Kansas City Chiefs · Franchise era 1 of 6

The Dallas Texans become champions: the Kansas City Chiefs story

Franchise era

1960—1969

The Dallas Texans become champions

Kansas City Chiefs

The story in one sentence

Lamar Hunt's Texans won the 1962 AFL title, moved to Kansas City and later legitimized the league by dominating Super Bowl IV.

01

An AFL founder reaches two early Super Bowls

02

Len Dawson, Buck Buchanan and Otis Taylor gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the long quiet stretch.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. The foundation

    The franchise context

    The Chiefs began as an AFL power, endured long postseason frustration and then paired Andy Reid with Patrick Mahomes to create the defining dynasty of the current NFL.

  2. After 1969

    What came next

    Kansas City made the playoffs only once in nineteen seasons as the original stars aged and the offense struggled to find direction.

The core

Faces of the chapter

Next era →The long quiet stretch1970—1988