KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The 'Kansas City Chiefs' are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL).
Originally called the 'Dallas Texans', the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs in 1963 after then-Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle guaranteed the team they would have increased ticket sales. The Chiefs then joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.
The Chiefs hold the distinction of being the second AFL team (after the New York Jets) to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

Franchise history

Main articles: History of the Kansas City Chiefs

AFL

In 1959 Lamar Hunt, son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, began discussions with other businessmen to establish an American football organization that would rival the National Football League. The organization would later be known as the American Football League, and Hunt established a team of his own for the league after being denied ownership of an NFL franchise. The 'Dallas Texans', as they were known then, shared the Cotton Bowl with the NFL's cross-town competition, the Dallas Cowboys.
In one of the Texans' biggest games, they defeated the Houston Oilers in a dramatic 1962 AFL Championship that went into double overtime. Until the December 25, 1971, playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins, the game was the longest ever played at over 77 minutes.
After three seasons — including an AFL championship in 1962 — it was apparent that Dallas couldn't support two teams. Hunt investigated opportunities to move his team to several cities for the 1963 season, wanting to find a city to which he could commute easily from Dallas. He eventually turned to Kansas City, where Mayor H. Roe Bartle persuaded him to move to the Midwest.^[1]
Most impressive about this move was the support the team received from the community even before the team announced the move. Hunt made the move dependent upon the ability of Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle and the Kansas City community to guarantee him 35,000 in season ticket sales. Hunt had arrived at this number because that was the Texans' average attendance at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Hunt, with a roster replete with players who had played college football in Texas, wanted to maintain a lineage to the team’s roots and wanted to call the club the "Kansas City Texans". "The Lakers stayed the Lakers when they moved from Minnesota to California", he reasoned. "But Jack Steadman convinced me that wasn’t too smart. It wouldn’t sell." The team was renamed the 'Kansas City Chiefs'—one of the most popular suggestions Hunt received in a name-the-team contest, along with "Kansas City Mules" — and began playing in Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium in 1963.
The name "Chiefs" is derived from Mayor Bartle, who 35 years prior, founded the Native American-based honor society known as ''The Tribe of Mic-O-Say'' within the Boy Scouts of America organization, which earned him the nickname, "The Chief."
The Texans/Chiefs franchise was the flagship team of the American Football League, with the most playoff appearances as an AFL team, six (tied with Oakland), the most American Football League Championships (3), and the most Super Bowl appearances, playing in the first Super Bowl, and in the last to be played between League champions. The Texans won the classic 1962 double-overtime AFL championship game against the Houston Oilers, 20-17, at the time the longest, and still one of the best professional football championship games ever played. The Chiefs dropped the first Super Bowl to the Packers, then pulverized the Vikings 23-7 in the final "true" AFL-NFL World Championship game after the AFL's last season in 1969. They had just one coach throughout their AFL history, Hall-of-Famer Hank Stram.
The Chiefs' first Kansas City home was at 22nd and Brooklyn, called Municipal Stadium, which opened in 1923 and had 49,002 seats. In 1972, the Chiefs moved into the new Arrowhead Stadium. Municipal Stadium, also formerly the home of the Kansas City Royals, the minor-league Kansas City Blues and, most successfully, the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs, was demolished in 1976 and is now a community garden. The Chiefs' first game at Arrowhead Stadium was against the St. Louis Cardinals (Chiefs 24, St. Louis Cardinals 14).
Arrowhead Stadium is half of the Truman Sports Complex, along with Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals Stadium). Kansas City was viewed as taking an unnecessary risk at the time by building two stadiums instead of the popular multi-use stadiums being built in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. However, with demolition in 2005 of St. Louis's Busch Stadium, the Truman Sports Complex has now outlived all of the multi-use stadiums built in the same era. While many applaud the Kansas City decision makers for this decision, the move was not quite by design. When it became readily apparent the old Municipal Stadium was not adequate for the Chiefs, the decision was made to build a multi-use stadium for the Chiefs and Charlie Finley's Kansas City A's. Finley proved to be too difficult to work with, demanding a "baseball stadium that could also be used for football" or a baseball only stadium, instead of the other way around.
After much vitriol behind the scenes, Finley decided to move the team to Oakland. However, the discussion made Bartle and his advisors convinced that one stadium would be good but not great. Thus, the decision was made to build two separate stadiums after Finley left town. Coincidentally, Finley moved to Oakland's Alameda County Coliseum, a multi-use stadium in which the A's have played since moving there in 1967.

