting in the first local TV blackout in over 19 years.
Arrowhead has been called one of the world's finest stadiums and has long held a reputation for being one of the toughest and loudest outdoor stadiums for opposing players to play in. All noise is directly attributed to its fans and was once measured at 116 decibel
s by the Acoustical Design Group of Mission, Kansas
. By way of comparison, take-off of aircraft may lead to a sound level of 106 decibels at the ground. Sports Illustrated
named Arrowhead Stadium the "toughest place to play" for opposing teams in 2005. The tailgate party
environment outside the stadium on gameday has been compared to a "college football" atmosphere. Arrowhead Stadium features frequent fly-overs from a B-2 Spirit
stealth bomber from nearby Whiteman Air Force Base
. Since the 1994 NFL season
, the stadium has had a natural grass
playing surface. From 1972 to 1993, the stadium had an artificial
AstroTurf
surface.
with an NFL team, but they have had the second-highest attendance average over the last decade. Studies by Bizjournals
in 2006 gave the Chiefs high marks for consistently drawing capacity crowds in both good seasons and bad. The Chiefs averaged 77,300 fans per game from 1996 to 2006, second in the NFL behind the Washington Redskins
. The franchise has an official fan club called Chiefs Nation which gives members opportunities to ticket priority benefits and VIP treatment.
At the end of "The Star-Spangled Banner
" at home games, Chiefs fans intentionally yell "and the home of the CHIEFS!" where traditionally "the brave" is sung. In 1996, general manager Carl Peterson said "We all look forward, not only at Arrowhead, but on the road, too, to when we get to that stanza of the National Anthem... Our players love it." After the September 11, 2001 attacks
, Chiefs fans refrained from doing so in honor of those who lost their lives in the tragedy and continued to do so for the remainder of the 2001 season. At the Chiefs' September 23, 2001 home game against the New York Giants, fans gave the opposing Giants a standing ovation. This was one of the few known times in Chiefs history where the home crowd welcomed an opposing team onto the field without booing.
After every Chiefs touchdown at home games, fans chant while pointing in the direction of the visiting team and fans, "We're gonna beat the hell outta you...you...you, you, you, you!" over the song "Rock and Roll Part 2
." The chant starts after the third "hey!" in the song. The version of the song by Gary Glitter
was previously used until the NFL banned his music from its facilities in 2006 following the British rocker's conviction on sexual abuse charges in Vietnam. A cover version of the song played by Tube Tops 2000
has been played since 2006 at every home game. Chiefs fans also make occasional use of "The War Chant" and "Tomahawk Chop" during games.
er Tony DiPardo and The T.D. Pack Band played live music at every Chiefs home game. The band was known as The Zing Band when the team was located at Municipal Stadium. DiPardo was honored by head coach Hank Stram in 1969 with a Super Bowl ring
for the team's victory in Super Bowl IV. When his health was declining, DiPardo took a leave of absence from the band from 1983 to 1988. DiPardo's daughter took over as bandleader in 1989, by which time DiPardo returned to the band by popular demand. For the 2009 season, due to renovations at Arrowhead Stadium, the band did not return to perform at the stadium.
DiPardo passed away on January 27, 2011, at age 98. He had been hospitalized since December 2010 after suffering a brain aneurysm.
|+ Kansas City Chiefs radio play-by-play announcers
|-
|1960–1962
|Charlie Jones
|-
|1963
|Merle Harmon
|-
|1964–1970
|Tom Hedrick
|-
|1971–1973
|Dick Carlson
|-
|1974–1975
|Ray Scott
|-
|1976
|Al Wisk
|-
|1977
|Tom Hopkins
|-
|1978–1984
|Wayne Larrivee
|-
|1985–1993
|Kevin Harlan
|-
|1994–
|Mitch Holthus
|-
|}
Since 1989, KCFX
, a.k.a "101 The Fox", has broadcast all Chiefs games on FM radio
under the moniker of The Chiefs Fox Football Radio Network. Since 1994, Mitch Holthus
has served as play-by-play announcer and former Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson serves as color commentator
. Former Chiefs longsnapper Kendall Gammon
serves as the field reporter. Former Chiefs broadcasters Bill Grigsby
and Bob Gretz
also contribute to the broadcasts. KCFX holds broadcast rights to Chiefs games through the 2009 season. The Chiefs and KCFX hold the distinction of being the longest FM radio broadcast partnering tenure in the NFL. The Chiefs Radio Network extends throughout the six-state region of Missouri, Kansas
, Iowa
, Nebraska
, Oklahoma
, and Arkansas
, with 61 affiliate stations.
KCTV Channel 5
(CBS
) broadcasts most Chiefs regular season games, with exceptions as following. KCTV also broadcasts all Chiefs pre-season
games. WDAF Channel 4
(Fox
) broadcasts games in which the Chiefs host an NFC opponent. KSHB Channel 41
(NBC
) broadcasts all games in which the Chiefs play on NBC Sunday Night Football
or NBC's NFL playoffs coverage. KMBC Channel 9
(ABC
) has aired Monday Night Football
games locally since 1970.
Prior to the 1994 season, WDAF was the primary station for the Chiefs as an NBC affiliate (they aired on KMBC when ABC had the AFL package through 1964), since NBC had the AFC package. The interconference home games aired on KCTV starting in 1973 (when the NFL allowed local telecasts of home games). After week one of the 1994 season, WDAF switched to Fox (which got the NFC package), and has aired the Chiefs' interconference home games since. The bulk of the team's games moved to KSHB through the end of the 1997 season. Since that time, they have aired on KCTV.
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Bethany
|| KAAN
-AM || 870 AM
|-
| Bethany
|| KAAN-FM
|| 95.5 FM
|-
| Chillicothe
|| KULH-FM || 105.9 FM
|-
| Clinton
|| KXEA
-FM || 104.9 FM
|-
| Jefferson City
|| KBBM
-FM || 100.1 FM
|-
| Kansas City
|| KCFX
-FM || 101.1 FM
|-
| Kirksville
|| KRXL
-FM || 94.5 FM
|-
| Marshall
|| KMMO-AM || 1300 AM
|-
| Marshall
|| KMMO-FM || 102.9 FM
|-
| Osage Beach
|| KRMS
-AM || 1150 AM
|-
| Sedalia
|| KSDL
-FM || 92.3 FM
|-
| Springfield
|| KGMY
-AM || 1400 AM
|-
| Springfield
|| KXUS
-FM || 97.3 FM
|-
| St. Joseph || KFEQ
-AM || 680 AM
|-
| St. Joseph || KSJQ-FM || 92.7 FM
|-
| Thayer
|| KAMS
-FM || 95.1 FM
|}
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Clay Center
|| KCLY
-FM || 100.9 FM
|-
| Coffeyville
|| KGGF
-AM || 690 AM
|-
| Colby
|| KXXX
-AM || 790 AM
|-
| Colby
|| KRDQ-FM || 100.3 FM
|-
| Emporia
|| KVOE-FM || 101.7 FM
|-
| Fort Scott
|| KMDO
-AM || 1600 AM
|-
| Fort Scott
|| KOMB
-FM || 103.9 FM
|-
| Garden City
|| KKJQ
-FM || 97.3 FM
|-
| Great Bend
|| KVGB-FM
|| 104.3 FM
|-
| Hays
|| KFIX
-FM || 96.9 FM
|-
| Hutchinson
|| KWBW
-AM || 1450 AM
|-
| Iola
|| KIOL
-AM || 1370 AM
|-
| Junction City
|| KJCK
-AM || 1420 AM
|-
| Manhattan
|| KMAN
-AM || 1350 AM
|-
| McPherson
|| KNGL
-AM || 1540 AM
|-
| McPherson
|| KBBE
-FM || 96.7 FM
|-
| Parsons
|| KLKC
-AM || 1540 AM
|-
| Parsons
|| KLKC-FM
|| 93.5 FM
|-
| Pittsburg
|| KKOW
-AM || 860 AM
|-
| Salina
|| KSKG
-FM || 99.9 FM
|-
| Topeka
|| KDVV
-FM || 100.3 FM
|-
| Wellington
|| KLEY
-AM || 1130 AM
|-
| Wichita
|| KTHR
-FM || 107.3 FM
|-
| Winfield
|| KKLE-AM || 1550 AM
|}
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Atlantic
|| KJAN
-AM || 1220 AM
|-
| Chariton
|| KEDB-FM || 105.3 FM
|}
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Norman, Oklahoma
|| KREF
-AM || 1400 AM
|}
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Blair
|| KBLR-FM
|| 97.3 FM
|-
| Falls City
|| KTNC
-AM || 1230 AM
|-
| Fremont
|| KFMT-FM
|| 105.5 FM
|-
| Grand Island
|| KRGY
-FM || 97.3 FM
|-
| Lincoln
|| KFOR
-AM || 1240 AM
|}
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Yankton
|| KYNT
-AM || 1450 AM
|}
. Warpaint served as the team's mascot from 1963 to 1988. The first Warpaint (born in 1955, died in 1992) was ridden bareback by rider Bob Johnson who wore a full Native American
headdress. Warpaint circled the field at the beginning of each Chiefs home game and performed victory laps following each Chiefs touchdown. On September 20, 2009 a new Warpaint horse was unveiled at the Chiefs' home opener against the Oakland Raiders.
In the mid-1980s, the Chiefs featured a short-lived unnamed "Indian man" mascot which was later scrapped in 1988. Since 1989 the cartoon-like K. C. Wolf
, portrayed by Dan Meers in a wolf costume, has served as the team's mascot. The mascot was named after the Chiefs' "Wolfpack," a group of rabid fans from the team's days at Municipal Stadium. K. C. Wolf is one of the most popular NFL mascots and was the league's first mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame
in 2006.
The Chiefs have employed a cheerleading
squad since the team's inception in 1960. In the team's early days, the all-female squad was referred to as the Chiefettes. From 1986 to 1992, the cheerleader squad featured a mix of men and women. Since 1993, the all-female squad has been known as the Chiefs Cheerleaders.
in Roswell, New Mexico
. They moved camp to Southern Methodist University
, owner Lamar Hunt's alma mater
, for 1961 and continued to practice there until 1965. From 1966 to 1971, the Chiefs practiced in Swope Park
in Kansas City, and from 1972 to 1991 held camp at William Jewell College
in Clay County, Missouri–where Lamar Hunt had extensive business dealings including Worlds of Fun
, Oceans of Fun
and SubTropolis
.
From 1991 to 2009 the Chiefs conducted summer training camp at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls in River Falls, Wisconsin
. The Chiefs' 2007 training camp was documented in the HBO/NFL Films
documentary
reality television
series, Hard Knocks
. Following the passage of a $25 million state tax credit proposal, the Chiefs will move their training camp to Missouri Western State University
in St. Joseph, Missouri in 2010. The bulk of the tax credits will go for improvements to Arrowhead Stadium with $10 million applied to the move to Missouri Western. A climate-controlled, 120-yard NFL regulation grass indoor field, and office space for the Chiefs was constructed at Missouri Western adjacent to the school's Spratt Stadium
before the 2010 season.
