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.

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