Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the original American Football League (AFL) teams. The team was established in 1960 with Lamar Hunt being granted the right to own and operate the franchise. The club was originally known as the Dallas Texans (1960-1962).

From 1960 to 1969, they were part of the AFL’s Western Division, moving to Kansas City and becoming the Chiefs in 1963. Hunt moved the team because it became clear after just a few years in Dallas that the city and area could not support two professional football teams. In 1970 when the AFL and NFL merged, Kansas City became a part of the American Football Conference’s West Division.

The Chiefs were Super Bowl Champions in 1969 when they beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in the fourth AFL-NFL championship battle. The club won seven Division Championships (1962, 1966 AFL West and 1971, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003 AFC West). They hold no conference titles but have been victorious in three AFL title games (1962, 1966, 1969).

The Hunt Family owns the team with Clark Hunt serving as chairman of the board. Carl Peterson, who has been with the organization since 1989, is the team’s general manager. Former New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards was chosen to head then team in 2008.

Various men associated with the team have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They include cornerback Emmitt Thomas (1966-1978), head coach Hank Stram (1960-1974) and placekicker Jan Stenerud (1967-1979 Chiefs; 1980-1983 Green Bay Packers and 1984-1985 Minnesota Vikings).

Thomas, who played his entire career with the Chiefs, gathered in 58 interceptions, running five back for touchdowns. He played on three Super Bowl championship teams, was selected for the Pro Bowl five-times and was an All-Pro on three occasions.

Stram coached the team from 1960-1974, taking them to a Super Bowl V victory versus the Minnesota Vikings. Stram took the Chiefs to the AFL crown four times and won each one, finishing with a regular season record of 131-97-0 and a post-season mark of 5-3-0.

Stenerud was a soccer style kicker who displayed amazing accuracy. He scored a total of 1,699 points, hitting 66.8-percent of his field goals and 96.5-percent of his extra points. The placekicker was calm and cool under pressure and had a reputation for rarely missing.

The first home for this club was the Cotton Bowl (1960-1962). In 1963, they settled into Municipal Stadium in Kansas City and started to develop their team personality. In 1972, the Chiefs moved to Arrowhead Stadium. Today, they still call that forum home.