Outside of training camp and during the regular season, the Chiefs conduct practices at their own training facility nearby Arrowhead Stadium. The facility is located near the Raytown Road entrance to the Truman Sports Complex just west of Interstate 435
.
and Derrick Thomas
, Delaney was with the team for only two seasons before his death, Thomas was inducted 1 years after his death in January 2000 (2 seasons after his final season). The Chiefs have the second-most enshrinees of any NFL team in their team hall of fame behind the Green Bay Packers
, who have enshrined over 100 players and team contributors over the years in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
.
1970s
1970 Lamar Hunt
, team founder and owner
1971 #36 Mack Lee Hill
, Running back
1972 #75 Jerry Mays, Defensive tackle
1973 #84 Fred Arbanas
, Tight end
1974 #42 Johnny Robinson, Safety
1975 #88 Chris Burford
, Wide receiver
1976 #55 E.J. Holub, Center/Linebacker
1977 #77 Jim Tyrer
, Offensive tackle
1978 #21 Mike Garrett
, Running back
1979 #16 Len Dawson
, Quarterback
1980s
1980 #78 Bobby Bell
, Linebacker
1981 #86 Buck Buchanan
, Defensive tackle
1982 #89 Otis Taylor
, Wide receiver
1983 No induction
1984 #71 Ed Budde
, Guard
1985 #63 Willie Lanier
, Linebacker
1986 #18 Emmitt Thomas
, Cornerback
1987 Hank Stram
, Coach
1988 #44 Jerrel Wilson
, Punter
1989 #14 Ed Podolak
, Running back
|-
1990s
1990 #51 Jim Lynch, Linebacker
1991 #28 Abner Haynes
, Running back
1992 #3 Jan Stenerud
, Kicker
1993 #69 Sherrill Headrick
, Linebacker
1994 #58 Jack Rudnay
, Center
1995 #32 Curtis McClinton
, Running back
1996 #20 Deron Cherry
, Safety
1997 #73 Dave Hill, Offensive tackle
1998 #67 Art Still
, Defensive end
1999 #34 Lloyd Burruss
, Safety
2000s
2000 #35 Christian Okoye
, Running back
2001 #58 Derrick Thomas
, Linebacker
2002 #76 John Alt
, Offensive tackle
2003 #59 Gary Spani
, Linebacker
2004 #37 Joe Delaney
, Running back
2005 Jack Steadman
, team administrator
2006 #90 Neil Smith
, Defensive end
2007 #29 Albert Lewis
, Cornerback
2008 #61 Curley Culp
, Defensive tackle
2009 #8 Nick Lowery
, Kicker
2010s
2010 Marty Schottenheimer
, Coach
2011 #31 Kevin Ross, Cornerback
, the team's first head coach, led the Chiefs to three AFL championship victories and two appearances in the Super Bowl
. Stram was the team's longest-tenured head coach, holding the position from 1960 to 1974. Marty Schottenheimer
was hired in 1989 and led Kansas City to seven playoff appearances in his ten seasons as head coach. Schottenheimer had the best winning percentage
(.634) of all Chiefs coaches. Gunther Cunningham
was on the Chiefs' coaching staff in various positions from 1995 to 2008, serving as the team's head coach in between stints as the team's defensive coordinator
. Dick Vermeil
coached the team to a franchise-best 9–0 start in the 2003 season. Of the ten Chiefs coaches, Hank Stram
and Marv Levy
have been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Herman Edwards
served as the team's head coach from 2006 to 2008, compiling a 15–33 record and a franchise worst 6–26 record over a two-year span. Todd Haley
began his first season with the team in 2009, and in 2010 led the team to its first AFC West division title since 2003.
The franchise was founded in 1959 by Lamar Hunt after a failed attempt by Hunt to purchase an NFL franchise and relocate them to Texas. Hunt purchased the team for $25,000 in 1960. Hunt remained the team's owner until his death in 2006. The Hunt family kept ownership of the team following Lamar's death and Clark Hunt
, Lamar's son, represents the family's interests. While Hunt's official title is Chairman of the Board, he serves as the franchise's de facto
owner. In 2010, Hunt assumed role as CEO
alongside his role as Chairman of the Board. According to Forbes
, the team is valued at just under $1 billion and ranks 20th among NFL teams in 2010.
Owner Lamar Hunt served as the team's president from 1960 to 1976. Because of Lamar Hunt's contributions to the NFL, the AFC Championship trophy is named after him. He promoted general manager Jack Steadman
to become the team's president in 1977. Steadman held the job until Carl Peterson
was hired by Hunt in 1988 to replace him. Peterson resigned the title as team president in 2008. Denny Thum
became the team's interim president following Peterson's departure and was officially given the full position in May 2009. Thum resigned from his position on September 14, 2010.
Don Rossi served as the team's general manager for half of the 1960 season, resigning in November 1960. Jack Steadman assumed duties from Rossi and served in the position until 1976. Steadman was promoted to team president in 1976 and despite being relieved of those duties in 1988, he remained with the franchise until 2006 in various positions. Jim Schaaf
took over for Steadman as general manager until being fired in December 1988. Carl Peterson was hired in 1988 to serve as the team's general manager, chief executive officer and team president. Peterson remained in the position for 19 years until he announced his resignation from the team in 2008. Denny Thum served as interim general manager until January 13, 2009 when the Chiefs named New England Patriots
executive Scott Pioli
the team's new general manager.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in 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...
. They are a member of the Western Division
AFC West
The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
of the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) in the National Football League
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...
(NFL). Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League
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...
(AFL). In 1963, the team relocated
Relocation of professional sports teams
Relocation of professional sports teams is a practice which involves a sporting franchise moving from one metropolitan area to another, although occasionally moves between municipalities in the same conurbation are also included...
to Kansas City and assumed their current name. They joined the NFL during the AFL–NFL merger of 1970. The team is legally and corporately registered as Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Incorporated and according to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
is valued at just under USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1 billion.
From 1960 to 1969, the Chiefs were a successful franchise in the AFL, winning three league championships (1962, 1966, 1969) and having an all-time AFL record of 92–50–5. The Chiefs were the second AFL team (after the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
) to defeat an NFL franchise in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game
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...
when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
. The team's victory on January 11, 1970 remains the club's last championship game victory and appearance to date. The Chiefs were the second team, after the 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...
, to appear in more than one Super Bowl; and, they were the first team to appear in the championship game in two different decades.
1960–1988
In 1959 Lamar Hunt began discussions with other businessmen to establish a professional footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league that would rival the National Football League
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...
. Hunt's desire to secure a football team was heightened after watching the 1958 NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
between the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. After unsuccessful attempts to purchase and relocate the NFL's Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
to his hometown of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Hunt went to the NFL and asked to create an expansion franchise in Dallas. The NFL turned him down, so Hunt then established the American Football League
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...
and started his own team, the Dallas Texans, to begin play in 1960. Hunt hired a little-known assistant coach from the University of Miami football team
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
, 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...
, to be the team's head coach. Hunt chose Stram after the offer was declined by Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
and Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
.
The Texans shared the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
with the NFL's cross-town competition Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
for three seasons. While the team averaged a league-best 24,500 at the Cotton Bowl, the Texans gained less attention due to the league's relatively unknown existence. In the franchise's first two seasons, the team managed only a 14–14 record. In their third season, the Texans strolled to an 11–3 record and a berth in the team's first American Football League Championship Game
American Football League playoffs
From 1960 to 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions ....
against the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
. The game was broadcast nationally on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and the Texans defeated the Oilers 20–17 in double overtime. The game lasted 77 minutes and 54 seconds, which still stands as the longest championship game in professional football history.
Despite having a championship team in the Texans and a Cowboys team that managed only a 9–28–3 record in their first three seasons, the Dallas–Fort Worth
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
could not sustain two professional football franchises. Hunt became interested in moving the Texans to either Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
or Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for the 1963 season. Mayor of Kansas City
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...
Harold Roe Bartle
Harold Roe Bartle
Harold Roe Bennett Sturdevant Bartle was a businessman, philanthropist, Boy Scout executive, and professional public speaker who served two terms as mayor of Kansas City, Missouri...
extended an invitation to Hunt to move the Texans to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Bartle promised to triple the franchise's season ticket sales and expand seats at Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
to accommodate the team.
Hunt agreed to relocate
Relocation of professional sports teams
Relocation of professional sports teams is a practice which involves a sporting franchise moving from one metropolitan area to another, although occasionally moves between municipalities in the same conurbation are also included...
the franchise to Kansas City on May 22, 1963 and on May 26 the team was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt and head coach Hank Stram initially planned on retaining the Texans name, but a fan contest determined the new "Chiefs" name in honor of Mayor Bartle's nickname that he acquired in his professional role as Scout Executive of the St. Joseph and Kansas City Boy Scout Councils and founder of the Scouting Society, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say
Tribe of Mic-O-Say
The Tribe of Mic-O-Say is an honor society used by two of the 303 local councils of the Boy Scouts of America, The Heart of America Council and The Pony Express Council; it is not a program of the National Council of the BSA...
. A total of 4,866 entries were received with 1,020 different names being suggested, including a total of 42 entrants who selected "Chiefs." The two names that received the most popular votes were "Mules" and "Royals."
The franchise became one of the strongest teams in the now thriving American Football League, with the most playoff appearances for an AFL team (tied with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), and the most AFL Championships (three). The team's dominance helped Lamar Hunt become a central figure in negotiations with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
to agree on an AFL–NFL merger. In the meetings between the two leagues, a merged league championship game
Professional American football championship games
Below is a list of professional football championship games in the United States, involving:* the informal Pittsburgh circuit of professional football teams ;...
was agreed to be played in January 1967 following the conclusion of the leagues' respective 1966 seasons. Hunt insisted on calling the game the "Super Bowl" after seeing his children playing with a popular toy at the time, a Super Ball
Bouncy ball
A bouncy ball, power ball or super ball is a popular polybutadiene rubber toy ball which rebounds proportionally to the amount of force used when thrown at a hard surface. The first such ball was the proprietary Super Ball. The Sky Ball is an example of another bouncy ball...
. While the first few games were designated the "AFL–NFL World Championship Game," the Super Bowl name became its officially licensed title in years to come.
The Chiefs cruised to an 11–2–1 record in 1966, and defeated the defending AFL Champion 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...
in the AFL Championship Game. The Chiefs were invited to play the NFL's league champion 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...
in the first 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 ...
. Kansas City and Green Bay played a close game for the first half, but Green Bay took control in the final two quarters, winning the game by a score of 35–10. The Chiefs lost the game but gained the respect of several Packers opponents following the game. The Chiefs' interleague match-up with the Packers was not the last time that they would face an NFL opponent, especially on the championship stage. The following August, Kansas City hosted the NFL's Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 1967 preseason and won the game 66–24.