1963-1970

As the Chiefs, under coach Hank Stram and with quarterback Len Dawson at the helm, the team played in the first Super Bowl, losing 35-10 to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. They earned revenge three years later, upsetting the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. The team's victory has been considered the "proof" that the AFC was "no fluke", with the Chiefs the enormous underdogs going into the game, the Chiefs cemented a future merger for the AFL and NFL. The Chiefs dominated on all sides of the ball in Super Bowl IV, dominating on both defense and offense.
With a high powered offense and blistering defense, Hank Stram's innovative play-calling would revolutionize the game. Stram would utilize audibles and line changes that would confuse opponents on the field, giving the Chiefs the advantage. The Chiefs would go on to win 43 games between 1966 and 1969. Five Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees played for the Chiefs in the era, including quarterback Len Dawson, linebackers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, defensive tackle Buck Buchanan and placekicker Jan Stenerud. Other notable players included wide receiver Otis Taylor, linebacker Jim Lynch, back-up quarterback Mike Livingston and running back Mike Garrett.

NFL

1971-1989

In 1971, the Chiefs made it back to the playoffs as they won the AFC West Title, but on Christmas Day of that season, they lost a double overtime heartbreaker to the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in and AFC Divisional Playoff game. The game would go one to be remembered as "", clocking in at 82 minutes. The previous longest game was the 1962 AFL Championship in which the Chiefs (then as the Texans) won in double overtime. Jan Stenerud missed two field goals and had another kick blocked in the playoff game. The Dolphins won on a 37-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. This game is considered as the start of a 18-year downturn in the Chiefs' fortunes. The game was also the last game the Chiefs played at Municipal Stadium.
The Chiefs slowly lost momentum as the 1970s progressed. Most of the greats from the championship years were gone by the middle of the decade, and a series of poor personnel decisions kept them from finding adequate replacements (for example, they didn't have a first-round draft pick in 1973 or 1975). In 1974--only three years after winning a division title--the Chiefs suffered their first losing season in 11 years, and Stram was fired after the season. Len Dawson retired after the 1975 season.
The team later compiled several bad seasons under coaches Paul Wiggin and Marv Levy. The worst was a 2-12 season in 1977--still the worst in franchise history; Wiggin was fired in the middle of the season. The club improved some under Levy, including a 9-7 record in 1981--the club's only winning record from 1974 through 1985. However, he was fired after a strike-shortened 1982. John Mackovic was hired in his place in 1983. By then Bill Kenney had been chosen to be the Chiefs' starting quarterback.
Surprisingly, the team went from 6-10 in 1985 to 10-6 in 1986. However, they lost the first round of the playoffs 35-15 to the New York Jets. Following the loss in the playoffs, Mackovic was fired. Frank Gansz was his replacement, but due to strike and bad management the team went back to losing for the two years under him. Art Still, Bill Maas, Deron Cherry, Albert Lewis, Stephone Paige, and Carlos Carson were some popular players from the 80s and some with the early 90s Chiefs.

