How a failed attempt to buy an NFL team created a football dynasty

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Lamar Hunt wanted to bring professional football to Dallas, but the NFL rejected him. Undeterred, he founded his own league and team in 1959. Decades of struggle followed, but today the Kansas City Chiefs stand as a modern NFL powerhouse, defined by dynastic success and a multi-billion dollar valuation.

The Kansas City Chiefs originated from Lamar Hunt's ambition to own a professional football team. After the NFL refused his request for an expansion franchise in Dallas, Hunt established the American Football League (AFL) in 1959 and launched the Dallas Texans. The team played in the Cotton Bowl for three seasons, but Hunt eventually concluded that the Dallas–Fort Worth market could not support two professional franchises. In 1963, he moved the team to Kansas City, where they were renamed the Chiefs in honor of Mayor Harold Roe Bartle's nickname.

The franchise experienced early success in the AFL, winning three championships and securing a victory in Super Bowl IV. However, the post-merger years were marked by significant inconsistency. Between 1970 and 1989, the team made only two playoff appearances. Even during the 1990s and early 2000s, when the team frequently contended, they struggled to translate regular-season performance into postseason wins, losing ten of twelve playoff games between 1993 and 2017. This period included a notable eight-game losing streak in the playoffs.

The team's fortunes shifted dramatically under the leadership of head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Since 2019, the Chiefs have appeared in five Super Bowls, winning three. This resurgence has cemented the team's status as a modern dynasty. Today, the franchise is valued at over US$4.85 billion. Following the death of Norma Hunt in 2023, the team remains under the stewardship of the Hunt family, with Clark Hunt serving as chairman and CEO since 2006, maintaining ultimate authority over the organization's personnel and league representation.

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