History of the Kansas City Chiefs
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The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional American football team that began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), and now is currently part of the National Football League (NFL)
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[edit] The Begnnning: AFL
[edit] Early Years in Dallas, 1960-1963
The team was owned by Lamar Hunt, who founded the team along with their original league, the American Football League, or AFL in 1960. The Dallas Texans, as they were known then, shared the Cotton Bowl with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
In one of the Texans' biggest games, they defeated the Houston Oilers in a dramatic 1962 AFL Championship which went into double overtime. Until the December 25, 1971 playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins, the game was the longest ever played at over 77 minutes.
[edit] The move to Kansas City
After three seasons — including an AFL championship in 1962 — it was apparent that Dallas couldn’t support two teams. Hunt investigated opportunities to move his team to several cities for the 1963 season, including Miami, Seattle and New Orleans. Hunt wanted to find a city to which he could commute easily from Dallas, and when he was unable to secure Tulane Stadium because the university didn’t want its football program to compete with a pro team, he turned to Kansas City, where Mayor H. Roe Bartle persuaded him to move to the Midwest.[1]
It was a negotiation conducted in secrecy. On several occasions Hunt and Jack Steadman, the team’s general manager, were in Kansas City and met with businessmen. Bartle introduced Hunt as “Mr. Lamar” in all the meetings with other Kansas City businessmen. Steadman was introduced as “Jack X.”[1]
Most impressive about this move was the support the team received from the community even before the team announced the move. Hunt made the move dependent upon the ability of Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle and the Kansas City community to guarantee him 35,000 in season ticket sales. Hunt had arrived at this number because that was the Texans' average attendance at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Bartle called to his office 20 business leaders and called upon them to form an association later known as "The Gold Coats", whose sole objective was to sell and take down payments on the 35,000 season tickets required. Not an easy task when one considers the move was still secret and the Gold Coats had to sell season tickets to people without knowing the team name, where it was coming from, who the owner was, what league it would play in, who the players or coaches were, when the team would play its first game in Kansas City, what its team colors would be or where it would play. Hunt gave Bartle a 4 month deadline. Bartle and the Gold Coats made good in only 8 weeks. Later, Hunt admitted he was really only hoping for 20,000, for which he still would have moved the franchise.
Hunt, with a roster replete with players who had played college football in Texas, wanted to maintain a lineage to the team’s roots and wanted to call the club the Kansas City Texans. "The Lakers stayed the Lakers when they moved from Minnesota to California," he reasoned. "But Jack Steadman convinced me that wasn’t too smart. It wouldn’t sell." The team was renamed Chiefs — one of the most popular suggestions Hunt received in a name-the-team contest, along with Kansas City Mules — and began playing in Kansas City’s Municipal Stadiumin 1963.[1]
The name, "Chiefs" is derived from Mayor Bartle, who 35 years prior, founded the Native American-based honor society known as The Tribe of Mic-O-Say within the Boy Scouts of America organization, which earned him the nickname, "The Chief."
The Texans/Chiefs franchise was the flagship team of the American Football League, with the most playoff appearances as an AFL team, six (tied with Oakland), the most American Football League Championships (3), and the most Super Bowl appearances, playing in the first Super Bowl, and in the last to be played between League champions. The Texans won the classic 1962 double-overtime AFL championship game against the Houston Oilers, 20-17, at the time the longest, and still one of the best professional football championship games ever played. The Chiefs dropped the first Super Bowl to the Packers, then pulverized the Vikings 23-7 in the final "true" AFL-NFL World Championsip game after the AFL's last season in 1969. They had just one coach throughout their AFL history, Hall-of-Famer Hank Stram.
The Chiefs' first Kansas City home was at 22nd and Brooklyn, called Municipal Stadium, which opened in 1923 and had 49,002 seats. In 1972, the Chiefs moved into the new Arrowhead Stadium. Municipal Stadium, also formerly the home of the Kansas City Royals, the minor-league Kansas City Blues and, most successfully, the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs, was demolished in 1976 and is now a community garden. The Chiefs' first game at Arrowhead Stadium was against the St. Louis Cardinals (Chiefs 24, St. Louis Cardinals 14).
