Henry Louis "Hank" Stram (ˈstræm; January 3, 1923 – July 4, 2005) was an
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the
American Football LeagueThe American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's
Dallas TexansThe 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...
/
Kansas City ChiefsThe 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...
and the Chiefs of the
NFLThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Stram won three
AFLThe American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
Championships (more than any other coach in the league's history) and
Super Bowl IVSuper Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
with the Chiefs. He also coached the most victories (87), had the most post-season appearances (6) and the best post-season record in the AFL (5–1). Stram is largely responsible for the introduction of
GatoradeGatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
to the NFL due to his close association with
Ray GravesSamuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
, coach at the University of Florida during Gatorade's development and infancy. Hank Stram never had an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, or special teams coach during his legendary career with the
Dallas TexansThe 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...
/
Kansas City ChiefsThe 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...
.
Early life and career
Stram was born
Henry Louis Stram in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1923. His Polish-born father, Henry Wilczek, wrestled professionally under the name Stram and the family name was changed accordingly. He later grew up in
Gary, IndianaGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, and graduated from
Lew Wallace High SchoolLew Wallace High School is a four year public high school of the Gary Community School Corporation in Gary, Indiana, United States.- History :...
class of 1941.(The football stadium press box was renamed after him in his honor.) He earned seven letters playing football and baseball and joined the
Sigma ChiSigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
Fraternity at Purdue in the 1940s, playing in 1942 and again in 1946 and 1947. Stram served in the US military during World War II interrupting his university career.
He was an assistant football coach for the
BoilermakerThe Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
s from 1948 to 1955 and the head baseball coach from 1951 to 1955. In 1996, Stram and
Len DawsonLeonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
were inducted into the Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame. After coaching at Purdue, Stram was an assistant at
Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
,
Southern Methodist UniversityThe SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
, and
MiamiThe Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
Professional football coaching career (1960–1977)
Stram was an innovator, a shrewd judge of talent, and an excellent teacher. He helped develop
Hall of FameA hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
rs
Len DawsonLeonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
,
Bobby BellBobby Lee Bell, Sr is a former professional American football linebacker/defensive end. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and was a member of the Chiefs' team that won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings.- High school career :He excelled in...
,
Buck BuchananJunious "Buck" Buchanan was an American collegiate and professional Football defensive tackle. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League and in the National Football League ....
,
Willie LanierWillie Edward Lanier is a former American football middle-linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from...
,
Jan StenerudJan Stenerud is a former professional football player for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs , and the NFL's Chiefs , Green Bay Packers , and Minnesota Vikings .-Background:...
and many others like Johnny Robinson,
Ed BuddeEdward Leon Budde , a product of Denby High School in Detroit, Michigan and later Michigan State University, was the number one draft pick of the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in 1963....
and
Otis TaylorOtis Taylor was an American college and professional American football player, for Prairie View A&M University and the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs...
. He was also the first coach in professional football to use
GatoradeGatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
on his sidelines and run both the
I formationThe I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. The I formation draws its name from the vertical alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players' alignments in the T formation.The formation begins with...
and two-tight end offense, still used in professional football today. On defense, the Chiefs employed a triple-stack defense, hiding the three linebackers behind defensive linemen.
He was considered a motivational genius, and his emphasis on the Chiefs' wearing of a
patchThe Ten-Year AFL Patch is a shoulder patch adapted for use on American Football League team uniforms.-History:During the entire 1969 professional football season, all NFL players wore a shoulder patch on their uniforms, reading "50 NFL", marking the 50 years which had passed since the league's...
commemorating the AFL in Super Bowl IV was one of his typical ploys, extracting maximum effort from players who had been derided by proponents of the NFL. Stram was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in 2003, ironically, nine years
after Bud GrantHarry Peter "Bud" Grant, Jr is the former longtime American football head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for eighteen seasons. Grant was the second and fourth head coach of the team...
, the man whose team he had convincingly defeated in Super Bowl IV, had been enshrined. At the Hall of Fame ceremonies, Stram was so weakened by the effects of diabetes that Len Dawson pushed his former coach onto the stage in a wheelchair. Stram's induction speech was then played from a previously-recorded videotape.
Stram's contributions to the game, like those of other AFL pioneers, helped to change the face of professional football.
