Profile
| Affiliation | AFC West |
|---|---|
| Home Stadium | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Super Bowl Titles | 4 (IV, LV, LVII and LVIII) |
| AFC Champions | 4 (2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024) |
Introduction
The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The team was founded in 1959 as the Dallas Texans by businessman Lamar Hunt, and was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). In spring 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City, and assumed its current name. The Chiefs joined the NFL as a result of the merger in 1970, and the team is valued at over $3.7 billion. Following Hunt's death in 2006, his wife, Norma, and children became legal owners of the team. After Norma's death in 2023, the Hunt children inherited her stake in the franchise. Clark Hunt, one of the Hunt's children, has served as chairman and CEO since 2006 and is the ultimate authority over personnel decisions. He is also the team representative at league owner meetings.
The Chiefs won three AFL championships, in 1962, 1966, and 1969, and were the second AFL team (after the New York Jets) to defeat an NFL team in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game, when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. That victory on January 11, 1970, was the final game before the leagues' merger went into full effect. The Chiefs were also the second team, after the Green Bay Packers (whom they played in Super Bowl I), to appear in more than one Super Bowl (and the first AFL team to do so) as well as the first to appear in the championship game in two different decades. Despite post-season success early in the franchise's history, winning five of their first six postseason games, the team struggled to find success in the playoffs for decades, including losing ten of eleven playoff games from the 1993/94 AFC Championship game to 2017, which included an eight-game losing streak. Since then, the Chiefs have risen to dynastic performance under head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and tight end Travis Kelce, appearing in three Super Bowls since 2019 and winning two, LIV and LVII.
Rivalries
The Chiefs share intense rivalries with their three AFC West opponents, namely the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers, with the Raiders rivalry considered one of the most bitter in the NFL. In terms of NFC teams, the Chiefs formerly shared a cross-state rivalry with teams located across the state of Missouri in St. Louis, namely the Cardinals and Rams. An individual rivalry between quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has developed in recent years, with many comparing it to the former rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The Mahomes led Chiefs also developed a rivalry with the Joe Burrow led Cincinnati Bengals, with Burrow being the only AFC quarterback to date to hold a winning record against Mahomes.
Name Controversy
For various reasons, the team has faced charges of racism and anti-Indigenous cultural appropriation and misuse of names, symbols, and practices. The name comes from the nickname of former Kansas City mayor Harold Roe Bartle, who nicknamed himself "Chief" as part of creating the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, a group affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Over the life of the franchise the following have also been displayed: an arrowhead logo, fans' "tomahawk chop" gestures during games, a horse named Warpaint, the use of a large drum, and the wearing of face paint, headdresses, and other Native American symbols.
Chiefs fans also carry on a tradition that began at Florida State University in the mid-1980s by using the Seminole WarChant as a rallying cry during key moments in their football games. Prior to each home game, a former Chiefs player or a famous Chiefs fan (such as NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer or rapper Tech N9ne), called the honorary drum leader, bangs on a drum with a large drum stick to start the Tomahawk chop.
The Chiefs' and their fans' use of Native American imagery and stereotypes has been the source of controversy, as some decry usage of symbols like the "war drum," songs and spectacles like the "Tomahawk Chop," and stereotypical dress of fans in faux war paint and headdresses. In 2016, Native American groups asked the Kansas City Chiefs to stop doing the tomahawk chop. In the same year a similar request was made of Exeter Chiefs. The editorial board of the Kansas City Star newspaper called for the cessation of the "Tomahawk Chop" in late 2019, noting opposition from Native Americans and Tribes, and stating that the practice stereotypes and dehumanizes Native Americans. The National Congress of American Indians and the Kansas City Indian Center have called for the mascot to be retired.
The Chiefs have escaped the more intense criticism of other teams, such as the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians who changed their names beginning with their 2022 seasons, for using Native American names and logos. Attention increased in 2020 in advance of their appearance in Super Bowl LIV. While there have been efforts to address other issues, such as fans wearing warpaint and headdresses, the tomahawk chop and the accompanying chant is defended, including by some local Native Americans. In a national survey, half of Native Americans said the "tomahawk chop" bothered or offended them, rising to 65% among those more engaged in Native traditions.
Related Tags
Atlanta Braves (MLB): Both teams still using Tomahawk Chop in their logo.
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL): Notable teams who still using Native American in their logo.