Despite losing to the division rival Oakland Raiders twice in the regular season in 1969, the two teams met for a third time in the AFL Championship Game where Kansas City won 17–7. Backup quarterback Mike Livingston
Mike Livingston
Mike Livingston is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback. He played professionally for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in 1968-1969, and for the NFL Chiefs from 1970 to 1979...
led the team in a six-game winning streak after 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...
suffered a leg injury which kept him out of most of the season's games. While getting plenty of help from the club's defense, Dawson returned from the injury and led the Chiefs to Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
. Against the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, who were favored
Spread betting
Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event, where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes and the bet is whether the outcome...
by 12½, the Chiefs dominated the game 23–7 to claim the team's first Super Bowl championship. Dawson was named the game's Most Valuable Player after completing 12-of-17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, with 1 interception. The following season, the Chiefs and the rest of the American Football League merged with the National Football League after the AFL–NFL merger became official. The Chiefs were placed in the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
's West Division.
In 1970, the Chiefs won only seven games in their first season in the NFL and missed the playoffs. The following season, the Chiefs tallied a 10–3–1 record and won the AFC West Division. Head coach Hank Stram considered his 1971 Chiefs team as his best, but they failed to capture their championship dominance from 1969. Most of the pieces of the team which won Super Bowl IV two years earlier were still in place for the 1971 season. The Chiefs tied with the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for the best record in the AFC, and both teams met in a Christmas Day playoff game which the Chiefs lost 27–24 in double overtime. The Dolphins outlasted the Chiefs with a 37-yard field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
. The game surpassed the 1962 AFL Championship Game as the longest ever at 82 minutes and 40 seconds. The game was also the final football game at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium.
In 1972, the Chiefs moved into the newly constructed Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
at the Truman Sports Complex
Truman Sports Complex
The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.. It is home to two major sports venues- Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's Kansas City...
outside of Downtown Kansas City. The team's first game at Arrowhead was against the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, a game which the Chiefs won 24–14. Linebacker Willie Lanier
Willie Lanier
Willie Edward Lanier is a former American football middle-linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from...
and quarterback Len Dawson won the NFL Man of the Year Award
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is given annually by the National Football League honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award...
in 1972 and 1973, respectively. The Chiefs would not return to the post-season for the remainder of the 1970s, and the 1973 season was the team's last winning effort for seven years. Hank Stram was fired following a 5–9 season in 1974, and many of the Chiefs' future Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
players would depart by the middle of the decade. From 1975 to 1988, the Chiefs had become a laughing stock of the NFL and provided Chiefs fans with nothing but futility. Five head coaches struggled to achieve the same success as Stram, compiling an 81–121–1 record.
In 1981, running back Joe Delaney
Joe Delaney
Joe Alton Delaney was an American football running back who played two seasons in the National Football League . In his two seasons with the Chiefs, Delaney set four franchise records that would stand for over 20 years....
rushed for 1,121 yards and was named the AFC Rookie of the Year. The Chiefs finished the season with a 9–7 record and entered the 1982 season with optimism. However, the NFL Players Association strike curbed the Chiefs' chances of returning to the postseason for the first time in over a decade. By employing replacement players, the Chiefs tallied a 3–6 record and in the off-season, Joe Delaney died while trying to save several children from drowning in a pond near his home in Louisiana.
The Chiefs made a mistake in drafting quarterback Todd Blackledge
Todd Blackledge
Todd Alan Blackledge was an American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship; and, as a pro, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers...
over future greats such as Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
and Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
in the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
. Blackledge never started a full season for Kansas City while Kelly and Marino played Hall of Fame careers. While the Chiefs struggled on offense in the 1980s, the Chiefs had a strong defensive unit consisting of Pro Bowlers such as Bill Maas
Bill Maas
William Thomas Maas , is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs , and the Green Bay Packers . Maas was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987. In 1984 Maas was named The NFL Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press...
, Albert Lewis
Albert Lewis (American football)
Albert Ray Lewis is a former American football player who played in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders...
, Art Still
Art Still
Arthur Barry Still is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills...
and Deron Cherry
Deron Cherry
Deron Leigh Cherry is a retired professional American football strong safety who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981 to 1991. Deron was a free safety and punter at Rutgers University. In 1979, he was named the team’s MVP. In 1979 and 1980, Cherry earned AP All-East honors...
.
John Mackovic
John Mackovic
John Mackovic is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of United States national American football team, which was formed to compete in the American Football World Cup...
took over head coaching duties for the 1983 season after Marv Levy
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
was fired. Over the next four seasons, Mackovic coached the Chiefs to a 30–34 record, but took the team to its first post-season appearance in 15 years in the 1986 NFL playoffs. Following the team's loss to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the playoffs, Mackovic was fired. Frank Gansz
Frank Gansz
Frank Gansz was an American football coach whose career spanned nearly 40 years. He died in Dallas on April 27, 2009, from complications following knee replacement surgery....
served as head coach for the next two seasons, but won only eight of 31 games.
1989–2008
On December 19, 1988, owner Lamar Hunt hired Carl PetersonCarl Peterson
Carl D. Peterson grew up in Long Beach, California, and is an alumnus of UCLA. He is best known as the former president, general manager, and chief executive officer of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League...
as the team's new president, general manager, and chief executive officer. Peterson fired head coach Frank Gansz two weeks after taking over and hired Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
as the club's seventh head coach. In the 1988
1988 NFL Draft
The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
and 1989
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...
NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
s, the Chiefs selected both defensive end Neil Smith and linebacker Derrick Thomas
Derrick Thomas
Derrick Vincent Thomas , nicknamed D.T., was an American football linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . He played his entire 11-year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft...
, respectively. The defense that Thomas and Smith anchored in their seven seasons together was a big reason why the Chiefs reached the postseason in six straight years.
In Schottenheimer's tenure as head coach (1989–1998), the Chiefs became a perennial playoff contender, featuring offensive players including Steve DeBerg
Steve DeBerg
Steven Leroy DeBerg had a long career as an American Football quarterback. His career spanned 21 years over 3 decades. Despite the fact that large portions of his career were spent as a backup, DeBerg ultimately accumulated some impressive NFL statistics, particularly during the early 1990s, when...
, Christian Okoye
Christian Okoye
Christian Emeka Okoye , is a Nigerian-American former American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992. Nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare," Okoye was known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. Okoye's six seasons in the NFL saw a league rushing...
, Stephone Paige
Stephone Paige
Stephone Paige , is a former professional American football player who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1983 to 1992 and the Minnesota Vikings in 1993. A 6'2" 185 lb. wide receiver undrafted free agent from Fresno State University, Paige played 9 years for the Chiefs and his final year...
and Barry Word
Barry Word
Barry Quentin Word is a former American football running back for the National Football League.-College:...
, and a strong defense, anchored by Thomas, Smith, Albert Lewis and Deron Cherry. The team recorded a 101–58–1 record, and clinched seven playoff berths. The Chiefs' 1993 season was the franchise's most successful in 22 years. With newly-acquired quarterback Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
and running back Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen
Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
—two former 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...
champions and MVP's—the Chiefs further strengthened their position in the NFL. The 11–5 Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
on their way to the franchise's first and to date only AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
appearance against the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs were overwhelmed by the Bills and lost the game by a score of 30–13. The Chiefs' victory on January 14, 1994 against the Oilers remains the franchise's last post-season victory to date.
In the 1995 NFL playoffs, the 13–3 Chiefs hosted the Indianapolis Colts in a cold, damp night game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City lost the game 10–7 against the underdog Colts after kicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Lin Elliot
Lin Elliot
Lindley Franklin Elliott Jr. is a former kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. He played college football for Texas Tech...
missed three field goal attempts and quarterback Steve Bono threw three interceptions. The Chiefs selected tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Tony Gonzalez with the 13th overall selection in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
, a move which some considered to be a gamble being that Gonzalez was primarily a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player at California
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. During a 1997 season full of injuries to starting quarterback Elvis Grbac
Elvis Grbac
Elvis M. Grbac is a retired American football quarterback who played in the NFL. During his career he was a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens...
, backup quarterback Rich Gannon
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon is a former football quarterback, who achieved most of his success late in his career with the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League...
took the reins of the Chiefs' offense as the team headed to another 13–3 season. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer chose Grbac to start the playoff game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
despite Gannon's successes in previous weeks. Grbac's production in the game was lacking, and the Chiefs lost to the Broncos 14–10. Denver went on to capture their 6th AFC Championship by defeating Pittsburgh, and then defeated the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.
Coach Schottenheimer announced his resignation from the Chiefs following the 1998 season, and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham
Gunther Cunningham
Gunther Cunningham is an American football defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Cunningham has presided over some of the most successful defenses in NFL history , typically ranking at the top of the league in many statistical categories.Cunningham was born in 1946 in war-torn Munich,...
took over coaching duties for the next two seasons, compiling a 16–16 record. By the end of the Chiefs' decade of regular-season dominance, Gannon had signed with the Oakland Raiders, Neil Smith signed with the Denver Broncos, and Derrick Thomas was paralyzed from a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
on January 23, 2000. Thomas died from complications of his injury weeks later. After allegedly reading online that he would be relieved of duties, head coach Gunther Cunningham was fired.
Looking to change the Chiefs' game plan which relied on a tough defensive strategy for the past decade, Carl Peterson contacted Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
about the Chiefs' head coaching vacancy for the 2001 season. Vermeil previously led the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
. Vermeil was hired on January 12. The Chiefs then traded a first round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
to St. Louis for quarterback Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
and signed free agent running back Priest Holmes
Priest Holmes
Priest Anthony Holmes is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Texas.Holmes earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV...
to be the team's cornerstones on offense.
In 2003, Kansas City began the season with nine consecutive victories, a franchise record. They finished the season with a 13–3 record and the team's offense led the NFL in several categories. Running back Priest Holmes
Priest Holmes
Priest Anthony Holmes is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Texas.Holmes earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV...
surpassed Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
's single-season touchdown record by scoring his 27th rushing touchdown against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the team's regular season finale. The team clinched the second seed in the 2004 NFL playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs following the 2003 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.Beginning with the 2003–04 season, the NFL changed the selection procedures regarding officials for playoffs games. The league suspended the prior practice of assembling "all-star" officiating crews of highly-rated...
and hosted the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. In a game where neither team punted, the Chiefs lost the shoot-out 38–31. It was the third time in nine seasons that the Chiefs went 8–0 at home in the regular season, and earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs, only to lose their post-season opener at Arrowhead.
After a disappointing 7–9 record in 2004, the 2005 Chiefs finished with a 10–6 record but no playoff berth. They were the fourth team since 1990 to miss the playoffs with a 10–6 record. Running back Larry Johnson started in place of the injured Priest Holmes and rushed for 1,750 yards in only nine starts. Prior to the Chiefs' final game of the season, head coach Dick Vermeil announced his retirement. The Chiefs won the game 37–3 over the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
.
Herman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
, a former Chiefs scout and head coach of the New York Jets, as the team's tenth head coach after trading a fourth-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
to the Jets. Quarterback Trent Green suffered a severe concussion in the team's season opener to the Cincinnati Bengals which left him out of play for eight weeks. Backup quarterback Damon Huard
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Washington....
took over in Green's absence and led the Chiefs to a 5–3 record.