Dallas Texans
In 1959,
Lamar HuntLamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
recruited Stram to coach his Dallas Texans in the new AFL, which commenced play in 1960. Hunt had previously been a bench player at SMU when Stram had been coaching there and the Texans' position had been turned down by
Bud WilkinsonCharles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
and
Tom LandryThomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
, then an assistant at the
New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Texans played their first game in the new AFL in September 1960 and proved to be successful from the beginning.
In 1962, the Texans won the AFL Western Division and the AFL championship. The Texans won the championship against the
Houston OilersDallas Texans 20, Houston Oilers 17 Scoring*DAL – Field goal Brooker 16*DAL – Haynes 28 pass from Dawson *DAL – Haynes 2 run *HOU – Dewveall 15 pass from Blanda *HOU – Field goal Blanda 31...
20-17 in what remains the longest professional football championship game ever played.
Tommy BrookerWilliam Thomas “Tommy” Brooker is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player....
kicked a field goal after nearly 16 minutes of overtime to win the game for the Texans and stop the Oilers from winning their third straight title.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Dallas Texans became the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963 and continued their success. In 1966, they won the AFL title again on the back of one of the best defensive teams in the history of professional football featuring three hall-of-famers and eight all star players. The Chiefs defeated the
Buffalo BillsKansas City Chiefs 31, Buffalo Bills 7The Bills went into the 1966 AFL Championship having already won the game the previous two years. Though the game was to be played in Buffalo, the visiting Kansas City Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense...
31–7 in Buffalo. The Chiefs played the
Green Bay PackersThe 1966 Green Bay Packers season was their 46th in the NFL and resulted in a 12-2 record, coached by Vince Lombardi and led by quarterback Bart Starr. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1966 NFL Championship Game, the Packers' 10th NFL title...
in
Super Bowl IThe First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
with the Packers winning 35–10. Packers coach
Vince LombardiVincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
used a short passing game to overcome the Chiefs defense which proved successful with quarterback
Bart StarrBryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
becoming the first Super Bowl MVP.
In a 1968 game against the
Oakland Raiders-Staff:HC: John RauchAst: John Polonchek , Ollie Spencer , Tom Dahms , John Madden , Charlie Sumner , Marv Marinovich -References:...
in Kansas City, the Chiefs entered the game without a healthy wide receiver ready to play. Stram went in to pro football's past and resurrected the
T formationIn American football, a T formation is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T"....
. The Chiefs won the game 24-10 running the ball 60 times for over 300 yards while passing only three times for 16 yards.
The Kansas Chiefs won the AFL championship again in 1969. In
Super Bowl IVSuper Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
, his ingenious innovations, the "moving pocket" and the "triple-stack defense", dominated the
Minnesota Vikings1969 was the ninth year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 50th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings again won the NFL Central Division title, as finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, plus playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams in the Western...
on both sides of the ball. In the Super Bowl, Stram became the first professional football coach to wear a
microphoneA wireless microphone, as the name implies, is a microphone without a physical cable connecting it directly to the sound recording or amplifying equipment with which it is associated...
. Stram's recorded comments from that game have become classics:
"Just keep matriculatin' the ball down the field, boys.",
"How could all six of you miss that play?" "65 Toss Power Trap" and his assessment of the Vikings' ineffectual play:
"You can't do that in OUR league!". The Super Bowl victory was the second straight by a team from the AFL and added credibility to the newer league, which would complete a planned merger with the NFL the following season.
In 1971, the Chiefs won the AFC Western Division championship. The
Miami Dolphins-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:- Standings : -Roster:-Scoring summary:*Dallas Mike Clark, FG 14 yds *Dallas L.Alworth, 9 yd pass from Staubach *Miami Yeprmeniam, FG 23 yds...
defeated the Chiefs on Christmas Day 1971. The teams played the longest game in the history of professional football. After that, the Chiefs did not enjoy the same success, resulting in Stram leaving the franchise. Stram's tenure in Kansas City ended with a 35–15 loss at home to the same
Viking-References:...
team the Chiefs defeated in Super Bowl IV.
New Orleans Saints
Stram became the head coach of the
New Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in 1976, but posted losing records in his two seasons, 4–10 & 3–11. Hampering Stram's efforts to rebuild the typically pathetic Saints was a severe elbow injury to quarterback
Archie ManningElisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...
