Right from the start, the Kansas City Chiefs have been full of ups and downs.

It started when the Dallas Texans franchise moved to KC in 1963. The Texans had success, but were in a constant battle with NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

Texans owner Lamar Hunt received a call from Kansas City mayor Harold Roe Bartle on Christmas Eve 1962. Bartle was desperate to get another professional sports team in the city.

After discussions with Bartle and Jack Steadman, they reached a deal. Bartle was willing to let the franchise play at Municipal Stadium for $1 a year. In order for the franchise to move, Hunt wanted to sell 15,000 season tickets.

They fell just short of the 15,000 mark but came close enough in Hunt’s eyes. The Texans relocated to Kansas City, moving into Municipal with offices in Swope Park.

Those first few years were tough. The franchise began discussing relocating again because of low attendance.

One of the problems was Municipal Stadium. It was not an ideal venue for football because both teams were on the same sideline.

“It had a lot of mystique and quirks that made it interesting, but it really wasn’t a great football stadium,” said Chiefs historian Bob Moore.

Those discussions were put to rest when the Chiefs started producing positive results on the field, winning the AFL championship in 1966 and attendance reached over 37,000. In 1969, the Chiefs won the franchise’s first Super Bowl with a stacked defense.

“It was one of the greatest defensive teams in the history of professional football,” Moore explained. “The number of players from that era in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is incredible. You could probably have more.”

Pro Football Hall of Famers like Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Johnny Robinson, Emmitt Thomas, Curley Culp and Willie Lanier all made up the core of this dominant Chiefs defense.

Offensively, the Chiefs were led by Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson and his connection with wide receiver Otis Taylor. Hall of Fame kicker Jan Stenerud kicked over 100 points from 1967 to 1971.

This was the climax of Hank Stram’s innovative era with the Chiefs. He was one of the first coaches to emphasize special teams and the moving pocket.

Stram’s final great season came in 1971, in what many recall as the greatest Chiefs team ever assembled. They won the division with a 10-3-1 record before falling to the Miami Dolphins in the longest game ever played.

The Chiefs fell into freefall in the mid-’70s as they had losing records from 1974 to 1979 with attendance numbers as low as 11,000 in a 79,000-seat stadium.

The 1989 hiring of president and general manager Carl Peterson and head coach Marty Schottenheimer revolutionized the organization. The team started winning again, claiming three division titles.

Players like Derrick Thomas, Will Smith, Neil Smith, Tim Grunhard and Kimble Anders developed outstanding careers under Schottenheimer.

The success wasn’t just on the football field. The team also developed an authentic fan culture. The stadium sold out 79,000 seats on a routine basis to create a loud environment. The promotion of tailgating and improving stadium facilities also added to the gameday experience.

Creating such an environment gave Kansas City the ability to get aging players like Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.

The rollercoaster continued following Schottenheimer’s era as the Chiefs ran through five head coaches in 13 years, winning two division titles during that period.

The franchise finally found some stability and success with the hiring of head coach Andy Reid in 2013. After finishing second in the division in his first three years, Reid has guided the Chiefs to division titles every year since 2015 and a Super Bowl championship in the 2019 season.

KC’s recent success came down to the timing of Reid’s ability and the quarterback.

“It was providential,” Moore said. “They get a proven coach with a proven record. His ability to draft Patrick Mahomes filled in one of the blanks that they had really since probably Dawson.”