User:CNC33/Projects/Creations/Archive/Kansas City Chiefs abridged history

1960's
In 1959, Lamar Hunt, son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, began discussions with other businessmen to establish an American football league that would rival the National Football League. After failed attempts to purchase and relocate the NFL's Chicago Cardinals to his hometown of Dallas, Texas, Hunt established his team, the Dallas Texans, and chose little-known assistant coach at Southern Methodist University, Hank Stram. Hunt chose the coach from his alma mater after the offer was denied by Bud Wilkinson and Tom Landry.

The Texans shared the Cotton Bowl with the NFL's cross-town competition Dallas Cowboys. 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 1962, Hunt looked to relocate the franchise to another city and rid the team of the Cowboys' and NFL's shadow. While the Cowboys managed only a 5-8-1 record in the NFL, the Texans strolled to an 11-3 record and a berth in the team's first American Football League Championship Game against the cross-state Houston Oilers. The game was broadcast nationally, and not only did the Texans gain national attention, but also the AFL demonstrated that it was just as relevant as the NFL. With the longest game in American football, the Texans defeated the Oilers 20-17 in double-overtime. At the time, the game was the longest in professional football history until the Chiefs played the Dolphins in a 1971 game that lasted 77 minutes.

After three seasons in Dallas, it became apparent that Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex media market could not support two American football franchises, especially two from rival leagues. Lamar Hunt explored options in moving the franchise to a city in which he could commute easily from Dallas where his family was established including Atlanta, Georgia and Miami, Florida. Persuaded by Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle, Hunt agreed to move the team to the Midwest on May 22, 1963 after Mayor Bartle promised to triple the Texans' season ticket sales and help expand Municipal Stadium to house the team.

Prior to the team's move, the Kansas City Blues/Cowboys played in the NFL for two unsuccessful seasons before disbanding. Hunt made the move dependent upon the promise of Mayor Bartle and the Kansas City community to guarantee him 35,000 in season ticket sales.

Hunt, with a roster replete with players who had played college football in Texas, wanted to maintain a lineage to the team’s roots in the southern United States and wanted to call the club the "Kansas City Texans." However, the team was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs on May 26, 1963, one of the most popular suggestions Hunt received in a fan contest. The name also honored Mayor Bartle's nickname of "The Chief."

The franchise became the flagship team of the now striving American Football League, with the most playoff appearances for an AFL team (tied with Oakland), the most AFL Championships (3), and the most Super Bowl appearances. The team's dominance helped Lamar Hunt in negotiations with NFL Comissioner 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 league's 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.

By winning the 1966 AFL Championship Game against the defending-champion Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs were invited to play the NFL's 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 it was not the last time that they would face an NFL opponent, especially on the championship stage. Kansas City hosted the NFL's Chicago Bears in the 1967 pre-season 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 1969 post-season in the AFL Championship Game where Kansas City won 17-7. Backup quarterback Mike Livingston engineered a five-game winning streak after Len Dawson suffered a leg injury. While getting plenty of help from the club’s defense, Dawson returned from the injury and the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl. Against the NFL's heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings, the Chiefs dominated the game 23-7 to claim the team's first (and to date only) Super Bowl championship. The following season, the Chiefs and the rest of the American Football Legaue joined the National Football League after the AFL-NFL merger became official.

1970's
In 1970, the Chiefs won only 7 games in their first season in the NFL and missed the playoffs. The 1971 season saw the club bounce back from a 7-5-2 campaign in 1970 to record a 10-3-1 mark and win the AFC West division championship, the Chiefs' first division title since 1966. 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 surpassed the Texans-Oilers AFL game from 1962 as the longest ever. Most of the pieces of the team which won Super Bowl IV two years earlier were still in place, but Miami outlasted the Chiefs with a 37-yard field goal in the 82-minute game.

In 1972, the Chiefs moved into the newly constructed Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex oustide 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.

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.

1980's
Third-year head coach Marv Levy and new starting quarterback Bill Kenney led the Chiefs to an 8-8 record in 1980. Breakout 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. By employing replacement players, the Chiefs tallied a 3-6 record. In the offseason, Joe Delaney died in a drowning accident, and the team's hopes for a bright future were once again derailed.