Kansas City was awarded a Thanksgiving game
Thanksgiving Classic
The National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving...
against the Denver Broncos in response to owner Lamar Hunt's lobbying for a third Thanksgiving Day game. The Chiefs defeated the Broncos 19–10 in the first Thanksgiving Day game in Kansas City since 1969. Hunt was hospitalized at the time of the game and died weeks later on December 13 due to complications with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. The Chiefs honored their owner for the remainder of the season, as did the rest of the league.
NFL playoffs, 2006-07
The National Football League playoffs for the 2006 season began on January 6, 2007 and led up to Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.-AFC: Indianapolis Colts 23, Kansas City Chiefs 8:...
in three seasons with a 9–7 record and a bizarre sequence of six losses from other AFC teams on New Year's Eve, culminating with a Broncos loss to the 49ers. The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Chiefs in the Wild Card playoffs and defeated Kansas City 23–8.
In 2007, Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
was traded to the Miami Dolphins leaving the door open for either Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle
Brodie Croyle
John Brodie Croyle is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Alabama from 2002 to 2005...
to become the new starting quarterback. After starting the season with a 4–3 record, the Chiefs lost the remaining nine games when running back Larry Johnson suffered a season-ending foot injury and the quarterback position lacked stability with Huard and Croyle. Despite the team's 4–12 record, tight end Tony Gonzalez broke Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe is a former American Football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. Sharpe is known for his creative commentary and trash talking. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and inducted on August 6, 2011...
's NFL record for touchdowns at the position (63) and defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Jared Allen
Jared Allen
-Kansas City Chiefs:Allen was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and signed for a one-year, $100,000 contract. On May 21, 2007, Allen, as a restricted free agent, signed the Chiefs' one-year tender offer of $2.35 million for the 2007 season. Allen credited his early...
led the NFL in quarterback sacks with 15.5.
The Chiefs began their 2008 season with the youngest team in the NFL. The starting lineup had an average of 25.5 years of age. By releasing several veteran players such as cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
and wide receiver Eddie Kennison
Eddie Kennison
Edward Joseph "Eddie" Kennison, III is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams 18th overall in the 1996 NFL Draft...
and trading defensive end Jared Allen, the Chiefs began a youth movement. The Chiefs had a league-high thirteen selections in the 2008 NFL Draft and chose defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey
Glenn Dorsey
-Kansas City Chiefs:Dorsey was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs fifth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. On July 26, 2008, he signed a five-year, $51 million contract with $23 million guaranteed....
and offensive lineman Branden Albert
Branden Albert
Branden B. Albert III is an American football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chiefs 15th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.-Early years:Albert grew up in a single-parent home in Rochester, New...
in the first round. Analysts quickly called Kansas City's selections as the best of the entire draft. Entering the season, the Chiefs were unsure if injury-prone quarterback Brodie Croyle, who was the incumbent starter, could be their quarterback in the long-term. Croyle was injured in the team's first game of the season and Damon Huard started in Croyle's absence. Tyler Thigpen
Tyler Thigpen
Tyler "Dirty Pigpen" Thigpen is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League . Thigpen was drafted out of Coastal Carolina University in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.Tyler Thigpen was the first quarterback to play for...
become the third Chiefs starting quarterback in as many games for a start against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. After a poor performance by Thigpen, in which he threw three interceptions against the Falcons defense, Huard was retained as the starting quarterback. The Chiefs struggled off the field as much as on as tight end Tony Gonzalez demanded a trade and running back Larry Johnson was involved in legal trouble.
2009–10
The 2008 season ended with a franchise worst 2–14 record. The team lost two games by 24 point margins against the Falcons and Titans, a 34–0 shut-out to the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
, and allowed a franchise-high 54 points against the Buffalo Bills. The team's general manager, chief executive officer, and team president Carl Peterson resigned at the end of the season, and former New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . Pioli was previously a front office executive for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New England Patriots...
was hired as his replacement for 2009. On January 23, 2009 Herman Edwards was fired as head coach, and two weeks later Todd Haley
Todd Haley
Todd Haley is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . Prior to joining the Chiefs, Haley served as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008, and was the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys.-Early...
signed a four-year contract to become Edwards' successor. In April, Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after failed trade attempts over the previous two seasons. The Chiefs also fired Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey 2 weeks before the start of the season. Throughout 2009 the Chiefs acquired veterans to supplement the Chiefs' young talent including Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
, Bobby Engram
Bobby Engram
Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is currently the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
, Mike Brown, Chris Chambers
Chris Chambers
Christopher J. "Chris" Chambers is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, and Andy Alleman
Andy Alleman
Andrew "Andy" Alleman is an American football guard. Alleman last played for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League in 2010. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
.
On December 26, 2010, the Kansas City Chiefs won their first AFC West title since 2003, by beating the Tennessee Titans at The New Arrowhead Stadium. On January 9, 2011, the Chiefs lost their Wild Card Playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens 30–7. Six players were chosen for the Pro Bowl: Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Brian Waters, Tamba Hali, Matt Cassel and rookie safety Eric Berry. Jamaal Charles won the FEDEX ground player of the year award and Dwayne Bowe led the NFL in Touchdown Receptions.
2011
For their first pick in the 2011 NFL draft2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
, and 26th overall, the team selected Jonathan Baldwin, Wide Receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
from Pitt
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
, who was predicted to go in the second or third round. This was one of the biggest shocks in the first round because of Baldwin's character and Pioli's strict self enforced rules on drafting players who have had a police record. For their 135th pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the Chiefs selected quarterback Ricky Stanzi
Ricky Stanzi
-Kansas City Chiefs:Stanzi was selected with the 135th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Stanzi is second quarterback behind Tyler Palko. Regular starter Matt Cassel was placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2011 season.-External links:***...
from the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Season-by-season records
- This is a partial list of the last five seasons (2006–2010) completed by the Chiefs. For the full season-by-season franchise results, see List of Kansas City Chiefs seasons.
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
| Super Bowl Champions (1970–present) | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Wild Card Berth |
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; width:98%;"
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!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Season
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Team
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|League
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Conference
!rowspan="2"|Division
!colspan="4"|Regular season
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
!rowspan="2" style="width:27%;"|Post Season
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
Results
!rowspan="2" style="width:30%;"|Awards
|-
!Finish
!Wins
!Losses
!Ties
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2000
2000 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2000 Kansas City Chiefs season was the second and final season led by head coach Gunther Cunningham. Cunningham was fired following a 7–9 record and third place finish in the AFC West. Cunningham was replaced by Dick Vermeil, and Quarterback Elvis Grbac was released at the end of the season...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|3rd
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|
|
|-
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2001
2001 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2001 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the arrival of the franchise's ninth head coach, Dick Vermeil and ended with a 6–10 record and fourth place in the AFC West....
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|0
|
|
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2002
2002 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2002 Kansas City Chiefs season marked the franchise's 40th season in Kansas City, Missouri and ended with an 8–8 record and a tie for third place in the AFC West....
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|
|Priest Holmes
Priest Holmes
Priest Anthony Holmes is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Texas.Holmes earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV...
NFL Offensive Player of the Year
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2003
2003 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2003 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 13–3 record, beginning with a nine-game winning streak—the franchise’s best start in their 40-year history. The Chiefs won the AFC West and clinched the second seed in the playoffs...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center" bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|1st
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|Lost Divisional Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs following the 2003 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.Beginning with the 2003–04 season, the NFL changed the selection procedures regarding officials for playoffs games. The league suspended the prior practice of assembling "all-star" officiating crews of highly-rated...
(Colts
2003 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League and 20th in Indianapolis.-Roster:-Schedule:- Division standings :...
) 38–31
|Dante Hall
Dante Hall
Damieon Dante Hall is a former American football Return specialist, and wide receiver in the National Football League. He is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL History...
NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2004
2004 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2004 Kansas City Chiefs season proved not to be as successful as the team's previous season. Though the Chiefs finished the regular season with the most yards and the second highest amount of points, they also had a losing record of 7–9 and no playoff appearance.-Schedule:-Standings:...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|3rd
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|
|Priest Holmes
Priest Holmes
Priest Anthony Holmes is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Texas.Holmes earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV...
Ed Block Courage Award
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2005
2005 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2005 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 10–6 record, but no playoff berth. The Chiefs became the sixth 10–6 team to fail to qualify for the playoffs since the NFL introduced the wild card....
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|2nd
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|
|Will Shields
Will Shields
Will Herthie Shields is a former American football offensive guard. He attended the University of Nebraska and played his entire NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his 14 seasons in the NFL, Shields never missed a game...
Ed Block Courage Award
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2006
2006 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2006 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the team looking to improve on their 10–6 record in 2005 under new head coach Herman Edwards.The team battled many obstacles during the 2006 season, including the loss of starting quarterback Trent Green in the first game, the readjustment of a...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|2nd
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
| Lost Wild Card Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2006-07
The National Football League playoffs for the 2006 season began on January 6, 2007 and led up to Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.-AFC: Indianapolis Colts 23, Kansas City Chiefs 8:...
(Colts
2006 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2006 Indianapolis Colts season was the 54th season for the team in the National Football League and 23rd in Indianapolis. The 2006 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their regular season record of 14–2 from the 2005 season, and advance farther into the playoffs....
) 23–8
|
|-
!align="center"|2007
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
|align="center"|2007
2007 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2007 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the team looking to improve on their 9-7 record in 2006 and attempting to secure the franchise's first back-to-back playoff berth since 1995. The season ended with a nine game losing streak, the team's first since 1987 and a 4-12 record...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|3rd
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|0
|
|Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe
-2007:On August 5, 2007, Bowe signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs, after holding out the first week of practice at training camp.Bowe scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Damon Huard in the first half of the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears on September 16, 2007.In his rookie...
(ROTW x2)
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2008
2008 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2008 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 49th season, and third with head coach Herman Edwards at the helm. The Chiefs failed to improve on their 4-12 record from 2007 with the youngest team in the NFL as part of their "youth movement." The season turned out to be the worst in the...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|0
|
|Maurice Leggett
Maurice Leggett
Maurice Lamar Leggett is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He entered the NFL as a free agent in May 2008. He played college football for Valdosta State University. Won the Mack Lee Hill Award as the Kansas City Chiefs top rookie for 2008. On November 25, 2009, Leggett...
Special Teams POW x1
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2009
2009 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2009 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 50th season, and first with head coach Todd Haley at the helm. It was also the first season with Scott Pioli as the team's general manager. The Chiefs attempted to improve on their 2–14 record from 2008 with the third overall selection in the...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center"|4th
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|0
|
|Brian Waters
Brian Waters
Brian Demond Waters is an American football guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 1999 out of the University of North Texas...
(MOY
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is given annually by the National Football League honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award...
