KCCKansas City Chiefs

Franchise history

The Kansas City Chiefs originated as the Dallas Texans, founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt as a charter franchise of the American Football League, which Hunt organized after the NFL declined to expand into Dallas. The Texans won the 1962 AFL championship in a marathon double-overtime game, but struggled to draw fans while competing directly with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. In 1963, Kansas City mayor Harold Roe Bartle lured Hunt's team north with promises of expanded ticket sales and stadium upgrades; the club was renamed the Chiefs in honor of Bartle's own nickname, "Chief," earned through his involvement with a Boy Scouts honor society. The Chiefs adopted red and gold, colors they retain today.

Kansas City played at Municipal Stadium before moving into Arrowhead Stadium in 1972, which became renowned as one of the loudest venues in professional sports. The Hunt family franchise won three AFL titles (1962, 1966, 1969) and capped the AFL era with a Super Bowl IV victory over Minnesota in January 1970 — validating the AFL shortly before the AFL-NFL merger. A long championship drought followed, including a stretch of losing ten of twelve playoff games between 1993 and 2017.

The drought ended emphatically under head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who since 2018 have led Kansas City to five Super Bowl appearances and titles in Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII, establishing a modern dynasty. Clark Hunt, Lamar's son, has chaired the franchise since 2006.

Sources

• Pro Football Reference
• Wikipedia
• Pro Football Hall of Fame

Super Bowl Champions won (4)

• Super Bowl IV - 1969
• Super Bowl LIV - 2019
• Super Bowl LVII - 2022
• Super Bowl LVIII - 2023

Runner-up finishes (3)

• Super Bowl I - 1966
• Super Bowl LV - 2020
• Super Bowl LIX - 2024

See the full super bowl champions list for the winner each of these years.