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The Kansas City Chiefs are Kansas City’s National Football League franchise, founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by oil heir Lamar Hunt — a charter member of the American Football League. The team relocated to Kansas City in 1963 and was renamed the Chiefs in honor of Mayor H. Roe Bartle, nicknamed “The Chief,” who lured the franchise to town. The Chiefs won Super Bowl IV (January 1970), joined the NFL in the 1970 merger, and have played at Arrowhead Stadium since 1972. Owned continuously by the Hunt family, the team became a modern dynasty under quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid, winning Super Bowls LIV (2020), LVII (2023), and LVIII (2024).

Origin, relocation, and name

The franchise was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, a charter member of the new American Football League established by Lamar Hunt after the NFL rebuffed his attempts to acquire a team.12 Unable to share the Dallas market with the NFL Cowboys, Hunt moved the team to Kansas City in 1963 at the urging of Mayor H. Roe Bartle, who promised strong attendance support.23 A fan contest renamed the team the “Chiefs” — honoring Bartle’s nickname “The Chief” (from his leadership of the Boy Scout Tribe of Mic-O-Say).34 The team played its early Kansas City seasons at Municipal Stadium.1

AFL era and Super Bowl IV

As an AFL power, the team won three AFL championships — 1962 (as the Dallas Texans), 1966, and 1969.12 It played in the first Super Bowl (Super Bowl I), losing to the Green Bay Packers 35–10 on January 15, 1967, and then won Super Bowl IV, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 23–7 on January 11, 1970 — the last game before the AFL–NFL merger took full effect.25 The Chiefs joined the NFL in the 1970 merger.1

Arrowhead Stadium

The Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium (now GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium) since it opened in 1972, part of the Truman Sports Complex shared with the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium.67 Renowned for crowd noise, Arrowhead holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium — 142.2 decibels, set on September 29, 2014.6

Ownership

The Chiefs have been owned by the Hunt family since their founding.89 Founder Lamar Hunt — a principal founder of the AFL (one of the “Foolish Club” of eight owners) who coined the term “Super Bowl” — died December 13, 2006.910 His son Clark Hunt has served as chairman and CEO, with ownership shared among Lamar Hunt’s children.11

The Mahomes–Reid dynasty

Under head coach Andy Reid (hired 2013) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (the starter from 2018), the Chiefs became the NFL’s dominant franchise of the era, winning eight straight AFC West titles through 2023.1213 They won:

  • Super Bowl LIV (Feb 2020) — 31–20 over the San Francisco 49ers, the franchise’s first title since Super Bowl IV.14
  • Super Bowl LVII (Feb 2023) — 38–35 over the Philadelphia Eagles.12
  • Super Bowl LVIII (Feb 2024) — 25–22 in overtime over the San Francisco 49ers; three titles in five seasons, with Mahomes a three-time Super Bowl MVP.1215

The team’s Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024 ended in tragedy when a mass shooting outside Union Station killed local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan and wounded more than 20 others — see 2024-chiefs-parade-shooting.16

Sources

See also

Footnotes

  1. Wikipedia — “Kansas City Chiefs.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Chiefs — asserts: 1960 Dallas Texans (Lamar Hunt, AFL charter); moved to KC 1963; AFL titles 1962/66/69; SB I loss; SB IV win; 1970 merger; SB LVII. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Britannica — “Kansas City Chiefs.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kansas-City-Chiefs — asserts: founding by Hunt; 1963 relocation; AFL championships; SB IV; modern titles. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Wikipedia — “Harold Roe Bartle.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Roe_Bartle — asserts: Bartle (“The Chief”) lured the team to KC; “Chiefs” named for his nickname (Tribe of Mic-O-Say). ↩ ↩2

  4. KCUR — “Kansas City Chiefs name origin” (Feb 6, 2025). https://www.kcur.org/history/2025-02-06/kansas-city-chiefs-name-origin-tomahawk-chop — asserts: fan “Rename the Dallas Texans” contest; “Chiefs” honors Bartle. ↩

  5. Wikipedia — “Super Bowl IV.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_IV — asserts: Chiefs def. Vikings 23–7, Jan 11, 1970. ↩

  6. Wikipedia — “Arrowhead Stadium.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_Stadium — asserts: opened 1972; GEHA Field naming (2021); 142.2 dB Guinness record (Sep 29, 2014). ↩ ↩2

  7. Wikipedia — “Truman Sports Complex.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truman_Sports_Complex — asserts: Arrowhead + Kauffman Stadium complex. ↩

  8. Chiefs.com — Lamar Hunt Sr. (ownership). https://www.chiefs.com/team/ownership/lamarhuntsr — asserts: Hunt-family ownership; Lamar Hunt founded the team + coined “Super Bowl.” ↩

  9. Wikipedia — “Lamar Hunt.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Hunt — asserts: AFL principal founder; died Dec 13, 2006; coined “Super Bowl” (July 1966 letter). ↩ ↩2

  10. Pro Football Hall of Fame — Lamar Hunt. https://www.profootballhof.com/players/lamar-hunt — asserts: AFL founder; HOF enshrinee. ↩

  11. Wikipedia — “Clark Hunt.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Hunt — asserts: chairman/CEO; ownership shared among Lamar Hunt’s children. ↩

  12. Wikipedia — “Super Bowl LVIII.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_LVIII — asserts: Chiefs 25–22 OT over the 49ers (Feb 2024); three titles in five seasons; AFC West dominance. ↩ ↩2

  13. Wikipedia — “Andy Reid.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Reid — asserts: hired 2013; Chiefs head coach. ↩

  14. Wikipedia — “Super Bowl LIV.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_LIV — asserts: Chiefs 31–20 over the 49ers (Feb 2020); first title since SB IV. ↩

  15. NFL — “Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named Super Bowl LVIII MVP.” https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-qb-patrick-mahomes-named-super-bowl-lviii-mvp — asserts: Mahomes SB LVIII MVP (3rd SB MVP). ↩

  16. Wikipedia — “2024 Kansas City parade shooting.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Kansas_City_parade_shooting — asserts: Feb 14, 2024 shooting at the SB LVIII victory rally outside Union Station; 1 killed (Lisa Lopez-Galvan), 22+ wounded. ↩

See also

Categories
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