The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the longest histories of any AFL team, and are one of the best teams currently in the AFC, as well as this year’s AFC representative in the Super Bowl. Led by the dynamic Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are finally back to being a contender and run one of the best offenses in the league with the ability to break plays at any time. Their defense still needs some work, but the Chiefs are primed to be contenders for the Super Bowl for years to come, especially with their young franchise quarterback.
With the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, it’s time to learn a little more about who they are, where they came from and other surprising facts that you might now have known about them. They are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL today, even if they don’t have a massive collection of Super Bowl trophies.
18 Not As Valuable As Your Think
Despite the Kansas City Chiefs being one of the best teams in the NFL today, they aren’t even in the top half of the league in terms of value. According to Forbes, the Chiefs have a value of $2.3 billion, which makes them the 24th most valuable team. So they are only more valuable than eight other teams. I’m sure this Super Bowl appearance will improve that.
17 Long Wait Between Super Bowls
With the Kansas City Chiefs earning a spot in Super Bowl 54, it ends a 50-year streak of not having played in the big game. The last time they played in the Super Bowl was the 4th edition of the big game, which back then was still called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
16 Played In First Super Bowl
Kansas City actually played in the first Super Bowl game against the Green Bay Packers, losing 35-10 in that game. It was the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game and the Chiefs were representing the AFL. The game was played back in 1967 in Los Angeles in front of 61,000 fans.
15 They Didn’t Always Call KC Home
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t actually start in Kansas City. Their heritage actually started in Dallas, where they were known as the Texans. In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City after the owner realized his team couldn’t compete with the already established Dallas Cowboys. They only played three seasons in Dallas and have no connection with the current Houston Texans.
14 AFL Founders
The Kansas City Chiefs were actually a founding member of the AFL, as original owner Lamar Hunt wanted in the NFL, but they said no to his team in Dallas, so he started his own league and founded his own team to compete against the NFL. The leagues would eventually join together and the AFL would turn into the AFC.
13 Loudest Fans
The Kansas City Chiefs are known for their loud fans, so much so, that they hold the World Record for the loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium at 142.2 dbA. It was achieved in September 2014 when they played the New England Patriots and the defense sacked quarterback Tom Brady.
12 Pioneers At Linebacker
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Willie Lanier in the second round of the 1967 draft and he would go on to become the first black middle linebacker in professional football. He told Sports Illustrated he takes a lot of pride in helping to break barriers and revolutionize the position. He played 11 seasons with the Chiefs and is a football Hall of Famer.
11 Lucky 13?
The Kansas City Chiefs have had 13 head coaches in their franchise history, with the longest being the first coach, Hank Stram. Marty Schottenheimer lasted 10 seasons and today’s head coach, Andy Reid, is currently in his 7th season as the head bench boss and has only missed the playoffs once in that span.
10 Post-Season Losers
Despite a history going back to 1960, the Kanas City Chiefs have only played in 31 playoff games, and actually have a losing record in the playoffs with a 12-19 record. Five of those wins came between their first AFL title in 1962, and four more during their two Super Bowl runs. Since 1970, the Chiefs have only won 7 other playoff games, with a losing streak going from 1970 to 1991.
9 Own The Division
The Kansas City Chiefs have owned the AFC West division over the last five seasons, as since 2015, they have a 27-3 record against divisional opponents. That is the best five-year stretch for any team versus their own division since the AFL-NFL merger took place and has helped them win numerous division titles.
8 All-Pro Kelce
Tight end Travis Kelce is arguably the best tight end in the game today and set himself an NFL record this year when he hit the 1000 yard mark. That’s because, it was his fourth straight season doing it, making him the first tight end in NFL history to do.
7 The Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent at the quarterback position, and in just three short seasons, two of which he has been the starter, Mahomes has passed for over 9,000 yards and over 75 touchdowns in just 30 games, making him the fastest player in NFL history to do so.
6 Always On The Field
Offensive tackles don’t get a lot of headlines, but Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz should, as he keeps showing up to working and grinding out games. His 128 consecutive games streak is still going, tying him for second-most in league history with quarterback Russell Wilson. He still has a ways to go to beat Philip Rivers 224 game streak.
5 Respect The Kicker
Kickers don’t get a lot of attention either, but the Chiefs Harrison Butker is a big reason they are successful. Through his first three seasons in the NFL, Butker has 426 points scored, which is the most of any player through their first three seasons in NFL history. It helps when the Chiefs offense puts him in position plenty of times.
4 All-Time Leading Scorer
The all-time leading scorer on the Chiefs is another placekicker. Nick Lowery was the kicker for the Chiefs from 1980 to 1993 and scored 1,466 points during that time. It helps that kickers get plenty of chances and account for field goals and extra points on their total. It’s still impressive to see how many kicks he made.
3 Doctor In The House
If someone were to get hurt, the Chiefs wouldn’t have to turn to their medical staff, they could turn to the offensive line. Lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif finished his medical degree while playing for the team and will become the first medical doctor to play in the NFL and of course, the Super Bowl.
2 Before The Wolf
Before the Kansas City Chiefs adopted K.C. Wolf as their mascot back in 1989, their mascot was Warpaint, which was a horse ridden by a man wearing a full native chief headdress. That type of mascot probably wouldn’t fly today, especially with how many issues the Washington Redskins have had over their name.
1 Trumpeter
Another notable face at Kansas City games was Tony DiPardo, who between 1963 and 2008, was the team’s trumpet player and part of the Zing Band who played live music at every Chiefs game. He even got himself a Super Bowl ring for the team’s victory in Super Bowl 4. He sadly passed away in 2011 at 98 years old.