Governor's Cup (Missouri)

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The Missouri Governor's Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner between the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams' annual meetings in the preseason and occasional contests in the regular season.

The contest has been a staple of Missourian's football teams from 1968 to 1987 (between the Chiefs and St. Louis' first football team, the Cardinals) and 1996 to the present (featuring the Chiefs and newly-relocated Rams). The local press occasionally refer to the game as The Battle of Missouri, or the I-70 Series. The Chiefs and Rams meet every year in the pre-season but have only met four times in the regular season.

[edit] History

[edit] 1968-1988

The contest began in 1968 when St. Louis had the football Cardinals ^[1] until the Cardinals' relocation in 1988. The Governor's Cup game was resumed in the 1996 season between the Chiefs and the Rams.

The Chiefs posted a 16-7-2 mark in its Governor's Cup series against the Cardinals from 1968 to 1987, going 2-1-1 in the regular season record and 14-6-1 in preseason play. ^[2]

[edit] 1996-present

When the Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis, the rivalry among Missourians re-emerged. Both the Rams and the Chiefs possessed the two most productive offenses in the NFL in the early 2000's, and the meetings often resulted in shootouts. Former Ram's coach Dick Vermeil was hired by the Chiefs in 2001 after he had won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams with one of the NFL's most powerful offensive squads in history.

Once the Chiefs created their own high-powered offense with the arrival of Vermeil, the rivalry became even more exciting. In often meaningless preseason games, the Chiefs and Rams gave all their energy to secure the Governor's Cup, their spot as the best offense in the league, and bragging rights for their respective city in Missouri.

Dick Vermeil faced off against his old coaching buddies with the Rams--including his offensive coordinator of "The Greatest Show on Turf," Mike Martz--whom succeeded Vermeil for the Rams head coaching job.

[edit] St. Louis Football Cardinals vs. Kansas City Chiefs

[edit] All-Time Pre-Season Results

The Chiefs and Cardinals met every pre-season to determine the best NFL team in Missouri. The Chiefs lead the pre-season series 14-6-1.

[edit] All-Time Regular Season Results

Note: The Governor's Cup was awarded between the Chiefs and the St. Louis Football Cardinals from 1968 through 1987, the Cardinals' final season in St. Louis.

[edit] St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs

[edit] All-Time Pre-Season Results

The Chiefs and Rams meet every pre-season to determine the best NFL team in Missouri. The Rams lead the pre-season series 6-4, and the home team has won six of the last seven preseason meetings.

[edit] All-Time Regular Season Results

Note: The Governor's Cup was not awarded for games between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, only since the Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995.

The Chiefs lead the regular season series 4-0. ^{[3] [4]}

[edit] References