NFL Team by Team Guide: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt as the Dallas Texans. They were a charter member of the American Football League and in 1963 moved to Kansas City to become the Chiefs. Hunt was very influential in the merger between the AFL and the NFL in 1970.

The Chiefs have plenty of successful history dating back to the AFL where they won three championships. They were the second AFL team to win what was then called the AFL-NFL World Championship game.

Kansas City games can be viewed on CBS, FOX Sports, NBC, ESPN, and ABC on both regional and national broadcasts. Fans can watch almost the complete Chiefs schedule via live stream by using a streaming service like fuboTV or HULU.

Home of the Chiefs

Upon moving to Kansas City, the Chiefs began playing at the old Municipal Stadium until 1971. In 1972, the Chiefs moved into Arrowhead Stadium, one of the iconic NFL stadiums that have survived the times. Seating 76,416 fans for Chiefs home games, Arrowhead Stadium is the NFL’s sixth-largest by capacity.

Championship History

The Chiefs have had several periods of great success throughout franchise history. They have won a total of 12 division titles, two of which were in the old AFL. Kansas City won three AFL titles and played in two of the four pre-merger Super Bowls.

The Chiefs have won two Super Bowls – 1969 and 2019 – exactly 50 years apart. Kansas City has made 22 trips to the postseason in franchise history.

Best of the Chiefs

Without Lamar Hunt, the American Football League would have never existed. Hunt was the principal founder of the league and founder of the Chiefs franchise back in 1960. He was also crucial in the merger between the AFL and NFL in 1970. It is believed the term “Super Bowl” came from Hunt whose children had been playing with a Super Ball toy. The third league championship game in 1969 was the first official game named the “Super Bowl.”

Buck Buchanan was the first overall pick in the 1963 AFL draft. He would go on to lead Kansas City to the 1969 Super Bowl victory. He was a six-time AFL All-Star and a two-time Pro Bowl selection after the AFL-NFL merger in 1960. Buchanan is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

Quarterback Len Dawson was the leader of those early Chiefs teams that had success in the AFL. He was a six-time AFL All-Star and the league’s MVP in 1962. He led the AFL in passing touchdowns four times and led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl IV championship. He was also the MVP of that game.

Linebacker Derrick Thomas was the fourth overall pick in the 1989 draft. He would go on to earn nine Pro Bowl berths in his eleven NFL seasons. He was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1989, the sacks leader in 1990, and holds the NFL single-game record with seven sacks. He was the NFL Man of the Year in 1993 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

Author: Dan Anderson