In 1959, Lamar Hunt wanted a football franchise. So he created one, and a league to go with it. In 1960, the AFL and the Dallas Texans were born. It didn’t take long to see success as the team won the AFL championship in their third year. But Hunt wasn’t happy in Dallas, with an NFL team sharing the fanbase, so he headed for Kansas City, and the team became known as the Chiefs. With the powerful Redwood Forest defense the Chiefs would end up with three AFL championships and win Super Bowl 4 before the merger.
The Chiefs had a rough year following the merger but won the division the following year. However, the Chiefs would not see the playoffs again in the ’70s. In fact, they wouldn’t see them until 1986 when they made it to the wild card game, losing to the New York Jets. In 1989, Marty Schottenheimer was hired on as head coach.
He quickly turned the team around. Starting in 1993 and ’94, winning records and playoffs again became the norm for the Chiefs. In 1997, following a 13-3 season the Chiefs lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the playoffs. Following the 1998 season, after a successful time with the Chiefs, Schottenheimer resigned. Gunther Cunningham was promoted to the position. He would only last two seasons and during this time two key players would sign with other teams and a third would pass away from complications from injuries suffered in a car accident. Dick Vermeil was Cunningham’s replacement.
By 2003, with a fresh focus on offense, Vermeil had the team back with a winning record, and the following year they were playoff bound. The Chiefs would lose to the Colts 38-31 in a thrilling game with no punts. Although 2005 saw the team finish with a 10-6 record, they would miss out on the playoffs. Vermeil announced his retirement prior to the final game of the season.
With Herm Edwards as the new coach, the team was back in the playoffs in 2006. The trade of Trent Green however marked a slide for the Chiefs with the exception of 2010 and 2011. With the hiring of Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith, things have changed for them.
The team has been a major threat in the league in the past number of years. And now with probable future hall of famer Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and the Super Bowl trophy in their display case in Kansas City, it appears this team may be on the verge of starting a true football dynasty.
The Chiefs will be defending their Super Bowl title in 2023, but it won’t be easy with division rivals Broncos, Raiders, and Chargers looking to take them down.
Watch the Chiefs defend their title every game for free on NFL Webcast! You don’t need to sign up and there are no blackouts. Four high-quality streams will allow you to watch the game from anywhere on any device. Come to NFL Webcast so you can be sure you don’t miss a second of what is sure to be a thrilling 2023 run!