1990s

In 1989, Carl Peterson became the team's new president and general manager. Peterson hired Marty Schottenheimer as the team's coach. Schottenheimer led the team to six straight playoff appearances, three AFC West championships, nine winning seasons, and 76 consecutive soldout games at Arrowhead in the 1990s. Schottenheimer's impressive 101-58-1 regular season record (.634) made the Chiefs the winningest team (by percentage) of the 1990s. The Chiefs re-established a strong fan base, and Arrowhead Stadium quickly began to sell out every home game, a streak still alive nearly 16 years later.
The Chiefs' popularity rose in the 1990s with their "college football game atmosphere" and noisy fans reaching over 120 decibels, a traditions still alive today. 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 team also had superstars in the early 1990s such as Derrick Thomas, Christian "The Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye, Dale Carter, and Deron Cherry.
After acquiring veteran quarterbacks Steve DeBerg and Dave Krieg with no results, the Chiefs traded for Joe Montana from the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 1993 season. Along with Marcus Allen from the Los Angeles Raiders, the Chiefs gained both a powerful passer and rusher to assist their powerful defense, advancing to the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs 30-13 to former coach Marv Levy and the Buffalo Bills.
Montana retired after the 1994 season and was replaced by Steve Bono, with Rich Gannon as backup. In 1995, the Chiefs went 13-3 and were the odds-on favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XXX. However, on a cold night full of dropped passes and missed field goals, they lost 10-7 against the Indianapolis Colts in the 1996 playoffs. During that game, kicker Lin Elliot made himself infamous for missing multiple field goals.
After going from 13-3 in 1997 with Rich Gannon filling in for the injured Elvis Grbac, the Chiefs suffered a to the Denver Broncos (10-14). In 1997, Schottenheimer chose to start Elvis Grbac as quarterback after a "quarterback controversy" started in training camp. After a loss to Denver, Grbac was injured and Rich Gannon took over. After going 5-1 during the season, Gannon was replaced by Grbac in the playoff game against Denver. The choice to play Grbac over Gannon still remains controversial in the minds of fans.
With Elvis Grbac back at the helm, the Chiefs fell to 7-9 in 1998. Marty Schottenheimer took much of the blame for his failed attempts in the playoffs and conservative style of coaching ("Martyball"), and resigned following the 1998 season.
After Schottenheimer's resignation,Gunther Cunningham the defense coordinator was promoted to head coach. He coached the next two seasons. Though in 1999, Cunningham's Chiefs (at the time 9-6) lost to the Oakland Raiders in the final game of the season after kicker Pete Stoyonavich missed an easy field goal. This loss meant the Chiefs would miss the playoffs for the second season in a row. In 2000 the Chiefs finished 7-9. Fed up, the Chiefs fired quarterback Elvis Grbac and coach Gunther Cunningham (Cunningham found out about his firing on the internet).

2000s

After coaching the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl and retiring, Dick Vermeil was lured out of retirement and took over as head coach in 2001. Vermeil brought many elements of "The Greatest Show on Turf" from St. Louis to Kansas City's own offense, but much like the Schottenheimer era in the 1990s, the offense didn't win any playoff games.
The Chiefs went 13-3 in 2003 and their offense, considered by many as one of the most powerful of all time, helped make Kansas City again a favorite to win Super Bowl XXXIX. 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 mighty homefield advantage of Arrowhead Stadium and their high-powered offense wouldn't lead the Chiefs to glory and the Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional playoffs 38-31 in an offensive shootout in which neither team punted, an NFL playoffs first.
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. The year also saw Larry Johnson start at running back in place of an injured Priest Holmes. But despite winning ten games, the Chiefs became just the fourth team in NFL history to go 10-6 and not reach the playoffs.
A tearful head coach Dick Vermeil announced his retirement before the final game of the 2005 season. Within two weeks, then-New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards had signed a new 4-year contract to coach the Chiefs. The 2006 Chiefs returned to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, only to lose 23-8 in the Wild Card round against their playoff nemesis, the Indianapolis Colts.
Meanwhile, Chiefs owner and founder Lamar Hunt died on December 13, 2006 due to complications brought on by a ten-year battle with prostate cancer. Hunt was remembered throughout the remainder of the 2006 season all throughout the NFL with moments of silence and ceremonies in Kansas City.

2007

Main articles: 2007 Kansas City Chiefs season

Almost immediately after the Chiefs' loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, the state of the team was brought into question. The Chiefs' off-season began with turmoil over the contract of Tony Gonzalez, and the long-term career of Trent Green in Kansas City. Backup quarterback Damon Huard was signed to a three-year contract in February and Green was not only asked to restructure his contract but offered in trades to other teams. They are projected by many analysts to get the first pick in the next ten NFL drafts.
On June 5, the Chiefs agreed to trade Green to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional fifth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, pending a physical from Green.^[2] The pick can be upgraded to a fourth-rounder if Green reaches certain predetermined playing time and performance levels.
The Chiefs look to improve on their 9-7 record from the 2006 season and begin a new era with Damon Huard as their starting quarterback.^[3]
The Chiefs' 2007 training camp was documented in the HBO/NFL Films documentary reality television series, '' ^[4] The series premiered on August 8, 2007.

