People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society. – Vince Lombardi

Chiefs, Chiefs, CHIEFS!

Back when I was about 10 years old growing up in the town of Mill Grove, Missouri, I would play football in my parents’ garden after they had plowed and disk it for the winter. I could dive for the ball and not get injured in the soft dirt.

The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970, when I was 10. The Chiefs beat the Vikings 23-7. Yes, that was a long time ago.

In my play by play in the garden, I would be Lenny Dawson throwing a deep pass to Otis Taylor. Many times Dawson would hand the ball off to the running backs Mike Garrett or Ed Podolak and they would scamper for a touchdown. When the offense sputtered, coach Hank Stram would call on Jan Stenerud to kick a field goal.

Later on, I received a football helmet and shoulder pads for Christmas or my birthday and I practiced being Willie Lanier or Buck Buchanan. I would dive headfirst into my grandmother’s lilac bush like I was tackling someone. It left some cool marks on my helmet!

As an adult, I was in the stands at Arrowhead Stadium for several games braving the cold and wind to cheer on my Chiefs. We never made it to the Promised Land.

I know there are other teams who have never played in the championship. There are teams that have played in several Super Bowls and never won (Buffalo, Minnesota). As a life-long Chiefs fan, I have gone through years where I had hope only to be disappointed. As I grew older I just rolled with the punches, but last year we were so close that one offside call cost us a trip to the Super Bowl.

I just hoped that they would make it back to the Super Bowl while I was still living and could share the excitement with my family and friends.

I never figured that it would take the Chiefs 50 years to get back to the Super Bowl, but here we are. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020, in Miami.

After the 35-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans in which the Chiefs defense held the “great” Titans running back Derrick Henry to 69 years in 19 carries, the bubbly flowed and toasts were made. Plans were made to watch the Super Bowl – with a super-best menu of BBQ ribs with the sides – and a few adult beverages.

Lifelong Chiefs fans (like me) will enjoy this time before the Super Bowl, as we’ll see more and more Chiefs fans come out of the woodwork. That’s OK folks; there will always be room on the Chiefs bandwagon.

With what is happening in the country these days, we can use a little more talk about Chiefs – Niners and a lot less talk about politics. Let’s go Chiefs!

##END##