, who missed the entire 1976 season and parts of the 1977 campaign. Stram also had to deal with continuous discipline problems caused by his leading rusher,
Chuck MuncieHarry Vance "Chuck" Muncie is a former American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League from 1976 to 1984...
, who was in the early stages of a
cocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
addicition which would lead to his trade in 1980 from New Orleans to the
San Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Perhaps the biggest highlight of his New Orleans tenure was a 27–17 win over his former team, the
Kansas City ChiefsThe 1976 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a third consecutive 5–9 record and no playoff berth.Buck Buchanan announced his retirement in February, while Len Dawson announced his own departure on May 1. Off the field, Jack Steadman was promoted to team president and Jim Schaaf was named general...
, at
Arrowhead StadiumArrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
in 1976, Stram's first victory with the Saints. The 1977 campaign culminated in an historic home loss to the previously winless
Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, which as of remains a record in the modern National Football League. Fear of becoming the Buccaneers' first victim provided motivation to opposing teams...
who were riding a 26 game losing streak over two seasons. Stram took the loss hard; he burned the game film. He was fired after the final game of the season.
Broadcasting career
Following his retirement from coaching, Stram enjoyed a long and successful career as a
color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on
CBSCBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
'
televisionThe NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
and
radioThe NFL on Westwood One is the brand name given to weekly National Football League games carried on the radio over the Dial Global Radio Network...
broadcasts of NFL games. As a broadcaster, he was best remembered for his near 20 year stint (beginning in
1978The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
and lasting through the
1995 seasonThe 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
) with
Jack BuckJohn Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...
on radio broadcasts of
Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
games. Stram's key broadcasting trademark was his habit of predicting the next play before it happened.
On January 10, 1982, Stram, along with
Vin ScullyVincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
, called the famous NFC Championship Game between the
San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers 1981 season was their 32nd season in the National Football League. The season was highlighted by their first Super Bowl victory. A big turning point for the franchise was the drafting of Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California. Quarterback Joe Montana began...
and the
Dallas CowboysThe 1981 Dallas Cowboys season was their 22nd in the league. The team matched their previous output of 12–4. They lost the Conference Championship game for the second straight season....
. The game in question was immortalized by
Dwight ClarkDwight Edward Clark is a former American Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987...
's
touchdown catchThe Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark off a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers...
which elevated the 49ers into their first
Super BowlSuper Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
appearance (the first of four during the 1980s).
During a
1988The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
broadcasting trip to
IndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
for a
Chicago BearsThe 1988 Chicago Bears season was their 69th regular season and 19th postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 12-4 record, winning the NFC Central for the fifth straight season, but lost in the NFC Championship Game. Coach Mike Ditka suffered a heart attack during the...
–
ColtsThe 1988 Indianapolis Colts season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 5th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1988 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division with...
game, Stram collapsed with a severely blocked aortic valve and underwent open heart surgery. He was hospitalized in Indianapolis for a week and later resumed his career with CBS.
Stram began broadcasting games for CBS in 1975, originally calling games with
Frank GlieberFrank John Glieber was an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:...
. After a brief hiatus so he could return to coaching, Stram returned to call games with
Gary BenderGary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
in 1978. He remained a part of CBS' television broadcast team until 1993; his other broadcast partners were Buck,
Vin ScullyVincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
,
Curt GowdyCurtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
,
Dick StocktonDick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
,
Tim BrantTim Brant is an American sportscaster and Vice President and Director of Sports for ABC 7 / WJLA-TV in Washington DC. He has spent nearly thirty years covering sports nationally for CBS and ABC....
, Steve Zabriskie,
Sean McDonoughSean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...
, and
Jim NantzJames William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
, along with various other substitute announcers. His last game as a broadcaster was
Super Bowl XXXSuper Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
for CBS Radio.
Later life and death
Stram made a guest appearance as himself on the TV show Coach. In the episode, Stram was attending a coaching convention with fellow coaches Barry Switzer and George Allen. Hayden Fox, the fictional protagonist of the show, also attended the conference.
Hank Stram retired to New Orleans,
LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, where he built a home in the town of
CovingtonCovington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
. He died at St. Tammany Parish hospital in Covington, from complications due to diabetes, on July 4, 2005.