The Chiefs made a big blunder in the 1983 NFL Draft by selecting quarterback Todd Blackledge over future greats such as Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. Blackledge never stayed as the Chiefs' starting quarterback while both Kelly and Marino played Hall of Fame careers. The Chiefs however, did have a great selection of defensive players that were Pro Bowl staples in the 1980's such as Bill Maas, Albert Lewis, Art Still and Deron Cherry.

John Mackovic took over head coaching duties after Marv Levy was fired following the 1982 season. Over the next four seasons, Mackovic coached the Chiefs to a 30-34 record, but the team's first post-season appearance in 15 years. Mackovic himself was relied of his coaching duties, and two short seasons with Frank Gansz as head coach, the franchise began to prepare for a major housecleaning.

1990's
On December 19, 1988, Lamar Hunt hired Carl Peterson as the team's new president/general manager. Peterson wasted no time in making changes, and on January 5 he fired head coach Frank Gansz two weeks after taking over. On January 24 he hired Marty Schottenheimer as the club's seventh head coach. The duo began to rebuild the Chiefs' roster and credibility in the NFL by drafting from the bottom up. In the 1989 and 1990 NFL Drafts, the Chiefs selected a player that would serve alongside 1988's top selection, DE Neil Smith as the team's foundation in the next decade—LB Derrick Thomas.

From 1989 to 1998, Schottenheimer's tenure as the Chiefs' head coach, the team recorded a 101-58-1 record, and clinched 7 playoff berths. The Chiefs re-established a strong fan base, and Arrowhead Stadium quickly began to sell out every home game, a streak still alive nearly 20 years later. The Chiefs' popularity rose in the 1990s with their "college football game atmosphere" and strong fanbase. Much of the "college atmosphere" has arrived due to the popularity of local Big 12 college football games, often held at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs used a "Big 12" formula in rebuilding their team with players from the local universities throughout the nineties, such as Neil Smith and Will Shields, both from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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 superstar Pro Bowl and Super Bowl champions—the Chiefs once again returned to relevance in the NFL. The 11-5 Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Oilers on their way to an AFC Championship game appearance against the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs were overwhelmed by the Bills in their first league championship game in 24 years, and lost the game 30-13. The team's victory on January 14, 1994 remains the franchise's last post-season victory to date (as of 2008).

In the 1996 post-season, the 13-3 Chiefs hosted the wild card 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.

Following a 1998 season full of injuries to starting quarterback Elvis Grbac, backup quarterback Rich Gannon took the reigns of the Chiefs' offense and led the team to the pleayoffs. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer controversially chose Grbac to start the playoff game against the Denver Broncos despite Gannon playing in the previous game. The choice to play Grbac over Gannon still remains controversial in the minds of fans to this day, as Grbac's production in the game was lacking.

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, Neil Smith departed for the division rival Denver Broncos, which lent a major blow to the Chiefs' run defense.

Kansas City also had no stability at quarterback with Steve Bono, Rich Gannon, and Elvis Grbac attempting to fill the void that Joe Montana left upon his retirement in 1994. The team's offense could not balance out their blooming defense in the playoffs with Schottenheimer's "Marty Ball" offensive scheme.

The biggest tragedy that Kansas City endured occurred on January 23, 2000 when the team's Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Thomas was in a severe car accident which left him paralyzed. Thomas died weeks later and the team fell apart in his absence. Coach Cunningham was fired following the 2000 season, and a search began for the team's ninth head coach.

2000's
Looking to change the Chiefs' gameplan which relied on a tough defensive strategy for the past decade, Chiefs general manager contacted Dick Vermeil about the Chiefs' head coaching vacancy for the 2001 season. Vermeil led the St. Louis Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV with the a record-setting offense. Vermeil was hired on January 12 and brought many elements of "The Greatest Show on Turf" from St. Louis to Kansas City's own offense. With free-agent acquisitions for little risk, the Chiefs gained future Pro Bowlers in running back Priest Holmes, quarterback Trent Green, wide receiver Eddie Kennison, and left tackle Willie Roaf. All the players that Vermeil obtained went on to be major factors in the Chiefs' offensive surge in the early new Millenium.