)
|-
!align="center"|
|align="center"|2010
2010 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2010 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League, the 51st overall and the second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Todd Haley and Scott Pioli. The team improved on its 4–12 record from 2009, and won their first AFC West division title...
|align="center"|NFL
|align="center"|AFC
|align="center"|West
|align="center" bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|1st
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Ravens
2010 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2010 Baltimore Ravens season was the 15th for the team in the National Football League and city of Baltimore, Maryland, and the 13th to host home games at M&T Bank Stadium. They played in the NFL's American Football Conference North Division...
) 30–7
|Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles
Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
FEDEX Ground Player of the Year Award
|-
!align="center" rowSpan="3" colSpan="6"|Total
|align="center"|395
|align="center"|364
|align="center"|12
|colSpan="2"|(1960–2010, includes only regular season)
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|0
|colSpan="2"|(1960–2009, includes only playoffs)
|-
!align="center"|403
!align="center"|377
!align="center"|12
|colSpan="2"|(1960–2010, includes both regular season and playoffs; 3 AFL Championships, 1 Super Bowl Championship)
Logos and uniforms
When the Texans began playing in 1960, the team's logo consisted of the state of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in white with a yellow star marking the location of the city of Dallas. Originally, Hunt chose Columbia blue
Columbia blue
Columbia blue, also known as Jordy blue, is a light blue tertiary color named after Columbia University. The typical Columbia blue is defined by Pantone Columbia Blue 3 .- Usage, symbolism, colloquial expressions :...
and orange
Orange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
for the Texans' uniforms, but Bud Adams
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. is the owner of the Tennessee Titans' National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was...
chose Columbia blue and scarlet for his Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
franchise. Hunt reverted to red and gold for the Texans' uniforms, which even after the team relocated to Kansas City, remain as the franchise's colors to this day.
The state of Texas on the team's helmet was replaced by an arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
design originally sketched by Lamar Hunt on a napkin. Hunt's inspiration for the interlocking "KC" design was the "SF" inside of an oval on the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
helmets. Unlike the 49ers' logo, Kansas City’s overlapping initials appear inside a white arrowhead instead of an oval and are surrounded by a thin black outline. From 1960 to 1973, the Chiefs had grey facemask bars on their helmets, but changed to white bars in 1974.
The Chiefs' uniform design has essentially remained the same throughout the club's history. It consists of a red helmet, and either red or white jerseys with the opposite color numbers and names. White pants were used with both jerseys from 1960–1967 and 1989–1999. Beginning in 2009, during the Pioli/Haley era, the team has alternated between white and red pants for road games during the season. When the Chiefs wear their red uniforms, they always wear white pants. The Chiefs have never worn an alternate jersey in a game, although custom jerseys are sold for retail.
The Chiefs wore their white jerseys with white pants at home for the 2006 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The logic behind the uniform selection that day was that the Bengals would be forced to wear their black uniforms on a day that forecasted for steamy temperatures.
In 2007, the Kansas City Chiefs honored Lamar Hunt and the AFL with a special patch. It features the AFL's logo from the 1960s with Hunt's "LH" initials inside the football. In 2008, the patch became permanently affixed to the left chest of both Kansas City's home and away jerseys.
In select games for the 2009 season, the Chiefs—as well as the other founding teams of the American Football League
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...
—wore "throwback" uniforms to celebrate the AFL's 50th anniversary and the 1962 Dallas Texans
1962 Dallas Texans season
The 1962 Dallas Texans season was the final season of Lamar Hunt’s American Football League franchise before its relocation to Kansas City, Missouri from Dallas, Texas....
team that won the AFL Championship.
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium has been the Chiefs' home field since 1972 and has a capacity of 77,000, which makes it the fourth largest stadium in the NFL. The stadium underwent a $375 million renovation, completed in mid-2010, which included new luxury boxes, wider concourses and enhanced amenities. The stadium renovation was paid for by $250 million in taxpayer money and $125 million from the Hunt Family. The stadium cost $53 million to build in 1972, and an average ticket in 2009 costs $81. CenterplateCenterplate
Centerplate, Inc. is a food vending corporation in Spartanburg, SC that operates in North America, primarily at sports arenas.Centerplate was formerly known as Volume Services America, Inc., and was originally a division of The Flagstar Companies. In 1995, Flagstar, which was controlled by private...
serves as the stadium's concession provider and Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
, Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
are major corporate sponsors.
Dating back to the Chiefs' home opener in 1991 to mid-2009, the Chiefs had 155 consecutive sellout games. The streak ended with the final home game of the 2009 season against the Cleveland Browns, resulting in the first local TV blackout in over 19 years.
Arrowhead has been called one of the world's finest stadiums and has long held a reputation for being one of the toughest and loudest outdoor stadiums for opposing players to play in. All noise is directly attributed to its fans and was once measured at 116 decibel
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
s by the Acoustical Design Group of Mission, Kansas
Mission, Kansas
Mission is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 9,727 at the 2000 census. The city is a first-tier suburb in the Kansas City Metro. In 2003, Mission absorbed the neighboring city of Countryside.- History :...
. By way of comparison, take-off of aircraft may lead to a sound level of 106 decibels at the ground. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
named Arrowhead Stadium the "toughest place to play" for opposing teams in 2005. The tailgate party
Tailgate party
In the United States, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games and...
environment outside the stadium on gameday has been compared to a "college football" atmosphere. Arrowhead Stadium features frequent fly-overs from a B-2 Spirit
B-2 Spirit
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
stealth bomber from nearby Whiteman Air Force Base
Whiteman Air Force Base
Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....
. Since the 1994 NFL season
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
, the stadium has had a natural grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
playing surface. From 1972 to 1993, the stadium had an artificial
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
surface.
Fan base
The Chiefs boast one of the most loyal fanbases in the NFL. Kansas City is the sixth-smallest media marketMedia market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
with an NFL team, but they have had the second-highest attendance average over the last decade. Studies by Bizjournals
American City Business Journals
American City Business Journals is an American newspaper chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Advance Publications. It has a range of media including 41 primary metropolitan weekly publications, which reach 4 million readers with business community related news, and Bizjournals, the...
in 2006 gave the Chiefs high marks for consistently drawing capacity crowds in both good seasons and bad. The Chiefs averaged 77,300 fans per game from 1996 to 2006, second in the NFL behind the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. The franchise has an official fan club called Chiefs Nation which gives members opportunities to ticket priority benefits and VIP treatment.
At the end of "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" at home games, Chiefs fans intentionally yell "and the home of the CHIEFS!" where traditionally "the brave" is sung. In 1996, general manager Carl Peterson said "We all look forward, not only at Arrowhead, but on the road, too, to when we get to that stanza of the National Anthem... Our players love it." After the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, Chiefs fans refrained from doing so in honor of those who lost their lives in the tragedy and continued to do so for the remainder of the 2001 season. At the Chiefs' September 23, 2001 home game against the New York Giants, fans gave the opposing Giants a standing ovation. This was one of the few known times in Chiefs history where the home crowd welcomed an opposing team onto the field without booing.
After every Chiefs touchdown at home games, fans chant while pointing in the direction of the visiting team and fans, "We're gonna beat the hell outta you...you...you, you, you, you!" over the song "Rock and Roll Part 2
Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)
"Rock and Roll", also known as "The Hey Song", is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre,...
." The chant starts after the third "hey!" in the song. The version of the song by Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
was previously used until the NFL banned his music from its facilities in 2006 following the British rocker's conviction on sexual abuse charges in Vietnam. A cover version of the song played by Tube Tops 2000
Tube Tops 2000
Tube Tops 2000 are a punk rock supergroup that covered Gary Glitter's classic rock hit "Rock and Roll, Part 2." The song is currently the replacement for the Kansas City Chiefs touchdown celebration after the NFL asked teams to stop playing Glitter's version following Glitter's conviction on child...
has been played since 2006 at every home game. Chiefs fans also make occasional use of "The War Chant" and "Tomahawk Chop" during games.
Tony DiPardo
From various periods between 1963 to the 2008 season, trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er Tony DiPardo and The T.D. Pack Band played live music at every Chiefs home game. The band was known as The Zing Band when the team was located at Municipal Stadium. DiPardo was honored by head coach Hank Stram in 1969 with a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
for the team's victory in Super Bowl IV. When his health was declining, DiPardo took a leave of absence from the band from 1983 to 1988. DiPardo's daughter took over as bandleader in 1989, by which time DiPardo returned to the band by popular demand. For the 2009 season, due to renovations at Arrowhead Stadium, the band did not return to perform at the stadium.
DiPardo passed away on January 27, 2011, at age 98. He had been hospitalized since December 2010 after suffering a brain aneurysm.
Red Friday
Starting in 1994, the Friday before the Kansas City Chiefs home opening game as became to be known as "Red Friday". On this day, Chiefs Fans everywhere will wear red in support of the Kansas City Chiefs. Also all over the city known as "The City of Fountains" will dye the water red in almost every fountain throughout the city. Besides showing support for the Chiefs, the most important part of the day is the Red Coaters with other volunteers will be selling the KC Star along with the Red Friday Magazine on street corners during the morning hours. The proceeds of the sell will go to local charities.Radio and television
{| class=wikitable style="font-size:90%; margin: 0.5em 1em 0.5em 0; float: right; clear: right;"|+ Kansas City Chiefs radio play-by-play announcers
|-
|1960–1962
|Charlie Jones
Charlie Jones (sportscaster)
Charlie Jones was an American Emmy Award-winning sportscaster for NBC and ABC.-Education:Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Jones earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California and a law degree at the University of Arkansas.-American Football League/National Football...
|-
|1963
|Merle Harmon
Merle Harmon
Merle Reid Harmon was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play voice for five Major League Baseball teams, two in the American Football League and the World Football League's only full season of nationally syndicated telecasts.-Early life and career:Born and raised in Salem, Illinois,...
|-
|1964–1970
|Tom Hedrick
|-
|1971–1973
|Dick Carlson
|-
|1974–1975
|Ray Scott
Ray Scott (sportscaster)
Ray Scott , was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcasts for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. His brother Hal Scott was also a sportscaster.-Early life and career:Scott began his broadcasting career on local radio in the late 1930s...
|-
|1976
|Al Wisk
|-
|1977
|Tom Hopkins
Tom Hopkins
Thomas Edward "Tom" Hopkins was an English professional association football player. He played for Gillingham between 1933 and 1937.-References:...
|-
|1978–1984
|Wayne Larrivee
Wayne Larrivee
Wayne Larrivee is an American sportscaster, who is the radio play-by-play voice of the Green Bay Packers and football and basketball play-by-play voice for the Big Ten Network.-Early life and career:...
|-
|1985–1993
|Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
|-
|1994–
|Mitch Holthus
Mitch Holthus
Mitch Holthus, the "Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs", is the play-by-play announcer for the Kansas City Chiefs on KCFX and the Kansas City Chiefs Football Radio Network. Additionally, he hosts "Chiefs Insider" on television station KCTV, Kansas City....
|-
|}
Since 1989, KCFX
KCFX
KCFX is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It first began broadcasting under the call sign KRYP...