Season-by-season records

Main articles: Kansas City Chiefs seasons

Logos and uniforms

Main articles: Logos and Uniforms of the Kansas City Chiefs

When the 'Dallas Texans' began playing in 1960, the team's logo consisted of the state of Texas in white with a yellow star marking the location of Dallas. Since moving to Kansas City in 1963, the team logo has been a white arrowhead bearing the initials "K.C."
The Chiefs' uniform design has essentially remained the same throughout the club's entire history. It consists of a red helmet, and either red or white jerseys with the opposite color numbers and names trimmed in yellow. White pants were used with both jerseys until 1969, when red pants were used with the white jerseys.
Even though many NFL teams in recent years have worn their dark jerseys with their dark pants, the Chiefs have to yet to unveil an all-red combination. The Chiefs also have yet to wear an alternate jersey in a game, although gold jerseys with red numbers trimmed in white, and black jerseys with red numbers trimmed in gold, are commonly available for sale in Kansas City-area sporting goods stores.

Homefield reputation

The Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium since 1972.

As of the end of the 2006 NFL season, Arrowhead Stadium has a consecutive sell-out record of 141 games (17 seasons) dating back to the home opener in 1990. The Chiefs have a 102-34 home record at Arrowhead stadium since 1990, the best in the NFL.
Arrowhead has long held a reputation for being one of the loudest outdoor stadiums in the NFL due to the exuberance of the Chiefs' fans.^[5]^[6] Fan generated noise was once measured at 116 decibels^[7] by the Acoustical Design Group of Mission, KS.^[8]^[9] This contributes to the unique "atmosphere" of the stadium, for which Sports Illustrated gave the Chiefs' home field, Arrowhead Stadium, the title of being the "Toughest Place to Play" for opposing teams. ^[10]
Arrowhead Stadium's tailgating environment is often compared to a "college football" atmosphere,^[11] with fans arriving hours before gametime and even staying in the parking lot hours after the game has ended. Many Chiefs fans are so devoted that some sit in the parking lot and listen to the game even while not possessing any tickets.
National anthem fly-by's have been a tradition throughout sports, but only the Kansas City Chiefs and Arrowhead Stadium have a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber perform this feat. This occurs at most Kansas City games, as the aircraft are based at Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster, Missouri (only about an hour away from the stadium).

Hospitality

At the end of the "Star Spangled Banner," fans intentionally yell "and the home of the CHIEFS!" where traditionally "the brave" is sung. This has led to some controversy, especially when Chiefs fans attend away games and continue the tradition. Only after the September 11, 2001 attacks did Chiefs fans refrain from doing so in honor of those who lost their lives, and continued to do so for the remainder of the 2001 season. The September 23 2001 home game versus the New York Giants—the first Kansas City regular season contest since the attacks—was one of the known few times in Chiefs history where the home crowd welcomed an opposing team onto the field without booing.^[12]

"The War Chant"

Fans' occasional use of "The War Chant", especially when playing the Washington Redskins has become a tradition and also a controversy among Native American activists who protest the chant.

Stadium music

The "TD Pack Band" leads the crowd from the southeast end-zone with live in-stadium music during Chiefs games since Arrowhead opened in 1973. It was led by Tony DiPardo who has written songs about the home team including "The Chiefs are on the Warpath" and "The Hank Stram Polka" for the man who presented Tony with a Super Bowl ring 30 years after the fact.
Tony (Mr. Music), now 95 years old, has been with the club since the beginning (1963) in old Municipal Stadium when his ensemble was named the "Zing Band." Tony was born on August 15, 1912 and grew up in an impoverished section of downtown St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony performed "Taps" on his trumpet at the Chiefs' final home game on December 31, 2006 vs the Jacksonville Jaguars in tribute to Lamar Hunt, owner and founder of the Chiefs.
Tony's daughter, Patti DiPardo-Livergood, has directed the TD Pack Band for the past 18 seasons, although Tony still plays his signature red lacquer trumpet in the band. Patti, an accomplished vocalist, sings the National Anthem at select Chiefs games throughout the season.
Throughout the years, kickoff has begun with in-stadium music from Mötley Crüe ("Wild Side" & "Kickstart My Heart"), Guns N' Roses (Sweet Child o' Mine), AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)", Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", "Sirius" by Alan Parsons Project, "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones and Ram Jam's "Black Betty".
Other songs played during games include Prince's "Let's Go Crazy", Archie Eversole's "We Ready", Rush's "Tom Sawyer", AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long", Eminem's "Lose Yourself", Heart's "Barracuda", P.O.D.'s "Boom" and even "The War Chant" conjured by the fans.

