Hostile
The Duke
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They began as the Dallas Texans in the AFL, owned by a Dallas Texan, Lamar Hunt. Lamar Hunt spent two years trying to get an NFL team for Dallas. He was never directly competing with Clint Murchison for an expansion NFL franchise in Dallas. He was trying to move an existing franchise to Dallas. His focus was the Chicago Cardinals. When the Bidwell family ended up stalling, Lamar Hunt wasted no time creating the AFL and getting together 7 other owners as well.
Both the Cowboys and the Texans played in The Cotton Bowl.
Lamar Hunt's maverick move to create a new football league prompted Clint Murchison to put amazing pressure on the NFL to get an NFL team in Dallas. He did not want to give the Texans a 1 year head start. So, he took the bull by the horns and directly went after the biggest opponent of a team in Dallas, Commanders owner George Preston Marshall.
Murchison hit Marshall from every direction. He bought the rights to "Hail to the Commanders" and wouldn't give the rights back to Marshall without his yes vote on expansion. Originally the NFL wanted to add 2 teams at the same time, both in 1961. The Vikings joined in 1961, Murchison agreed to start his team without the benefit of the NFL Draft which in those days took place in November or December. The Cowboys remain the only NFL expansion team to not get to Draft any players their first year.
Murchison also "allegedly" paid off Senator Estes Kefauver by having the anti-Monopoly Commission headed by the Senator look into whether Marshall's Commanders TV network across the southern United States constituted a monopoly. Marshall was the last hurdle.
Lamar Hunt could have been a hurdle himself. Instead, he was a genius who blazed a new trail that led to the modern NFL being the juggernaut that it is.
I have nothing but respect for Lamar Hunt. He passed away in 2006. The NFL lost a truly legendary figure. His son Clark has taken over leadership of the Chiefs on behalf of the Hunt family.
Hunt went head to head with the Cowboys and the NFL for three seasons. In 1960 the Cowboys were 0-11-1. The Texans were 8-6. In 1961 the Cowboys were 4-9-1. The Texans were 6-8. In 1962 the Cowboys were 5-8-1. The Texans were 11-3 and won the AFL Championship in overtime. The Texans led the AFL in attendance at 24,500 fans per game. That paled in comparison to the Cowboys in the more established NFL.
In 1963 the Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs. His first 2 choices were Miami and Atlanta. Kansas City guaranteed they would triple season ticket sales and the Chiefs ended up in Missouri where Hunt had to share the state loyalty with the Bidwells who had so discouraged him years before. In 1960 the Bidwells had moved the Cardinals from Chicago to St. Louis. I have often wondered if that added to Hunt's decision to choose KC.
Here's a little known fact. Lamar Hunt's first choice for Head Coach of the Texans was Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson. His 2nd choice was Tom Landry. Both turned him down. So he hired University of Miami Assistant Coach Hank Stram.
Lamar Hunt is credited with coining the name "Super Bowl." He got the idea when he saw his children playing with a super rubber ball. The Chiefs played in the very first Roman numeral game, Super Bowl I. They lost to the Vince Lombardi Packers, 35-10. The Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl three years later for Super Bowl IV where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. Those are their only 2 Super Bowl appearances.
As the NFL accepted the fact they would need to merge with the AFL Lamar Hunt and Tex Schramm were assigned to make that merger happen.
Despite being rivals for a city's fans the Cowboys and the Chiefs, both at 40 years in the NFL (AFL and NFL did not play each other until 1970 after the merger) have only played each other 8 times. The Cowboys lead the all time series 5-3. They are 1-2 in Kansas City.
Both the Cowboys and the Texans played in The Cotton Bowl.
Lamar Hunt's maverick move to create a new football league prompted Clint Murchison to put amazing pressure on the NFL to get an NFL team in Dallas. He did not want to give the Texans a 1 year head start. So, he took the bull by the horns and directly went after the biggest opponent of a team in Dallas, Commanders owner George Preston Marshall.
Murchison hit Marshall from every direction. He bought the rights to "Hail to the Commanders" and wouldn't give the rights back to Marshall without his yes vote on expansion. Originally the NFL wanted to add 2 teams at the same time, both in 1961. The Vikings joined in 1961, Murchison agreed to start his team without the benefit of the NFL Draft which in those days took place in November or December. The Cowboys remain the only NFL expansion team to not get to Draft any players their first year.
Murchison also "allegedly" paid off Senator Estes Kefauver by having the anti-Monopoly Commission headed by the Senator look into whether Marshall's Commanders TV network across the southern United States constituted a monopoly. Marshall was the last hurdle.
Lamar Hunt could have been a hurdle himself. Instead, he was a genius who blazed a new trail that led to the modern NFL being the juggernaut that it is.
I have nothing but respect for Lamar Hunt. He passed away in 2006. The NFL lost a truly legendary figure. His son Clark has taken over leadership of the Chiefs on behalf of the Hunt family.
Hunt went head to head with the Cowboys and the NFL for three seasons. In 1960 the Cowboys were 0-11-1. The Texans were 8-6. In 1961 the Cowboys were 4-9-1. The Texans were 6-8. In 1962 the Cowboys were 5-8-1. The Texans were 11-3 and won the AFL Championship in overtime. The Texans led the AFL in attendance at 24,500 fans per game. That paled in comparison to the Cowboys in the more established NFL.
In 1963 the Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs. His first 2 choices were Miami and Atlanta. Kansas City guaranteed they would triple season ticket sales and the Chiefs ended up in Missouri where Hunt had to share the state loyalty with the Bidwells who had so discouraged him years before. In 1960 the Bidwells had moved the Cardinals from Chicago to St. Louis. I have often wondered if that added to Hunt's decision to choose KC.
Here's a little known fact. Lamar Hunt's first choice for Head Coach of the Texans was Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson. His 2nd choice was Tom Landry. Both turned him down. So he hired University of Miami Assistant Coach Hank Stram.
Lamar Hunt is credited with coining the name "Super Bowl." He got the idea when he saw his children playing with a super rubber ball. The Chiefs played in the very first Roman numeral game, Super Bowl I. They lost to the Vince Lombardi Packers, 35-10. The Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl three years later for Super Bowl IV where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. Those are their only 2 Super Bowl appearances.
As the NFL accepted the fact they would need to merge with the AFL Lamar Hunt and Tex Schramm were assigned to make that merger happen.
Despite being rivals for a city's fans the Cowboys and the Chiefs, both at 40 years in the NFL (AFL and NFL did not play each other until 1970 after the merger) have only played each other 8 times. The Cowboys lead the all time series 5-3. They are 1-2 in Kansas City.