Head coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | DAT The 1960 Dallas Texans season was the inaugural season of Lamar Hunt’s American Football League franchise from Dallas, Texas. Head coach Hank Stram led the team to an 8–6 record and second place in the AFL’s Western Conference....
|
1960 The 1960 American Football League season was the inaugural regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Houston Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the inaugural AFL Championship game.-Division races:...
|
8 |
6 |
0 |
.571 |
2nd in AFL West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| DAT The 1961 Dallas Texans season resulted in a 6–8 record and 2nd place finish in the AFL Western Conference.The club moved its training camp to Lamar Hunt’s alma mater of Southern Methodist University and started the regular season at 3–1 before hitting a six-game losing skid, the longest such streak...
|
1961 The 1961 American Football League season was the second regular season of the American Football League. The Los Angeles Chargers moved to San Diego, California following the 1960 season, retaining the Chargers name....
|
6 |
8 |
0 |
.429 |
2nd in AFL West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| DAT The 1962 Dallas Texans season was the final season of Lamar Hunt’s American Football League franchise before its relocation to Kansas City, Missouri from Dallas, Texas....
|
1962 The 1962 American Football League season was the third regular season of the American Football League. The Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City, Missouri following the season and changed their name to the Kansas City Chiefs....
|
11 |
3 |
0 |
.786 |
1st in AFL West |
1 |
0 |
1.000 |
AFL Champions. |
| KC The 1963 Kansas City Chiefs season was the inaugural season of Kansas City’s new football franchise. Despite winning the 1962 AFL Championship the previous year, the Chiefs finished the year 5–7–2 and third in their division....
|
1963 The 1963 American Football League season was the fourth regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the San Diego Chargers defeated the Boston Patriots in the AFL Championship game.-Division Races:...
|
5 |
7 |
2 |
.417 |
3rd in AFL West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC The 1964 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 7–7 record and no postseason appearance. The Chiefs began the year with a 2–1 mark before dropping three consecutive games as several of the team’s best players, including E.J. Holub, Fred Arbanas and Johnny Robinson, missed numerous games with injuries...
|
1964 The 1964 American Football League season was the fifth regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Buffalo Bills defeated the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship game...
|
7 |
7 |
0 |
.500 |
2nd in AFL West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC 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...
|
1965 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....
|
7 |
5 |
2 |
.583 |
3rd in AFL West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with the Chiefs' second AFL Championship and first since their relocation to Kansas City, Missouri. Instead of finishing the season with the AFL Championship win, the Chiefs were invited to play in the inaugural AFL-NFL World Championship Game, later known...
|
1966The 1966 American Football League season was the seventh regular season of the American Football League, and one of the last before the AFL-NFL Merger. The league entered talks with the National Football League regarding a merger, which would take effect fully in 1970.The season also saw the debut...
|
11 |
2 |
1 |
.846 |
1st in AFL West |
1 |
1 |
.500 |
Lost to Green Bay Packers The 1966 Green Bay Packers season was their 46th in the NFL and resulted in a 12-2 record, coached by Vince Lombardi and led by quarterback Bart Starr. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1966 NFL Championship Game, the Packers' 10th NFL title...
in Super Bowl IThe First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
. |
| KC The 1967 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 9–5 record and no playoff berth despite their AFL championship win and appearance in the inaugural AFL-NFL championship game the previous year....
|
1967The 1967 American Football League season was the eighth regular season of the American Football League, and one of the last before the AFL-NFL Merger....
|
9 |
5 |
0 |
.643 |
2nd in AFL West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC The 1968 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 12–2 record, resulting in a tie for first place in the AFL Western Division. The Chiefs and Oakland Raiders both finished with 12–2 records in the same division, but the Raiders won the championship in a tiebreaker playoff .A debate raged in Kansas...
|
1968 The 1968 American Football League season was the ninth regular season of the American Football League, and its penultimate season prior to the AFL-NFL Merger....
|
12 |
2 |
0 |
.857 |
1st in AFL West |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
Lost to Oakland Raiders -Staff:HC: John RauchAst: John Polonchek , Ollie Spencer , Tom Dahms , John Madden , Charlie Sumner , Marv Marinovich -References:...