"We're gonna beat the hell outta you"

For numerous years up through the 2005 season, after every Chiefs touchdown, the crowd would chant "We're gonna beat the hell outta you...you...you, you, you, you", over Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2." The chant has been said to have originated from a similar chant (excluding profanity) from Wichita State University's fans at their now defunct football program's games.
Beginning with the 2006 season, the Chiefs organization has opted to honor the NFL's request that this song no longer be played at games following Glitter's conviction in Vietnam of child molestation.
After a vote was taken for the new touchdown song, Chiefs fans chose "Boom" by P.O.D. as the song to replace Glitter's song. "Red" by Sammy Hagar came in second in voting, and "Elevation" by U2 finished third. Though to satisfy fans not willing to lose a tradition, in the first game of the 2006 NFL season, a cover rendition of "Rock and Roll Part 2" performed by the Tube Tops 2000 was played, complete with the "We're gonna..." chant. The song has been played at every home game since.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Culture and gameday traditions

The Chiefs Radio Network

Since the 1989 season, KCFX, a.k.a "101 The FOX", has broadcast Chiefs games from the site of the games under the moniker of "The Chiefs Radio Network." Mitch Holthus acts as play-by-play announcer as Super Bowl IV MVP Len Dawson acts as color commentator. Bob Gretz gives updates from the field, as well as pre-game and post-game commentary. Legendary Chiefs broadcaster Bill Grigsby adds memories and perspective on game day.^[16] Mitch Holthus replaced Kevin Harlan, who had left the Chiefs Radio Network in 1994.
The Chiefs Radio Network has extended its broadcast rights to Chiefs game through the 2009 season. The current relationship between 101 the Fox and the Kansas City Chiefs represents the longest standing relationship in the NFL with an FM station. The Chiefs Radio Network extends throughout the six-state region of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, with over 60 affiliate stations., as well as an online stream of the broadcast on the internet.

Mascots

The mascot during the team's glory years at Municipal Stadium and until 1989 was the beautiful pinto horse named Warpaint. During its heyday, the first Warpaint (born 1955) was ridden bareback by rider Bob Johnson who wore full Indian headdress. Warpaint circled the field at the beginning of the game and then did a victory "dance" at each touchdown. The Chiefs are reportedly considering bringing Warpaint back in the near future.
In 1989 Warpaint was replaced by K.C. Wolf which is a man dressed in a wolf costume. K.C. Wolf was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame (MHOF) in 2006. He is nicknamed the 'Grand Daddy" of NFL mascots and he has averaged 350-400 appearances per year for the past 14 years.^[17]

Training Camp

Since 1991 the Chiefs have conducted summer training camp at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in River Falls, Wisconsin.
When the team was in Dallas, they held summer practice at Southern Methodist University, Lamar Hunt's alma mater. From 1966 to 1971, the Chiefs practiced in downtown Kansas City for training camp, and from 1972 to 1991^[18] the Chiefs held camp at William Jewell College in Clay County, Missouri—where Lamar Hunt had extensive business dealings including Worlds of Fun, Oceans of Fun and SubTropolis.

Team records and statistics

The following are team and league records. They may have been surpassed between the time of making the record and the current date. Records are listed in chronological order.

League records

★ 1966 'AFL:' Len Dawson ties Johnny Unitas (NFL's Baltimore Colts) for 4 seasons leading the league in touchdowns.

★ 1969 'AFL:' Len Dawson records 6 consecutive seasons leading the league in pass completions.

★ December 25, 1971: Ed Podolak amasses 350 all-purpose yards against the Miami Dolphins, a playoff record. The double-overtime game, at 82 minutes, 40 seconds, is the longest NFL game ever played.

★ 1975: Len Dawson records 8 seasons leading the league in pass completions.

★ November 11, 1990: Derrick Thomas sets league record for most sacks in a game with 7.0.

★ 1993: Nick Lowery sets record for most seasons with 100 or more points with 11.

★ 1993: Dave Krieg gets record 494 times sacked in a career. Kansas City fans like having that record broken in 1998 by John Elway.

★ 1995: Steve Bono sets record for the longest run by a quarterback in NFL history with a 76-yard touchdown scramble against the Arizona Cardinals on October 1, 1995.

