Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs play in the National Football League’s American Football Conference (West) division, their home ground being the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was founded in 1960 originally as the Dallas Texans by businessmen, Lamar Hunt, and was one of the original members of the American Football League. The team moved to Kansas City in 1963 assuming their current name and have been in Kansas ever since.

The team has appeared at two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1969, winning the latter against the Minnesota Vikings. As of 2016, they are now also the only NFL team based in Missouri after the St Louis Rams relocated to Los Angeles.

Fast Facts

• Full Name: Kansas City Chiefs
• Conference: American Football Conference
• Division: West
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium Name: Arrowhead Stadium
• Year Established: 1960
• Owner: The Hunt family
• Head Coach: Andy Reid
• Manager: Brett Veach
• Nickname: None
• Mascot: Warpaint, K.C. Wolf
• Team Colours: Red, gold, white

History

The Kansas City Chiefs were formed in 1960 by Texan businessman, Lamar Hunt, and were originally based in Texas – known as the Dallas Texans. Founding members of the American Football League, they eventually moved to Kansas City, taking on the name Kansas City Chiefs in 1963. 1966 saw them win 11 games in the season capturing the AFL title, which then led to them to face against the Green Bay Packers in the first ever AFL-NFL World Championship game, losing 35-10.

1969 saw the Chiefs have the league’s leading defense, which included luminaries, such as Buck Buchanan and Willie Lanier. Winning the AFL Championship, they earned a place in Super Bowl IV where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in what was to be the final game that would ever be played by an American Football league franchise, as the AFL and NFL would merge before the next season. Whilst 1971 was decent season for the Chiefs as they made the playoffs, they then entered a disastrous period in their history where they posted losing records in nine out of the 14 seasons between 1972 and 1985, failing to make the playoffs in every one of those years.

Marty Schottenheimer was brought in as head coach in 1989 to try and turn the Chiefs around and he began by drafting linebacker, Derrick Thomas, who was a big help in driving Kansas to a playoff berth. 1993 saw the Chiefs play in the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills. Despite sterling work by quarterback, Joe Montana, they were defeated by the Buffalo Bills. 1995 saw them win 13 games thanks to some excellent defensive work from Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith but were put out of the playoffs in the first round in an upset by the Indianapolis Colts. 1997 was another good season but it once again saw them defeated in the first playoff game against their rivals the Denver Broncos.

This defeat led to a five year playoff drought which only ended when the Chiefs won their division in 2003. Once again though, despite having some fantastic players, such as running back, Priest Holmes, and tight end, Tony Gonzalez, they once again tasted defeat in the first round. Since 2003, the Chiefs have won one more divisional championship and have made the playoffs four more times but have never managed to reach the dizzying heights of the Super Bowl again.

Super Bowl Appearances

2025 Super Bowl LIX Philadelphia Eagles 40 – Kansas City Chiefs 22

All of the pre-game talk was around the Kansas City Chiefs becoming the first team to achieve a three-peat, having won Super Bowls LVII and LVIII over the previous two years. It was their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six years, having won three and lost one of their previous four. When they found themselves 24-0 down at half-time it was clear it was always likely to be tough ask, with not even a final quarter rally that saw them win that 16-6 being enough to get them back into the match, which they lost 40-22.

2024 Super Bowl LVIII Kansas City Chiefs 25 – San Francisco 49ers 22

The Kansas City Chiefs arrived at Super Bowl LVIII having appeared in three of the previous four Super Bowls, winning two of them. Their Super Bowl LIV victory came at the expense of the San Francisco 49ers, so there was a degree of confidence around the team that they could claim the win, even when they were 10-3 down after the second quarter. The game went into overtime when the game finished 19-19 in normal time, with the Chiefs taking OT 6-3 as Patrick Mahomes won another MVP titles.

2023 Super Bowl LVII Kansas City Chiefs 38 – Philadelphia Eagles 35

Super Bowl LVII was the Kansas City Chiefs’ fifth overall and their third in the previous four seasons having beaten the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and then lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a year later. They were considered to be the underdogs heading into this game, but their experience ended up telling in a tight game. The first quarter ended 7-7, but the Eagles proved why they were the favourites when the won the second 17-7. A 7-3 win for the Chiefs in the third and a final quarter win of 17-8 was enough to win 38-35.