, a.k.a "101 The Fox", has broadcast all Chiefs games on FM radio
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
under the moniker of The Chiefs Fox Football Radio Network. Since 1994, Mitch Holthus
Mitch Holthus
Mitch Holthus, the "Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs", is the play-by-play announcer for the Kansas City Chiefs on KCFX and the Kansas City Chiefs Football Radio Network. Additionally, he hosts "Chiefs Insider" on television station KCTV, Kansas City....
has served as play-by-play announcer and former Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson serves as color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
. Former Chiefs longsnapper Kendall Gammon
Kendall Gammon
Kendall Robert Gammon is a retired American football player who played multiple positions for the Kansas City Chiefs...
serves as the field reporter. Former Chiefs broadcasters Bill Grigsby
Bill Grigsby
William W. "Bill" Grigsby was an American sportscaster and member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Grigsby was best known for his work with the Kansas City Chiefs.-Personal life:...
and Bob Gretz
Bob Gretz
Bob Gretz is an award-winning sportswriter and broadcaster. Gretz began covering sports in his hometown of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania for The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper. He moved on to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he worked for The Tribune-Democrat and covered the Pittsburgh Steelers on a...
also contribute to the broadcasts. KCFX holds broadcast rights to Chiefs games through the 2009 season. The Chiefs and KCFX hold the distinction of being the longest FM radio broadcast partnering tenure in the NFL. The Chiefs Radio Network extends throughout the six-state region of Missouri, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, with 61 affiliate stations.
KCTV Channel 5
KCTV
KCTV channel 5 is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Kansas City Metropolitan Area that is licensed to the Missouri side. Owned by the Meredith Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO-TV and the two share facilities on Shawnee Mission Parkway KCTV channel 5 is...
(CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
) broadcasts most Chiefs regular season games, with exceptions as following. KCTV also broadcasts all Chiefs pre-season
National Football League exhibition season
The National Football League preseason refers to the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the actual "championship" or "regular" season starts. Beginning with the featured Pro Football Hall of Fame game in early August, five weekends of...
games. WDAF Channel 4
WDAF-TV
WDAF-TV, virtual channel 4.1, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners. Its studios and transmitter are located in the Signal Hill...
(Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
) broadcasts games in which the Chiefs host an NFC opponent. KSHB Channel 41
KSHB-TV
KSHB-TV, virtual channel 41, is the NBC-affiliated television station serving the entire Kansas City metropolitan area; the station is commonly known by its branding NBC Action News. It is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, alongside independent station KMCI as the company's only existing duopoly...
(NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) broadcasts all games in which the Chiefs play on NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
or NBC's NFL playoffs coverage. KMBC Channel 9
KMBC-TV
KMBC-TV virtual channel 9 is a television station affiliated with the ABC television network, located in Kansas City, Missouri. KMBC-TV is owned by Hearst Television and its studios are located on Winchester Ave. near Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The station's high guyed mast broadcast...
(ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) has aired Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
games locally since 1970.
Prior to the 1994 season, WDAF was the primary station for the Chiefs as an NBC affiliate (they aired on KMBC when ABC had the AFL package through 1964), since NBC had the AFC package. The interconference home games aired on KCTV starting in 1973 (when the NFL allowed local telecasts of home games). After week one of the 1994 season, WDAF switched to Fox (which got the NFC package), and has aired the Chiefs' interconference home games since. The bulk of the team's games moved to KSHB through the end of the 1997 season. Since that time, they have aired on KCTV.
Radio Affiliates
Chiefs Radio AffiliatesMissouri
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Bethany
Bethany, Missouri
Bethany is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,087 at the 2000 census.-Bethany Falls Limestone:...
|| KAAN
KAAN (AM)
KAAN is a commercial radio station located in Bethany, Missouri serving northwest Missouri and southern Iowa, simulcasting KAAN-FM. The station broadcasts a farm format. KAAN is licensed to Cameron/Bethany License Co, LLC and has a daytime-only license...
-AM || 870 AM
|-
| Bethany
Bethany, Missouri
Bethany is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,087 at the 2000 census.-Bethany Falls Limestone:...
|| KAAN-FM
KAAN-FM
KAAN-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format.Licensed to Bethany, Missouri, USA. The station is currently owned by Cameron/ Bethany License Co, LLC and features programing from ABC Radio .-History:...
|| 95.5 FM
|-
| Chillicothe
Chillicothe, Missouri
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Livingston County, Missouri, United States. The population was 9,515 at the 2010 census. The name "Chillicothe" is Shawnee for "big town", and was named after their Chillicothe, located since 1774 about a mile from the present-day city.Chillicothe is...
|| KULH-FM || 105.9 FM
|-
| Clinton
Clinton, Missouri
Clinton is a city in Henry County, Missouri, United States. The city was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 9,311 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henry County.-Geography:Clinton is located at...
|| KXEA
KXEA
KXEA is an American radio station licensed to serve Lowry City, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by GoodRadio.TV and the broadcast license is held by Christine CP Company, LLC....
-FM || 104.9 FM
|-
| Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
|| KBBM
KBBM
KBBM "The Buzz 100.1" is a radio station serving Central Missouri with an Active Rock format. This station operates on FM frequency 100.1 MHz and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.- External links :*...
-FM || 100.1 FM
|-
| Kansas City
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...
|| KCFX
KCFX
KCFX is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It first began broadcasting under the call sign KRYP...
-FM || 101.1 FM
|-
| Kirksville
Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...
|| KRXL
KRXL
KRXL is the regional Rock/Classic rock radio station in the Kirksville, Missouri area. KRXL's primary audience is in the Kirksville/Ottumwa area, however their signal can reach places as far as Keokuk, Iowa, Quincy, Illinois, and Chillicothe, Missouri....
-FM || 94.5 FM
|-
| Marshall
Marshall, Missouri
Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,065 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County,. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is also home to Missouri Valley College...
|| KMMO-AM || 1300 AM
|-
| Marshall
Marshall, Missouri
Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,065 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County,. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is also home to Missouri Valley College...
|| KMMO-FM || 102.9 FM
|-
| Osage Beach
Osage Beach, Missouri
Osage Beach is a city in Camden and Miller counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 3,662 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Osage Beach is located at ....
|| KRMS
KRMS
KRMS is a radio station licensed to serve Osage Beach, Missouri, USA. The station, originally established in December 1952, is currently owned by Viper Communications, Inc., and broadcasts news/talk programming to central Missouri....
-AM || 1150 AM
|-
| Sedalia
Sedalia, Missouri
Sedalia is a city located about south of the Missouri River in Pettis County, Missouri. U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 65 intersect in the city. As of 2006, the city had a total population of 20,669. It is the county seat of Pettis County. The Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of...
|| KSDL
KSDL
KSDL is a radio station licensed to serve Sedalia, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by Double O Radio and the license is held by Double O Missouri Corporation. It broadcasts an adult hits music format.-History:...
-FM || 92.3 FM
|-
| Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
|| KGMY
KGMY
KGMY is a radio station broadcasting an all sports format. Licensed to Springfield, Missouri, USA, it serves the Springfield market. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses.-External links:...
-AM || 1400 AM
|-
| Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
|| KXUS
KXUS
KXUS is a radio station broadcasting a Classic rock format. Licensed to Springfield, Missouri, USA, it serves the Springfield area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses....
-FM || 97.3 FM
|-
| St. Joseph || KFEQ
KFEQ
KFEQ 680 AM is a Saint Joseph, Missouri area talk radio station that airs local and national programs.Local programming includes news, sports, and agricultural information.Bob Orf is program director for KFEQ. Orf began his career at KFEQ St. Joseph in 1975...
-AM || 680 AM
|-
| St. Joseph || KSJQ-FM || 92.7 FM
|-
| Thayer
Thayer, Missouri
Thayer is a city in Oregon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2010 census. Its original name was Augusta.Thayer is considered a railroad town, as it was laid out in 1882 to be a division point. Currently, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad travels through...
|| KAMS
KAMS
KAMS is a radio station licensed to Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, USA. The station is currently owned by E-Communications, LLC....
-FM || 95.1 FM
|}
Kansas
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Clay Center
Clay Center, Kansas
Clay Center is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,334.-Geography:Clay Center is located at...
|| KCLY
KCLY
KCLY is a radio station broadcasting a variety format. Licensed to Clay Center, Kansas, USA, the station is currently owned by Taylor Communications and features programming from Associated Press Radio Network....
-FM || 100.9 FM
|-
| Coffeyville
Coffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
|| KGGF
KGGF (AM)
KGGF is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Coffeyville, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Joplin, Missouri, area. The station is currently owned by KGGF-KUSN, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio ....
-AM || 690 AM
|-
| Colby
Colby, Kansas
Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,387.-History:...
|| KXXX
KXXX
KXXX is a radio station broadcasting a farm radio format. Licensed to Colby, Kansas, USA, the station serves the west Kansas area. The station is currently owned by Rocking M Radio....
-AM || 790 AM
|-
| Colby
Colby, Kansas
Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,387.-History:...
|| KRDQ-FM || 100.3 FM
|-
| Emporia
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
|| KVOE-FM || 101.7 FM
|-
| Fort Scott
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
|| KMDO
KMDO
KMDO is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Hits format. Licensed to Fort Scott, Kansas, USA, it serves the Pittsburg area. The station is currently owned by Fort Scott Broadcasting Company Inc.. The station simulcasts most of its programming with sister station KOMB-FM....
-AM || 1600 AM
|-
| Fort Scott
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
|| KOMB
KOMB
KOMB is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Hits format. Licensed to Fort Scott, Kansas, USA, it serves the Pittsburg area. The station is currently owned by Fort Scott Broadcasting Co., Inc.....
-FM || 103.9 FM
|-
| Garden City
Garden City, Kansas
Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.-History:In February 1878, James...
|| KKJQ
KKJQ
KKJQ is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Its city of license is Garden City, Kansas, USA. The station is currently owned by KBUF Partnership and features programing from ABC Radio and Premiere Radio Networks.-History:...
-FM || 97.3 FM
|-
| Great Bend
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
|| KVGB-FM
KVGB-FM
KVGB-FM is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock music format. Licensed to Great Bend, Kansas, USA, the station serves the West Kansas area. The station is currently owned by Eagle Communications....
|| 104.3 FM
|-
| Hays
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...
|| KFIX
KFIX
KFIX is a radio station based in the area of Hays, Kansas, USA with a classic rock format. It is owned by Hull Broadcasting.-External links:*...
-FM || 96.9 FM
|-
| Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
|| KWBW
KWBW
KWBW is a radio station licensed to Hutchinson, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Wichita area. The station is currently owned by Eagle Communications....
-AM || 1450 AM
|-
| Iola
Iola, Kansas
Iola is a city situated along the Neosho River in the northwestern part of Allen County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,704. Iola is the county seat of Allen County. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn.-History:The...
|| KIOL
KIOL
KIOL is a radio station broadcasting an News/Talk format. The station's previous call letters were KALN, prior to August 12, 2008. Licensed to Iola, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Pittsburg area. The station is currently owned by Iola Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from Fox News...