Arrowhead Stadium is half of the Truman Sports Complex, along with Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals Stadium). Kansas City was viewed as taking an unnecessary risk at the time by building two stadiums instead of the popular multi-use stadiums being built in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis. However, with demolition in 2005 of St. Louis' Busch Stadium, the Truman Sports Complex has now out-lived all of the multi-use stadiums built in the same era. While many applaud the Kansas City decision makers for this decision, the move was not quite by design. When it became readily apparent the old Municipal Stadium was not adequate for the Chiefs, the decision was made to build a multi-use stadium for the Chiefs and Charlie Finley's Kansas City A's. Finley proved to be too difficult to work with, demanding a "baseball stadium that could also be used for football" or a baseball only stadium, instead of the other way around.
After much vitriol behind the scenes, Finley decided to move the team to Oakland. However, the discussion made Bartle and his advisors convinced that one stadium would be good but not great. Thus, the decision was made to build two separate stadiums after Finley left town. Coincidentally, Finley moved to Oakland's Alameda County Coliseum, a multi-use stadium in which the A's have played since moving there in 1967.
[edit] The Glory Years: 1963-1970, Stram's "Wild West Variety Show"
- For more details on this topic, see 1969 Kansas City Chiefs season.
As the Chiefs, under coach Hank Stram with quarterback Len Dawson at the helm, the team played in the first Super Bowl, losing 35-10 to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. They earned revenge three years later, upsetting the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. The team's victory has been considered the "proof" that the AFC was "no fluke", with the Chiefs the enormous underdogs going into the game, the Chiefs cemented a future merger for the AFL and NFL. The Chiefs dominated on all sides of the ball in Super Bowl IV, dominating on both defense and offense.
The Chiefs' rivalry with the Oakland Raiders also hit an all-time high in the 1969 season when the Chiefs defeated the Raiders in the AFL Championship on their way to Super Bowl IV. Previously in the season, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs and seemed to be dominating the AFL and on their way to their second Super Bowl.
With a high powered offense and blistering defense, Hank Stram's innovative play-calling would revolutionize the game. Stram would utilize audibles and line changes that would confuse opponents on the field, giving the Chiefs the advantage. The Chiefs would go on to win 43 games between 1966 and 1969. Five Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees played for the Chiefs in the era, including quarterback Len Dawson, linebackers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, defensive tackle Buck Buchanan and placekicker Jan Stenerud. Other notable players included wide receiver Otis Taylor, linebacker Jim Lynch, back-up quarterback Mike Livingston and running back Mike Garrett.
[edit] Alignment to the NFL
[edit] Fall from greatness, 1971-1989
In 1971, the Chiefs made it back to the Playoffs as they won the AFC West Title, but on Christmas Day, they lost a double overtime heartbreaker to the Miami Dolphins 27-24. The game would go one to be remembered as "the longest game," clocking in at 82 minutes. The previous longest game was the 1962 AFL Championship in which the Chiefs (then as the Texans) won in double overtime. Jan Stenerud missed two field goals and had another kick blocked in the playoff game. The Dolphins won on a 37-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. This game is considered as the start of the end of the Chiefs winning legacy for the rest of the 1970s and most of the 1980s. The game was also the last game the Chiefs played at Municipal Stadium.
The Chiefs would not return to the playoffs for 15 straight years, compiling only four winning seasons in this stretch. Slowly the team went on to get worse and worse as the 1970s progressed. In 1974, Hank Stram effectively left the team as their head coach and in 1975 Len Dawson played his final game in the NFL.
After three years of going 5-9, the 1977 team was the worst Chiefs team of all time going 2-12. They then hired future Buffalo Bill's head coach Marv Levy in 1978 for his first head coaching job. After a 4-12 start in 1978 the Chiefs slowly improved to 9-7 by 1981.
By 1981 the Chiefs had Bill Kenney as quarterback, albeit a backup that season. Kenney responded by having a breakout season in 1983, when he became the starter, setting team records for passing yards (4,348) and completions (346) in a season; the latter was also good enough to lead the NFL.
By that 1983 season Marv Levy had been fired and John Mackovic was hired as the team's head coach. Mackovic lasted long enough to see the Chiefs make the playoff in the 1986 season. Surprisingly, the team went from 6-10 in 1985 to 10-6 in 1986. However, they lost the first round of the playoffs 35-15 to the New York Jets. Following the loss in the playoffs, Mackovic was fired.
Following a brief stint back in the playoffs in 1986, the Chiefs fell back into mediocrity in 1987. The 1987 NFL strike had affected the Chiefs greatly and their head coach Frank Gansz never adapted to winning. Gansz was fired following the 1988 season.