2021 Super Bowl LV Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 – Kansas City Chiefs 9

The Kansas City Chiefs went into Super Bowl LV as the defending Super Bowl champions and were considered the favourites to win it again. When they failed to score a touchdown under quarterback Patrick Mahomes, however, it meant that they were always going to struggle to keep up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the end, they lost the first three quarters and failed to score in the fourth, which ended 0-0, meaning that veteran quarterback Tom Brady emerged with the MVP title and his team won 31-9.

2020 Super Bowl LIV Kansas City Chiefs 31 – San Francisco 49ers 20

Having seen the New England Patriots playing in the previous three Super Bowls, it was a welcome change for everyone that the Kansas City Chiefs won the American Football Conference in 2020. With the previous year’s Super Bowl being a defensive masterclass, there was plenty for Chiefs fans to shout about thanks to a 7-3 win in the first quarter only to lose by the same scoreline in the second. They lost 10-0 in the third to make things dicey, but emerged from the final quarter with a 21-0 score and a 31-20 win overall.

1970 Super Bowl IV Minnesota Vikings 7 – Kansas City Chiefs 23

Super Bowl IV was the Kansas City Chiefs’ second and so far final appearance in the Super Bowl. It was also the final AFL-NFL World Championship game before the AFL and NFL merged. The game was played at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans and saw the Kansas City Chiefs dominate their opponents in every quarter outscoring the Minnesota Vikings in every quarter save the last, which was score-free.

1967 Super Bowl I Kansas City Chiefs 10 – Green Bay Packers 35

Played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California in front of a crowd in excess of 60,000 and a TV audience of over 50 million viewers. Known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, it was christened Super Bowl I retroactively. The Chiefs came into the game with a 11-2-1 record but were the underdogs, many people believed that AFL teams in general were inferior. Unfortunately, the Chiefs were outplayed on the day by the Green Bay Packers and lost 35-10 in the only Super Bowl game to be covered live by two networks – CBS and NBC.

Stadium

The Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City is the Chief’s home ground and has been since 1972. Part of the Truman Sports Complex, it is next door to the Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. The Arrowhead Stadium has a total capacity of 76,416, which makes it the 28th largest stadium in North America and the fifth biggest in the NFL.

Opening officially in 1973, it was the first NFL stadium to have arrows on the yard markers to help identify the nearest goal line – a practice which would gradually spread to other stadiums across the country. The stadium was the recipient of some badly needed renovations in 2007 and there was a total of $375 million spent upgrading the facilities. The renovated stadium now features the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame – a tribute to Lamar Hunt and changes to the luxury suites.

The stadium is known as one of the most atmospheric in the NFL and the Chiefs’ passionate fans reclaimed their record for the most crowd noise at their game against the New Orleans Saints on 29 September 2014, recording a total of 142.2 decibels.

Famous Players

Derek Thomas

Although he only had a relatively short career, Derrick Thomas made a huge impact. Drafted fourth overall in 1989, he went on to become the defensive leader of the Chiefs, setting team records for safeties, sacks, fumble recoveries, and forced fumbles. Being one of only 22 NFL players ever to have more than 100 sacks to their name, Derrick Thomas is a true Chiefs legend.

Len Dawson

Len Dawson led the Kansas City Chiefs to their one and only Super Bowl championship. While his stats compared to some other quarterbacks may not seem anything special. However, there is so much more to being a quarterback and Len Dawson was a true leader, as well as being a talented player. He will always be looked back on fondly by Chiefs fans thanks to his pivotal role in their Super Bowl win.

Tony Gonzalez

Many people consider Tony Gonzalez as the best tight end ever to play in the NFL, as he currently holds the record for most receiving yards by a tight end. He was also selected to ten continuous Pro Bowls. Whilst he never was able to win a Super Bowl in his time at the Chiefs, he will go down as one of their (and the NFL’s) best players ever.

Buck Buchanan

Buck Buchanan was the first ever black player to be drafted number one overall. With the Chiefs, he went on to become one of the most effective and intimidating defensive linemen ever to play the game. Playing six All-Star games and two Pro Bowls, he will go down as one of the best ever players to play for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Did You Know?

• The original owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt, was the first person to coin the phrase ‘Super Bowl’.
• Before moving to Kansas City, the Chiefs were known as the Dallas Texans.
• The champions of the AFC are awarded the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the Chiefs and a founder of the American Football League.
• Kansas City fans are the loudest in the NFL, recording a huge 142.2 decibels.
• Celebrity fans of the Kansas City Chiefs include Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, and Brad Pitt.