-AM || 1370 AM
|-
| Junction City
Junction City, Kansas
Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,353. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby...
|| KJCK
KJCK (AM)
KJCK is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Junction City, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Salina-Manhattan area. The station is currently owned by Platinum Broadcasting Co., Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio , Sporting News Radio and Westwood...
-AM || 1420 AM
|-
| Manhattan
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
|| KMAN
KMAN
KMAN is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Manhattan, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Salina-Manhattan area. The station is currently owned by Manhattan Broadcasting Co. and features programing from CBS Radio, ESPN Radio and Westwood One....
-AM || 1350 AM
|-
| McPherson
McPherson, Kansas
McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
|| KNGL
KNGL
KNGL is a radio station licensed to Mcpherson, Kansas, USA. The station is currently owned by Davies Communications....
-AM || 1540 AM
|-
| McPherson
McPherson, Kansas
McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
|| KBBE
KBBE
KBBE is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to McPherson, Kansas, USA. The station is currently owned by Davies Communications, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio .-History:...
-FM || 96.7 FM
|-
| Parsons
Parsons, Kansas
Parsons is a city in the northern part of Labette County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,500...
|| KLKC
KLKC (AM)
KLKC is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Parsons, Kansas, USA, it serves the Pittsburg area. The station is currently owned by Southeast Kansas Independent Living Resource Center, Inc.....
-AM || 1540 AM
|-
| Parsons
Parsons, Kansas
Parsons is a city in the northern part of Labette County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,500...
|| KLKC-FM
KLKC-FM
KLKC-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Hits format. Licensed to Parsons, Kansas, USA, it serves the Pittsburg area. The station is currently owned by Southeast Kansas Independent Living Resource Center, Inc.....
|| 93.5 FM
|-
| Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
|| KKOW
KKOW (AM)
KKOW is a radio station in Pittsburg, Kansas. It broadcasts classic country music.It began on October 11, 1937 as KOAM, owned by E. Victor Baxter and Lester L. Cox on 790 kHz. It later moved to 810 kHz...
-AM || 860 AM
|-
| Salina
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
|| KSKG
KSKG
KSKG is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Salina, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Salina-Manhattan area. The station is currently owned by Eagle Communications, Inc.-External links:...
-FM || 99.9 FM
|-
| Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
|| KDVV
KDVV
KDVV is a radio station broadcasting an album-oriented rock format. Licensed to Topeka, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Topeka area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media and features programing from Westwood One....
-FM || 100.3 FM
|-
| Wellington
Wellington, Kansas
Wellington is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,172.-19th century:...
|| KLEY
KLEY (AM)
KLEY is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format to the Wellington, Kansas, USA area. The station is owned by Johnson Enterprises, Inc and features programing from ESPN Radio.-History:...
-AM || 1130 AM
|-
| Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
|| KTHR
KTHR
KTHR is a radio station operating in Wichita, Kansas. The station runs a rock music format.-History:KTHR's format history includes Easy Listening as KARD, later evolved into an Adult Contemporary format...
-FM || 107.3 FM
|-
| Winfield
Winfield, Kansas
Winfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...
|| KKLE-AM || 1550 AM
|}
Iowa
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Atlantic
Atlantic, Iowa
Atlantic is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 7,112 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 7,257 population in the 2000 census. -History:...
|| KJAN
KJAN
KJAN is a commercial radio station serving the Atlantic, Iowa area. The station primarily broadcasts an adult contemporary format. KJAN is licensed to Wireless Communications Corp....
-AM || 1220 AM
|-
| Chariton
Chariton, Iowa
Chariton is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,573 at the 2000 census. It is the primary distribution center for, and former corporate seat of, the Hy-Vee supermarket chain.-History:...
|| KEDB-FM || 105.3 FM
|}
Oklahoma
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
|| KREF
KREF
KREF is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format. Licensed to Norman, Oklahoma, USA, the station serves the Oklahoma City area. The station is currently owned by Fox Broadcasting Co and features programing from Fox Sports Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One.-Office...
-AM || 1400 AM
|}
Nebraska
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Blair
Blair, Nebraska
Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2000 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
|| KBLR-FM
KBLR-FM
KBLR-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Licensed to Blair, Nebraska, USA, the station serves the Blair and Fremont areas with fringe coverage to the northern Omaha metro area. The station is currently owned by Waitt Omaha, LLC and is operated out of NRG's Fremont office...
|| 97.3 FM
|-
| Falls City
Falls City, Nebraska
Falls City is a city in Richardson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,671 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richardson County.-Geography:Falls City is located at ....
|| KTNC
KTNC (AM)
KTNC is a radio station broadcasting an oldies music format. Licensed to Falls City, Nebraska, USA, the station is currently owned by KNZA Inc. and features programing from Citadel Media....
-AM || 1230 AM
|-
| Fremont
Fremont, Nebraska
Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census....
|| KFMT-FM
KFMT-FM
KFMT-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Classic rock format. Licensed to Fremont, Nebraska, USA, the station serves the Fremont area with fringe coverage to west Omaha. The station is currently owned by NRG Media....
|| 105.5 FM
|-
| Grand Island
Grand Island, Nebraska
Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state,...
|| KRGY
KRGY
KRGY is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Aurora, Nebraska, USA, the station serves the Grand Island-Kearney area...
-FM || 97.3 FM
|-
| Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
|| KFOR
KFOR (AM)
KFOR is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, the station serves the Lincoln area...
-AM || 1240 AM
|}
South Dakota
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
!City !! Call Sign !! Frenquency
|-
| Yankton
Yankton, South Dakota
Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory. It is named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota Native Americans...
|| KYNT
KYNT
KYNT is a radio station licensed to serve Yankton, South Dakota. The station is owned and licensed by Riverfront Broadcasting LLC It airs a Soft Adult Contemporary format....
-AM || 1450 AM
|}
Mascots and cheerleaders
The Chiefs' first mascot was Warpaint, a nickname given to several different breeds of pinto horsePinto horse
A pinto horse has a coat color that consists of large patches of white and any other color. The distinction between "pinto" and "solid" can be tenuous, as so-called "solid" horses frequently have areas of white hair. Various cultures throughout history appear to have selectively bred for pinto...
. Warpaint served as the team's mascot from 1963 to 1988. The first Warpaint (born in 1955, died in 1992) was ridden bareback by rider Bob Johnson who wore a full Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
headdress. Warpaint circled the field at the beginning of each Chiefs home game and performed victory laps following each Chiefs touchdown. On September 20, 2009 a new Warpaint horse was unveiled at the Chiefs' home opener against the Oakland Raiders.
In the mid-1980s, the Chiefs featured a short-lived unnamed "Indian man" mascot which was later scrapped in 1988. Since 1989 the cartoon-like K. C. Wolf
K. C. Wolf
K. C. Wolf is the official mascot of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. He was first introduced in 1989 as a successor for Warpaint, a horse ridden by a man in full Indian chief headdress, and a failed attempt at a caricatured Native American mascot from the mid-1980s. K. C...
, portrayed by Dan Meers in a wolf costume, has served as the team's mascot. The mascot was named after the Chiefs' "Wolfpack," a group of rabid fans from the team's days at Municipal Stadium. K. C. Wolf is one of the most popular NFL mascots and was the league's first mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame
Mascot Hall of Fame
The Mascot Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for United States sports mascots. It was founded by David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993. It is an online-only hall, with an induction ceremony taking place each year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
in 2006.
The Chiefs have employed a cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
squad since the team's inception in 1960. In the team's early days, the all-female squad was referred to as the Chiefettes. From 1986 to 1992, the cheerleader squad featured a mix of men and women. Since 1993, the all-female squad has been known as the Chiefs Cheerleaders.
Training camp and practice facility
When the franchise was based in Dallas, the team conducted their inaugural training camp at the New Mexico Military InstituteNew Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
. They moved camp to Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, owner Lamar Hunt's alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, for 1961 and continued to practice there until 1965. From 1966 to 1971, the Chiefs practiced in Swope Park
Swope Park
Swope Park is an 1805-acre city park within the city of Kansas City, Missouri. It is the 29th-largest municipal park in the United States , and the largest park in Kansas City. It is named in honor of Colonel Thomas H. Swope, a philanthropist who donated the land to the city in 1896...
in Kansas City, and from 1972 to 1991 held camp at William Jewell College
William Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,100 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders, including Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the...
in Clay County, Missouri–where Lamar Hunt had extensive business dealings including Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...
, Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun is a tropically-themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate Worlds of Fun's 10th year anniversary. At the time it was opened it was the largest water park in the world. It is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. Oceans of Fun is...
and SubTropolis
SubTropolis
SubTropolis is a 55,000,000 square foot , manmade cave in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, United States that is claimed to be the world's largest underground storage facility....
.
From 1991 to 2009 the Chiefs conducted summer training camp at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls in River Falls, Wisconsin
River Falls, Wisconsin
River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,000 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest city in the Twin Cities Wisconsin suburbs, which is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the state...
. The Chiefs' 2007 training camp was documented in the HBO/NFL Films
NFL Films
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series, Hard Knocks
Hard Knocks (TV series)
Hard Knocks is a reality sports documentary television series produced by NFL Films and HBO. The series follows a select National Football League team through its training camp and provides an in-depth perspective of the team's preparation for the upcoming season. The series is described as one of...
. Following the passage of a $25 million state tax credit proposal, the Chiefs will move their training camp to Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University is a public, co-educational university located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school enrolls 6,010 undergraduate students and 124 graduate students.-History:...
in St. Joseph, Missouri in 2010. The bulk of the tax credits will go for improvements to Arrowhead Stadium with $10 million applied to the move to Missouri Western. A climate-controlled, 120-yard NFL regulation grass indoor field, and office space for the Chiefs was constructed at Missouri Western adjacent to the school's Spratt Stadium
Spratt Stadium
Spratt Stadium is a 7,500 seat stadium in St. Joseph, Missouri on the campus of Missouri Western State University.In 2010 it will become the summer training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs.-History:...
before the 2010 season.
Outside of training camp and during the regular season, the Chiefs conduct practices at their own training facility nearby Arrowhead Stadium. The facility is located near the Raytown Road entrance to the Truman Sports Complex just west of Interstate 435
Interstate 435
Interstate 435 is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area in the states of Kansas and Missouri, USA.- Route description :...
.
Notable players
Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees
Chiefs Hall of Fame
The Chiefs are one of 16 organizations that honor their players, coaches and contributors with a team Hall of Fame or Ring of Honor. Established in 1970, the Chiefs Hall of Fame has inducted a new member in an annual ceremony with the exception of the 1983 season. Several of the names were featured at Arrowhead Stadium in the stadium's architecture prior to renovations in 2009. The requirements for induction are that a player, coach, or contributor must have been with the Chiefs for four seasons and been out of the NFL for four seasons at the time of induction. There are some exceptions, such as Joe DelaneyJoe Delaney
Joe Alton Delaney was an American football running back who played two seasons in the National Football League . In his two seasons with the Chiefs, Delaney set four franchise records that would stand for over 20 years....
and Derrick Thomas
Derrick Thomas
Derrick Vincent Thomas , nicknamed D.T., was an American football linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . He played his entire 11-year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft...