[edit] "Martyball," Montana & Marcus Allen
In 1989, Carl Peterson became the team's new President and General Manager. Peterson hired Marty Schottenheimer as the team's coach. Schottenheimer led the team to six straight playoff appearances, three AFC West championships, nine winning seasons, and 76 consecutive soldout games at Arrowhead in the 1990s. Schottenheimer's impressive 101-58-1 regular season record (.634) made the Chiefs the winningest team of the 1990s. The Chiefs re-established a strong fanbase and Arrowhead Stadium quickly began to sell-out every home game, a streak still alive nearly 16 years later.
The Chiefs' popularity rose in the 1990s with their "college football game atmosphere" and noisy fans reaching over 120 decibels, a traditions still alive today. Much of the "college atmosphere" has arrived due to popularity of Big 12 College Football games, often held at Arrowhead Stadium and also the Chiefs' additions of players from Big 12 schools throughout the nineties, like Neil Smith and Will Shields from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While the Chiefs have appeared in the playoffs in seven out of eight seasons, the team only won three playoff games, the last in 1993.
Schottenheimer's coaching tree began in Kansas City, with famous coaches and assistants on his staff from 1989-1998. Among them was Defensive coordinator Bill Cowher (1989-1991), Defensive backs coach Tony Dungy (1989-1991) and future head coach of the Chiefs Herman Edwards whom worked as a player scout and defensive backs coach from 1990 to 1996.
In 1993, Joe Montana was traded to Kansas City from the San Francisco 49ers. Along with Marcus Allen from the Los Angeles Raiders, the Chiefs gained both a powerful passer and rusher to assist their powerful defense, advancing to the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs lost the AFC Championship 30-13 to former coach Marv Levy and the Buffalo Bills.
Montana retired after the 1994 season and was replaced by Steve Bono with Rich Gannon as backup. In 1995, the Chiefs went 13-3 and were the odds-on favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XXX. However, on a cold night full of dropped passes and missed field goals, they lost 10-7 against the Indianapolis Colts in the 1996 playoffs. During that game, kicker Lin Elliot made himself infamous for missing multiple field goals.
After going from 13-3 in 1997 with Rich Gannon filling in for the injured Elvis Grbac, the Chiefs suffered a loss in the AFC Divisional playoff game to the Denver Broncos (10-14). In 1997, Schottenheimer chose to start Elvis Grbac as quarterback after a "quarterback controversy" started in training camp. After a loss to Denver, Grbac was injured and Rich Gannon took over. After going 5-1 during the season, Gannon was replaced by Grbac in the playoff game against Denver. The choice to play Grbac over Gannon still remains controversial in the minds of fans, as Kansas City could have likely won and advanced to the AFC Championship.
The following year, with Elvis Grbac back at the helm, the Chiefs fell to 7-9 in 1998. Marty Schottenheimer took much of the blame for his failed attempts in the playoffs and conservative style of coaching ("Martyball"), and resigned following the 1998 season.
[edit] Vermeil brings an explosive offense
Schottenheimer left as head coach, replaced by his defensive coach Gunther Cunningham. In two years, Cunningham showed little improvement, going 9-7 and 7-9. After the loss of Derrick Thomas, the collapse of the defense was unmistakable. The Chiefs' wins were mostly made by a high scoring offense rather than a powerful defense.
After coaching the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl and retiring, Dick Vermeil was lured out of retirement and took over as head coach in 2001. It was noted that Vermeil would have the team ready for the Super Bowl "within three years," while in fact Vermail would stay in Kansas City for the next five.
The first move the team made was forced after quarterback Elvis Grbac voided his contract, forgoing an 11 million dollar bonus, leaving to lead the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Vermeil replaced him with his primary pick for the Rams' quarterback, Trent Green.
Another notable replacement was Priest Holmes at running back, who had served as back-up to Baltimore's Jamal Lewis in their Super Bowl season. Additions to the offensive line, including left tackle Willie Roaf from New Orleans, Casey Wiegemann at center, Brian Waters at guard and John Welbourn from Philadelphia helped create the Chiefs' high powered offense. Holmes would go on to break Marshall Faulk's record of 26 touchdowns in a season on December 27, 2003.
Vermeil brought many elements of "The Greatest Show on Turf" from St. Louis to Kansas City's own offense, but much like the Schottenheimer era in the 1990s, the offense didn't win any playoff games in return like St. Louis.