in AFL Division Playoff. |
| KC The 1969 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 11–3 record and a 23–7 victory in Super Bowl IV over the NFL’s heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings. The team beat their rivals, the Oakland Raiders in the final AFL Championship Game, claiming their third AFL Championship in franchise history...
|
1969 The 1969 American Football League season was the tenth regular season of the American Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger...
|
11 |
3 |
0 |
.786 |
2nd in AFL West |
3 |
0 |
1.000 |
Super Bowl IVSuper Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
Champions. |
| KC The 1970 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the Chiefs attempting to defend their championship but ended with a 7–5–2 record and no playoff berth....
|
1970 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
.583 |
2nd in AFC West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC The 1971 Kansas City Chiefs season saw the club bounce back from a 7–5–2 campaign in 1970 to record a 10–3–1 mark and win the AFC West division championship, the Chiefs' first division title since 1966...
|
1971 |
10 |
3 |
1 |
.769 |
1st in AFC West |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
Lost to Miami Dolphins -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:- Standings : -Roster:-Scoring summary:*Dallas Mike Clark, FG 14 yds *Dallas L.Alworth, 9 yd pass from Staubach *Miami Yeprmeniam, FG 23 yds...
in AFC Divisional GameThe NFL playoffs following the 1971 NFL season led up to Super Bowl VI. Like the previous NFL seasons, the home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly divisional rotation, excluding the wild card teams who would always play on the road...
. |
| KC The 1972 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the Chiefs moving into the newly constructed Arrowhead Stadium and ended with a 8–6 record and second place finish in the AFC West.The Chiefs introduced the newly completed Arrowhead Stadium to the general public...
|
1972 |
8 |
6 |
0 |
.571 |
2nd in AFC West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC The 1973 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 7–5–2 record and third place finish in the AFC West.For 1973, the defense kept the club in contention thanks to a nucleus that still included the bulk of the squad’s Super Bowl IV starters...
|
1973 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
.583 |
2nd in AFC West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| KC The 1974 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 5–9 record and third place finish in the AFC West, effectively costing head coach Hank Stram his job....
|
1974 |
5 |
9 |
0 |
.357 |
3rd in AFC West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| DAT/KC Total |
124 |
76 |
10 |
.620 |
|
5 |
3 |
.625 |
|
| NO The 1976 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints tenth season.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:**...
|
1976 |
4 |
10 |
0 |
.286 |
3rd in NFC West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| NO The 1977 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 11th as a member of the National Football League. They were unable to improve on their previous season's output of 4-10, winning only three games...
|
1977 |
3 |
11 |
0 |
.214 |
4th in NFC West |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| NO Total |
7 |
21 |
0 |
.250 |
|
0 |
0 |
.000 |
|
| Total |
131 |
97 |
10 |
.575 |
|
5 |
3 |
.625 |
|
Career highlights
- 1960 Named 1st Head Coach of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
- 1962 Dallas Texans AFL champions
- 1966 Kansas City Chiefs AFL champions
- 1967 Played in Super Bowl I against Green Bay Packers (Lost 35-10)
- 1968 American Football League Coach of the Year
- 1969 Kansas City Chiefs AFL champions
- 1970 Chiefs win Super Bowl IV
- 1971 Chiefs win AFC West
- 1974 Coaching career ends at Kansas City Chiefs
- 1977 End of Coaching Career with 134–97–10 record and 5–3 postseason record
- 2003 Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
See also
Internet references
Printed references
- Hank Stram with Lou Sahadi, They're Playing My Game, Morrow, New York 1986 ISBN 0-688-06080-3
- Edward Gruver, The American Football League: A Year-by-Year History 1960-1969 McFarland & Company 1997 ISBN 0-7864-0399-3
- Brad Adler, Coaching Matters: Leadership & Tactics of the NFL's Ten Greatest Coaches Brassey's Inc 2003 pages 56–57 ISBN 1-57488-613-4
- "Stram gets Texan post", Dallas Morning News December 21, 1959
- "Texans now rule AFL kingdom", Dallas Morning News December 24, 1962
- MacCambridge, Michael (2005), America's Game. New York:Anchor Books. eISBN
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering code created by Gordon Foster, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H...
ISBN 978-0-307-48143-6
External links