1965 Kansas City Chiefs season
Encyclopedia
The 1965
Kansas City Chiefs
season ended with a 7–5–2 record and no postseason appearance.
For the 1965 season, the Chiefs were caught in the middle of the AFL and NFL's bidding wars for college talent. Kansas City made running back Gale Sayers
from the University of Kansas
their first-round draft pick, but Sayers eventually signed with the Bears. Sayers grew up in nearby Wichita, Kansas
.
The club suffered a devastating blow late in the 1965 season when running back Mack Lee Hill
suffered torn ligaments in his right knee in the next-to-last regular season game of the year at Buffalo on December 12. Following what was expected to be a routine surgery on December 14 at Menorah Hospital
in Kansas City, Hill died from what was termed “a sudden and massive embolism
.” Hunt called Hill’s death “the worst shock possible.” Beginning the following year, the club annually bestowed the Mack Lee Hill Award on its top rookie or first-year performer in honor of this fallen young star. Just days after Hill’s unexpected death, the mourning Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos
on December 19 to finish the year with a 7–5–2 record.
1965 American Football League season
The 1965 American Football League season was the sixth regular season of the American Football League.The season also saw a change of television address as the games moved from ABC to NBC....
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
season ended with a 7–5–2 record and no postseason appearance.
For the 1965 season, the Chiefs were caught in the middle of the AFL and NFL's bidding wars for college talent. Kansas City made running back Gale Sayers
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a former professional football player in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears....
from the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
their first-round draft pick, but Sayers eventually signed with the Bears. Sayers grew up in nearby Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
The club suffered a devastating blow late in the 1965 season when running back Mack Lee Hill
Mack Lee Hill
Mack Lee Hill was an American college and professional football player. He played running back at Southern University and for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons , before dying while undergoing knee surgery, days after a game against the Buffalo Bills.He made the...
suffered torn ligaments in his right knee in the next-to-last regular season game of the year at Buffalo on December 12. Following what was expected to be a routine surgery on December 14 at Menorah Hospital
Menorah Medical Center
Menorah Medical Center is an acute care hospital located in Overland Park, Kansas at 5721 West 119th Street. It is part of the HCA Midwest Division.Multiple shots of the main entrance where used in multiple episodes of Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie....
in Kansas City, Hill died from what was termed “a sudden and massive embolism
Embolism
In medicine, an embolism is the event of lodging of an embolus into a narrow capillary vessel of an arterial bed which causes a blockage in a distant part of the body.Embolization is...
.” Hunt called Hill’s death “the worst shock possible.” Beginning the following year, the club annually bestowed the Mack Lee Hill Award on its top rookie or first-year performer in honor of this fallen young star. Just days after Hill’s unexpected death, the mourning Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 19 to finish the year with a 7–5–2 record.
Season schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Chiefs points | Opponents | Record |
| 1 | Sept.12 | @ Oakland | Loss | 10 | 37 | 0–1–0 |
| 2 | Sept.18 | @ New York Jets | Win | 14 | 10 | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | Sept.26 | @ San Diego Chargers | Tie | 10 | 10 | 1–1–0 |
| 4 | Oct.3 | Boston Patriots | Win | 27 | 17 | 2–1–1 |
| 5 | Oct.10 | @ Denver Broncos | Win | 31 | 23 | 3–1–1 |