, Delaney was with the team for only two seasons before his death, Thomas was inducted 1 years after his death in January 2000 (2 seasons after his final season). The Chiefs have the second-most enshrinees of any NFL team in their team hall of fame behind the 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...
, who have enshrined over 100 players and team contributors over the years in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame was the first hall of fame built to honor a single professional American football team. After receiving approval from coach Vince Lombardi, William L. Brault, a Green Bay restaurateur and Packers fan, founded the Hall of Fame in 1966...
.
1970s
1970 Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
, team founder and owner
1971 #36 Mack Lee Hill
Mack Lee Hill
Mack Lee Hill was an American college and professional football player. He played running back at Southern University and for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons , before dying while undergoing knee surgery, days after a game against the Buffalo Bills.He made the...
, Running back
1972 #75 Jerry Mays, Defensive tackle
1973 #84 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...
, Tight end
1974 #42 Johnny Robinson, Safety
1975 #88 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...
, Wide receiver
1976 #55 E.J. Holub, Center/Linebacker
1977 #77 Jim Tyrer
Jim Tyrer
James Efflo Tyrer was an American football offensive tackle in the American Football League for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
, Offensive tackle
1978 #21 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...
, Running back
1979 #16 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...
, Quarterback
1980s
1980 #78 Bobby Bell
Bobby Bell
Bobby Lee Bell, Sr is a former professional American football linebacker/defensive end. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and was a member of the Chiefs' team that won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings.- High school career :He excelled in...
, Linebacker
1981 #86 Buck Buchanan
Buck Buchanan
Junious "Buck" Buchanan was an American collegiate and professional Football defensive tackle. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League and in the National Football League ....
, Defensive tackle
1982 #89 Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor (American football)
Otis Taylor was an American college and professional American football player, for Prairie View A&M University and the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs...
, Wide receiver
1983 No induction
1984 #71 Ed Budde
Ed Budde
Edward Leon Budde , a product of Denby High School in Detroit, Michigan and later Michigan State University, was the number one draft pick of the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in 1963....
, Guard
1985 #63 Willie Lanier
Willie Lanier
Willie Edward Lanier is a former American football middle-linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from...
, Linebacker
1986 #18 Emmitt Thomas
Emmitt Thomas
Emmitt Earl Thomas is currently the secondary coach of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. He is a former college and professional football player who played for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs from 1966 to 1969, and then for the Chiefs in the NFL from 1970 to 1978...
, Cornerback
1987 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...
, Coach
1988 #44 Jerrel Wilson
Jerrel Wilson
Jerrel "Thunderfoot" Wilson was an American football player. He was a punter who spent sixteen professional seasons, fifteen of them with the Kansas City Chiefs, in the American Football League and then the National Football League. He was selected to three AFL All-Star Teams and three AFC-NFC...
, Punter
1989 #14 Ed Podolak
Ed Podolak
Edward Joseph Podolak is a former professional American football player. He played quarterback and halfback at the University of Iowa before being selected by the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 1969 Common Draft.During a nine-year career from 1969 to 1977,...
, Running back
|-
1990s
1990 #51 Jim Lynch, Linebacker
1991 #28 Abner Haynes
Abner Haynes
Abner Haynes is a former college and professional football player in the United States.Haynes is a graduate of North Texas State University where he and his then teammate Leon King integrated college football in the state of Texas in 1956...
, Running back
1992 #3 Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud is a former professional football player for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs , and the NFL's Chiefs , Green Bay Packers , and Minnesota Vikings .-Background:...
, Kicker
1993 #69 Sherrill Headrick
Sherrill Headrick
Sherrill Headrick was an American college and Professional Football player from Texas Christian University.In 1960, Headrick came to the American Football League's Dallas Texans as an undrafted linebacker...
, Linebacker
1994 #58 Jack Rudnay
Jack Rudnay
John Carl "Jack" Rudnay is a former professional American football center in the National Football League...
, Center
1995 #32 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...
, Running back
1996 #20 Deron Cherry
Deron Cherry
Deron Leigh Cherry is a retired professional American football strong safety who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981 to 1991. Deron was a free safety and punter at Rutgers University. In 1979, he was named the team’s MVP. In 1979 and 1980, Cherry earned AP All-East honors...
, Safety
1997 #73 Dave Hill, Offensive tackle
1998 #67 Art Still
Art Still
Arthur Barry Still is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills...
, Defensive end
1999 #34 Lloyd Burruss
Lloyd Burruss
Lloyd Earl Burruss Jr. is a former American football safety who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981-1991 in the National Football League. He is the only Chief to ever be the Mack Lee Hill Award winner, the team’s MVP and a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.-External links:**...
, Safety
2000s
2000 #35 Christian Okoye
Christian Okoye
Christian Emeka Okoye , is a Nigerian-American former American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992. Nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare," Okoye was known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. Okoye's six seasons in the NFL saw a league rushing...
, Running back
2001 #58 Derrick Thomas
Derrick Thomas
Derrick Vincent Thomas , nicknamed D.T., was an American football linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . He played his entire 11-year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft...
, Linebacker
2002 #76 John Alt
John Alt
John Michael Alt is a former professional American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played his entire NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1984 to 1996. He played his college years at the University of Iowa...
, Offensive tackle
2003 #59 Gary Spani
Gary Spani
Gary Spani is a former NFL linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1978-1986. He has worked for the Chiefs' front office since 1989, and is currently the director of tickets and events marketing for the Chiefs....
, Linebacker
2004 #37 Joe Delaney
Joe Delaney
Joe Alton Delaney was an American football running back who played two seasons in the National Football League . In his two seasons with the Chiefs, Delaney set four franchise records that would stand for over 20 years....
, Running back
2005 Jack Steadman
Jack Steadman
Jack W. Steadman is the former chairman, vice president, president and general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League....
, team administrator
2006 #90 Neil Smith
Neil Smith (football player)
Neil Smith is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1988 to 1996, the Denver Broncos from 1997 to 1999, and the San Diego Chargers in 2000...
, Defensive end
2007 #29 Albert Lewis
Albert Lewis (American football)
Albert Ray Lewis is a former American football player who played in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders...
, Cornerback
2008 #61 Curley Culp
Curley Culp
Curley Culp is a former professional American football player. An offensive and defensive lineman, he played college football at Arizona State University, was the NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion while at ASU, and played professionally in the American Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs...
, Defensive tackle
2009 #8 Nick Lowery
Nick Lowery
Dominic Gerald Lowery , nicknamed Nick the Kick, is a former American football placekicker for the New England Patriots , the Kansas City Chiefs , and New York Jets . Lowery was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and when he retired was ranked first in field goal percentage and also had the most...
, Kicker
2010s
2010 Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
, Coach
2011 #31 Kevin Ross, Cornerback
Head coaches
Eleven head coaches have served the Texans/Chiefs franchise since their first season in 1960. Hank StramHank 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 team's first head coach, led the Chiefs to three AFL championship victories and two appearances in 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...
. Stram was the team's longest-tenured head coach, holding the position from 1960 to 1974. Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
was hired in 1989 and led Kansas City to seven playoff appearances in his ten seasons as head coach. Schottenheimer had the best winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
(.634) of all Chiefs coaches. Gunther Cunningham
Gunther Cunningham
Gunther Cunningham is an American football defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Cunningham has presided over some of the most successful defenses in NFL history , typically ranking at the top of the league in many statistical categories.Cunningham was born in 1946 in war-torn Munich,...
was on the Chiefs' coaching staff in various positions from 1995 to 2008, serving as the team's head coach in between stints as the team's defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
coached the team to a franchise-best 9–0 start in the 2003 season. Of the ten Chiefs coaches, 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...
and Marv Levy
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
have been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. Herman Edwards
Herman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
served as the team's head coach from 2006 to 2008, compiling a 15–33 record and a franchise worst 6–26 record over a two-year span. Todd Haley
Todd Haley
Todd Haley is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . Prior to joining the Chiefs, Haley served as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008, and was the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys.-Early...
began his first season with the team in 2009, and in 2010 led the team to its first AFC West division title since 2003.
Ownership and administration
Clark Hunt
Clark Knobel Hunt is Chairman and CEO of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs and a founding investor-owner in Major League Soccer. Hunt also serves as Chairman of Hunt Sports Group, where he oversees the operations of FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew of MLS He is the son of Lamar Hunt...
, Lamar's son, represents the family's interests. While Hunt's official title is Chairman of the Board, he serves as the franchise's de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
owner. In 2010, Hunt assumed role as CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
alongside his role as Chairman of the Board. According to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, the team is valued at just under $1 billion and ranks 20th among NFL teams in 2010.
Owner Lamar Hunt served as the team's president from 1960 to 1976. Because of Lamar Hunt's contributions to the NFL, the AFC Championship trophy is named after him. He promoted general manager Jack Steadman
Jack Steadman
Jack W. Steadman is the former chairman, vice president, president and general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League....
to become the team's president in 1977. Steadman held the job until Carl Peterson
Carl Peterson
Carl D. Peterson grew up in Long Beach, California, and is an alumnus of UCLA. He is best known as the former president, general manager, and chief executive officer of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League...
was hired by Hunt in 1988 to replace him. Peterson resigned the title as team president in 2008. Denny Thum
Denny Thum
Denny Thum is a former team executive for the Kansas City Chiefs. He served in various positions with the team from 1974 to 2010. From 2009 to 2010, he served as team president....
became the team's interim president following Peterson's departure and was officially given the full position in May 2009. Thum resigned from his position on September 14, 2010.
Don Rossi served as the team's general manager for half of the 1960 season, resigning in November 1960. Jack Steadman assumed duties from Rossi and served in the position until 1976. Steadman was promoted to team president in 1976 and despite being relieved of those duties in 1988, he remained with the franchise until 2006 in various positions. Jim Schaaf
Jim Schaaf
Jim Schaaf is a former American football executive in the National Football League . He served as general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1976 to 1988. Alongside his son, Schaaf now owns and operates Jim Schaaf & Associates , a sports insurance firm.From 1961 to 1966 Schaaf worked with the...
took over for Steadman as general manager until being fired in December 1988. Carl Peterson was hired in 1988 to serve as the team's general manager, chief executive officer and team president. Peterson remained in the position for 19 years until he announced his resignation from the team in 2008. Denny Thum served as interim general manager until January 13, 2009 when the Chiefs named New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
executive Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . Pioli was previously a front office executive for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New England Patriots...
the team's new general manager.
External links
- Kansas City Chiefs Official Website
- Kansas City Chiefs at the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe 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...
Official Website - Kansas City Chiefs at the Kansas City Star Official Website
- Kansas City Chiefs at Sports E-Cyclopedia.com
- Kansas City Chiefs News at the Chiefs Report
- Kansas City Chiefs on SB Nation