It took two seasons for the Chiefs' offense under Al Saunders to get rolling, and by the time the 2003 season began, the Chiefs began the season untouchable.

The Chiefs went 13-3 in 2003, and began setting franchise and league records on the way. Running back Priest Holmes surpassed Marshall Faulk's single-season touchdown record by scoring his 27th rushing touchdown against the Chicago Bears. After starting 9-0, the Chiefs began to lose momentum by November, but they still managed to gain the number two seed in the 2004 playoffs. The Chiefs met the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional playoffs in an offensive shoot-out between the league's two best offensive squads. Neither team punted in the game, an NFL first for the playoffs, and the Chiefs lost 38-31.

The Chiefs managed to finish the 2004 season with a 7-9 record. 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 in hopes that their aging offensive line could hold up for one more season. The year also saw Larry Johnson start at running back in place of an injured Priest Holmes who suffered a season-ending neck injury against the San Diego Chargers. Johnson rushed for 1,750 yards in only nine starts and was named to the Pro Bowl. Despite winning 10 games, the Chiefs were the fourth team since 1990 to miss the playoffs with a 10-6 record. The Chiefs won the final game of the 2005 season by a score of 37-3 over the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals. Coach Vermeil announced his retirement following the game.



Within two weeks of Dick Vermeil's resignation, then-New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards had signed a new 4-year contract to coach the Chiefs. The negotiations with Edwards were controversial, as the Chiefs were deemed to be tampering with the Jets' head coach while he was still under contract. The 2006 Chiefs featured a weak outline of their previous offensive dominance, and the departure of left tackle Willie Roaf left a hole in the Chiefs' solid running game. Quarterback Trent Green suffered a severe concussion in the team's season opener to the Cincinnati Bengals which left him out of play for 8 weeks, leaving an even bigger blow to Kansas City's offense. No matter how much worry consumed Chiefs fans, backup quarterback Damon Huard took over in Green's absence and led the Chiefs to a winning record. Green returned by the end of the season, but struggled in the final stretch. Running back Larry Johnson still thrived in coach Edwards' offense which relied on a stiff running game and solid defensive ball control.

Kansas City was awarded a Thanksgiving night game against the Denver Broncos in response to owner Lamar Hunt's lobbying for the game to be held at Arrowhead Stadium. Hunt was hospitalized at the time of the game and died weeks later on December 13, 2006 due to complications brought on by a ten-year battle with prostate cancer. The Chiefs honored their owner for the remainder of the season, as well as the remainder of the league.

Kansas City managed to clinch their first playoff berth in 3 seasons with a 9-7 record following their owner's death. Entering the post-season, Kansas City's running game featuring Larry Johnson was matched up against the Indianapolis Colts' weak run defense and from the regular season. No matter how weak the Colts' defense was in the regular season, they shut down Johnson with under 100 yards rushing, and defeated Kansas City 23-8 in the wild card round.

Coach Edward's roster transition began to take full form by the start of the 2007 season. Trent Green was traded to the Miami Dolphins, leaving the door open for either Damon Huard or second-year quarterback Brodie Croyle to take the starting job. After starting the season 4-3, the Chiefs lost the remaining 9 games when Larry Johnson suffered a season-ending foot injury and the quarterback position lacked stability with Huard and Croyle. No matter how much the Chiefs lacked in 2007, 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.

Thanks to a potentially strong draft class, Kansas City will be a team to watch in the coming years due to a strong draft class now that their youth movement has fully begun. The Chiefs still don't know if third-year quarterback Brodie Croyle can be their quarterback of the future or if he can even be the quarterback for 2008 for that matter. While the Chiefs are committed to their youth movement, it is still unclear if Croyle will be part of the mix. Backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen could challenge Croyle for the starting position, so essentially, the starting quarterback position is up for grabs for the third consecutive year.

The team is committed to giving the third-year player the first crack at the job. Following the Chiefs' dismal 2007 season, head coach Herman Edwards and general manager Carl Peterson could be on the hot seat. Peterson and Edwards should be safe unless absolutely zero progress is made this season. However, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt has expressed his intent for a winning team in 2008.