★ 1998: Chiefs set the record for most penalties (158) and most penalty yardage (1,304) in a season.

★ 2002: Morten Andersen sets record with 40 field goals over 50 yards in a career.

★ December 22, 2002: Trent Green to Marc Boerigter tied for longest pass completion of 99 yards.

★ 2003: Morten Andersen of Kansas City and Gary Anderson of Pittsburgh tie for most seasons with 100 or more points with 14.

★ 2003: Morten Andersen has record 316 consecutive scoring games.

★ 2003: Dante Hall ties league record with 4 kick-returns for touchdowns in a single season.

★ 2003: Priest Holmes sets league record for most touchdowns as well as most rushing touchdowns with 27.(Broken in 2005 by Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.)

★ October 24, 2004: the Chiefs completed 8 rushing touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons, setting the league record for most rushing touchdowns in a single game, four by Priest Holmes and four by Derrick Blaylock.^[19]

★ October 2, 2005: Dante Hall ties league record with 6 career kickoff returns for touchdowns.

★ October 21, 2005: The Chiefs became the only NFL team to travel and play an away game on the same day. The approach of Hurricane Wilma prompted the Commissioner on October 20 to move up the game vs. the Miami Dolphins from Sunday to Friday, requiring a waiver of the rule requiring both teams to be in the game city at least 24 hours before kickoff. The Chiefs went on to win the game by a score of 30-20.

★ November 20, 2005: Tony Gonzalez sets a new record, becoming the first tight end with at least 50 receptions in eight consecutive seasons. The previous record was held by Shannon Sharpe, who accomplished the feat with Denver between 1992–98.^[20]

★ December 24, 2005: Chiefs extend their December home win streak to 18 games—the longest in the NFL since 1970—and giving them a 20-1 December home record since 1995. Their last loss at home in December was versus the Indianapolis Colts on December 15, 1996. (The streak was broken in their next opportunity, on December 10, 2006, with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.)

★ December 31, 2006: Running back Larry Johnson finishes the regular season with 416 carries, breaking the previous record of 410 carries set by Atlanta's Jamal Anderson in 1998.

Franchise records

★ 1987: Gary Spani records his team-record 999th career tackle and retires in the off-season.

★ 1990: Derrick Thomas sets team record with 20.0 sacks in a season.

★ November 11, 1990: Derrick Thomas established an NFL single-game record with 7.0 sacks in an inspiring Veterans Day performance vs. Seattle. The game was won by the Seahawks 17-16, after a last-second 25-yard TD pass to WR Paul Skansi by future Chiefs QB Dave Krieg. Kreig barely slipped out of Thomas' arms for what would have been the record breaking eighth sack.

★ 1995: Chiefs make team record sixth consecutive playoff berth.

★ 1996: Chiefs have first 4-0 start.

★ 2001: Priest Holmes sets the team single-season rushing record with 1,555 yards.

★ 2002: Team sets franchise record for most offensive yards with 6,000.

★ 2002: Priest Holmes sets the team single-season rushing record with 1,615 yards.

★ 2002: Mike Maslowski sets the team single-season tackles record with 162 tackles (109 solo).

★ November 9, 2003: the Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns (41-20), winning their ninth straight game which sets a new franchise record for consecutive victories.

★ 2003: Priest Holmes surpasses Otis Taylor for most career touchdowns by a Chief.

★ November 28, 2004: Dante Hall sets team record with 213 kickoff returns.

★ December 5, 2004: Will Shields extends team record of consecutive starts to 187 (actual consecutive games also a team record of 188).

★ December 5, 2004: Trent Green extends team record of consecutive quarterback starts to 60.

★ October 21, 2005: Priest Holmes surpasses Christian Okoye's previous record of 1246 career carries as a Chief.

★ January 1, 2006: Tony Gonzalez sets a new record of 84 consecutive games with at least one reception, surpassing Stephone Paige (83 games in 1985–91).^[21]

★ January 1, 2006: After only his ninth game start in the season, Larry Johnson surpasses Priest Holmes's single-season rushing record with 1,750 yards and scores a career-high three touchdowns in one game. This is also his ninth straight 100-yard game (including two 200-yard performances) to tie him for third-longest streak in NFL history with Walter Payton, Fred Taylor and Deuce McAllister. (During the 2006 season Johnson surpasses this record with 1,789 yards in 16 games.)