The Chiefs went 13-3 in 2003 and their offense, considered by many as one of the most powerful of all time, helped make Kansas City again a favorite to win Super Bowl XXXIX. After starting 9-0, the Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in their tenth game following a "guarantee" by Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson. The Chiefs' dream season of 2003 began to lose momentum by November, but they still managed to gain the number two seed in the 2004 playoffs. The mighty homefield advantage of Arrowhead Stadium and their high-powered offense wouldn't lead the Chiefs to glory and the Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional playoffs in an offensive shootout in which neither team punted, an NFL playoffs first. The Chiefs' defense came under fire immediately after the loss, and Greg Robinson, the team's defensive coordinator, resigned after the season.
As with the loss to the Broncos in the 1997 season, this loss led to a poor following season. The Chiefs managed to finish the 2004 season with a 7-9 record. In 2004 Gunther Cunningham was brought back as the defensive coordinator. However, the defense showed little improvement. The offense, unable to record the same high scores as the previous year, was unable to bring in the wins as they had the previous year.
For their 2005 campaign, the Chiefs brought in several new players to boost a defense that had finished among the worst units the past three years. The year also saw Larry Johnson start at running back in place of an injured Priest Holmes. But despite winning ten games, the Chiefs became just the fourth team in NFL history to go 10-6 and not reach the playoffs.
[edit] Herm Edwards returns to Kansas City
A tearful head coach Dick Vermeil announced his retirement before the final game of the 2005 season. Within two weeks, then-New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards had signed a new 4-year contract to coach the Chiefs. Edwards had previously worked for the Chiefs as NFL scout and defensive backs coach (1990-1995) and had been a close friend of Carl Peterson for more than 30 years. Edwards is the first man to become head coach of the team he interned with in the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship program.[2]
Chiefs owner and founder Lamar Hunt died on December 13, 2006 due to complications brought on by a ten-year battle with prostate cancer. Hunt was remembered throughout the remainder of the 2006 season all throughout the NFL with moments of silence and ceremonies in Kansas City. Hunt was admitted into a Dallas-area hospital the day before Thanksgiving, and missed his opportunity to see Thanksgiving Day football return to Kansas City.
Edwards tried to bring the defense back to Kansas City in the 2006 season, bringing a defensive squad that ranked near the bottom of the NFL back to the top 15. With the losses of offensive coordinator and major offensive contributors in Tony Richardson and Willie Roaf, the Chiefs offense struggled finding its footing in the 2006 season. An offense that shattered records just years before went back to the drawing board. The highlight was a Thanksgiving Day game at Arrowhead Stadium during which the Chiefs beat the hated Broncos.
The 2006 Chiefs team sent the franchise back into the playoffs, only to lose 23-8 in the Wild Card round against their playoff nemesis, the Indianapolis Colts.
Almost immediately after the Chiefs' painful loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, the state of the team was brought into question. The Chiefs' off-season began with turmoil over the contract of Tony Gonzalez, and the long-term career of Trent Green in Kansas City. Backup quarterback Damon Huard was signed to a three-year contract in February and Green was not only asked to restructure his contract but offered in trades to other teams. The Chiefs look to improve on their 9-7 record from the 2006 season and begin a new era likely with Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle starting at quarterback.
[edit] Chiefs quarterbacks
Throughout the Chiefs' near five-decade existence, there have been twelve starting quarterbacks to lead the team. Among the most prolific include Hall of Famers Len Dawson and Joe Montana, as well as superb quarterbacks of their era like Trent Green.
The Chiefs have also had a repeated history of backup quarterbacks that steal the spotlight. Mike Livingston led the Chiefs to the playoffs in their 1969 season after starting quarterback Len Dawson was injured for the majority of the year. Most recently, Rich Gannon took over for the injured Elvis Grbac in the 1997 season, but was revoked of the job in favor of Grbac's return for the playoffs. The Chiefs lost in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. A similar incident occurred in the 2006 season and playoffs when Trent Green and the Chiefs' offense failed to get a first down in the first forty-two minutes of the game. Backup quarterback Damon Huard, whom led the Chiefs on a 5-2 record in Green's absence, never played a down in the playoff loss.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Covitz, Randy; Pulliam, Kent. Chiefs' founder Lamar Hunt dies Kansas City Star, 14 December 2006.
- ^ Chiefs' Edwards: Don't ask me about Jets. Associated Press (January 9, 2006, 6:57 p.m. MT). Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
[edit] External links
- Kansas City Chiefs - Official site
- Year by Year Statistics (pdf)
- Texans/Chiefs page on the American Football League Website
- Sports E-Cyclopedia.com
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