★ November 5, 2006: Tony Gonzalez Most receiving touchdowns in team history as he catches # 58 & # 59 surpassing the previous record holder, Otis Taylor.

Players of note

Current roster

Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees

	Retired numbers

Chiefs Hall of Fame

'External Link': Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame

''1970s'' 1970 Lamar Hunt, team Founder and Owner 1971 #36 Mack Lee Hill, Running Back 1972 #75 Jerry Mays, Defensive Tackle 1973 #84 Fred Arbanas, Tight End 1974 #42 Johnny Robinson, Safety 1975 #88 Chris Burford, Receiver 1976 #55 E.J. Holub, Center/Linebacker 1977 #77 Jim Tyrer, Offensive Tackle 1978 #21 Mike Garrett, Running Back 1979 #16 Len Dawson, Quarterback	''1980s'' 1980 #78 Bobby Bell, Linebacker 1981 #86 Buck Buchanan, Defensive Tackle 1982 #89 Otis Taylor, Wide Receiver 1983 No induction 1984 #71 Ed Budde, Guard 1985 #63 Willie Lanier, Linebacker 1986 #18 Emmitt Thomas, Cornerback 1987 Hank Stram, Coach 1988 #44 Jerrel Wilson, Punter 1989 #14 Ed Podolak, Running Back \|-	''1990s'' 1990 #51 Jim Lynch, Linebacker 1991 #28 Abner Haynes, Running Back 1992 #3 Jan Stenerud, Kicker 1993 #69 Sherrill Headrick, Linebacker 1994 #58 Jack Rudnay, Center 1995 #32 Curtis McClinton, Running Back 1996 #20 Deron Cherry, Safety 1997 #73 Dave Hill, Tackle 1998 #67 Art Still, Defensive End 1999 #34 Lloyd Burruss, Cornerback	''2000s'' 2000 #35 Christian Okoye, Running Back 2001 #58 Derrick Thomas, Linebacker 2002 #76 John Alt, Offensive Tackle 2003 #59 Gary Spani, Linebacker 2004 #37 Joe Delaney, Running Back 2005 Jack Steadman, team Vice Chairman, led building of Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums 2006 #90 Neil Smith, Defensive End

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Current staff

Notes and references

1. Covitz, Randy; Pulliam, Kent. Chiefs' founder Lamar Hunt dies ''Kansas City Star'', 14 December 2006.
2. Pasquarelli, Len. Green goes to Dolphins from Chiefs in trade ''ESPN.com'', 5 June 2007.
3. Huard named starting quarterback ''Kansas City Star'', 25 August 2007.
4. Chiefs to be featured in HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer ''KCChiefs.com'', 2 June 2007.
5. http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/afc/ArrowheadStadium.htm
6. http://zachishere.com/2006/11/23/arrowhead-stadium-quotes/
7. By way of comparison, take-off of aircraft may lead to a sound level of more than 100 decibels at the ground.
8. Chiefs ready for playoff nemesis Indianapolis ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'',11 January 2004
9. http://www.adgkc.com/
10. Sports Illustrated's 2005 poll: "Toughest Places to Play"
11. Crumpacker, John. 49ers have to cope with the din of Arrowhead ''San Francisco Chronicle'', 1 October 2006.
12. Giants beat Chiefs 13-3 in defensive struggle ''Associated Press'', 24 September 2001.
13. Christopher Jr., Hearne.Part 3: Chiefs still ‘Rock and Roll’ ''Kansas City Star'', September 1, 2006.
14. Cross, William."Chiefs eke out just enough offense", ''Lawrence Journal-World'', 27 August 2006.
15. NFL Asks Teams To Stop Playing Gary Glitter Song ''Associated Press'', 18 September 2006.
16. 101 The FOX extends Kansas City Chiefs radio broadcast rights through 2009 season ''KCChiefs.com'', 24 August 2006.
17. MHOF 2006 Inductees''Mascot Hall of Fame''
18. Kansas City Chiefs History 1990s ''KCChiefs.com''
19. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20041024012
20. Chiefs' Gonzalez sets new mark for TEs
21. Chiefs beat Bengals, but miss playoffs

External links

★ Kansas City Chiefs - Official site

★ Year by Year Statistics (pdf)

★ Sports E-Cyclopedia.com

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