Fifty years ago, the Kansas City Chiefs became immortalized with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

Could the 2019-20 Chiefs soon follow suit, advancing to Super Bowl LIV Feb. 2 in Miami and winning it all?

Let’s take a look at some player, coach and stadium comparisons, then and now, as we mull that tantalizing possibility.

QUARTERBACKS

Then: Len Dawson

The field general of the 1969 Chiefs offense, Dawson actually began his pro football career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then played in Cleveland. But it was with Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans, who later relocated to Kansas City and were renamed the Chiefs, that Dawson truly hit his stride. He led the franchise to three AFL titles and eventually the Super Bowl IV championship. He was named the big game’s MVP on Jan. 11, 1970 as the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in New Orleans, and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Lenny the Cool’s career accolades in football could fill a special section of their own, but a select few of them follow. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 1969: 8 games played, 98 of 166 for 1,323 yards, 9 TDs, 13 INTs, 69.9 rating.
• Career stats: 211 games played (159 starts), 2,136 of 3,741 for 28,711 yards, 239 TDs, 183 INTs, 82.6 rating. Super Bowl IV MVP, Pro Bowl (1971), NFL Man of the Year (1973), six-time AFL All-Star, two-time All-AFL, AFL MVP (1962), four-time AFL passing TDs leader, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Chiefs Hall of Famer (No. 16 retired).

He said it: “The Minnesota Vikings had a good team and a good defense, but not nearly as good as ours.” — Dawson, on winning Super Bowl IV (via chiefs.com)

Now: Patrick Mahomes

Few NFL debuts have been as highly anticipated. The hope and expectation surrounding Mahomes was enormous from the moment the Kansas City Chiefs moved up to draft him No. 10 overall out of Texas Tech in 2017. And since his debut in the Chiefs’ regular-season finale Dec. 31, 2017 in Denver against the rival Broncos — when he completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and led KC on an 11-play, 67-yard drive to win the game — the man hasn’t disappointed. Last season, he became just the second NFL quarterback to pass for 50 touchdowns and 5,000-plus yards in a season (Peyton Manning being the other). That effort earned him the league’s Most Valuable Player award for 2018 in what was essentially Mahomes’ rookie year. The next peak to scale? Getting the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl ... and winning it all. The effort resumes for the Chiefs and their 24-year-old quarterback — yes, Mahomes is still just 24 — on Sunday, Jan. 12 at Arrowhead Stadium. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 2019: 14 games played (14 starts), 319 of 484 for 4,031 yards, 26 TDs, 5 INTs, 105.3 rating.
• Career stats: 31 games played (31 starts), 724 of 1,099 for 9,412 yards, 76 TDs, 18 INTs, 108.9 rating. Two-time Pro Bowler, All-Pro for 2018, 2018 NFL MVP, 2018 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, NFL passing TDs leader for 2018 (50).

He said it: “This is just the beginning. We’ve got a long way to go.” — Mahomes, after winning last season’s NFL MVP award

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Then: Buck Buchanan

A hulking man of 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, Junious “Buck” Buchanan was one of the NFL’s most feared defenders during his 13 seasons in the league. The first black pro football player drafted No. 1 overall, Buchanan entered the AFL in 1963 and made an immediate impact with his timed 4.9 speed in the 40-yard dash and sideline-to-sideline range. Playing alongside Curley Culp, Aaron Brown and Jerry Mays, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer shut down the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, highlighting a 13-year NFL career further burnished by two All-Pro nods, two Pro Bowl selections and a pair of AFL championships. Lung cancer took Buchanan’s life far too soon. He’d been diagnosed with the disease just a week before his induction in Canton, Ohio. He was 51 when he died in 1992 in Kansas City. — Jeff Rosen

• Career stats: 182 (105 starts). Pro Football Hall of Famer, Chiefs Hall of Famer (No. 86 retired), two-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, six-time All-AFL, six-time AFL All-Star, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

He said it: “The only thing I ever tried to do as a football player was be consistent. I never did a lot of spectacular kinds of things. But when we graded out year in and year out, week in and week out, my grades were right there, and that’s what I prided myself on.”

Now: Chris Jones

Pay the man... It’s a common refrain around Kansas City water coolers when talk turns to this smiling star of a defensive lineman. Now in his fourth season out of Mississippi State, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Jones is playing the final year of his rookie contract and figures to soon command a hefty payday from the Chiefs. Fair enough, because the guy’s ability to disrupt opposing offenses borders on the absurd: Last season, in 2018, Jones piled up 15.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits. His numbers haven’t been quite as gaudy this season, but he’s been a relative constant among a position group that’s seen its share of flux since the Chiefs’ 2019 opener. He’s also one of the most friendly players in the Kansas City locker room ... until he takes he field, of course, when he terrorizes quarterbacks who happen to be wearing the wrong colors. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 2019: 13 games played (12 starts), 9 sacks, 36 tackles (23 solo), 20 QB hits, 8 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble. Pro Bowl selection for first time in 2019.
• Career stats: 61 games played (41 starts), 33 sacks, 136 tackles (97 solo), 72 QB hits, 37 tackles for loss, 7 forced fumbles, 2 INT. Pro Bowl (2019), second-team All-Pro.

He said it: “I can get more than 15 sacks, I can get more than 50 tackles, I can get more than one interception. It’s always about pushing yourself to the limit.”

WIDE RECEIVERS

Then: Otis Taylor

As a small-school standout at Prairie View northwest of Houston, it was Philly or Kansas City for Taylor ... and Taylor opted for the Chiefs. He’d play 10 seasons in red and gold, be twice named All-Pro, appear in two Pro Bowls and lead the NFL in receiving yards in 1971. Today, however, Taylor’s existence is sadly nothing like his playing days on the Chiefs’ famed championship teams of the AFL and Super Bowl IV. Star columnist Vahe Gregorian four years ago wrote, “Ravaged by what the family in a 2012 lawsuit against the NFL attributed to Parkinson’s disease and associated dementia ... Taylor is bedridden, non-verbal, unable to walk and dependent on a feeding tube in his stomach for all sustenance.” Lovingly cared for by his sister, he’ll forever be a Chiefs legend. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 1969: 11 games played (8 starts), 41 catches for 696 yards, 7 TDs.
• Career stats: 130 games played (72 starts), 410 catches for 7,306 yards, 57 TDs; 3 rush TDs, 30 carries for 161 yards, 3 TDs. Two-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, NFL receiving yards leader (1971), AFL All-Star and first-team All-AFL (1966), Chiefs Hall of Famer.

He said it: “Otis made my job easy. If you got the pass to Otis, you knew he’d catch it.” — Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson

Now: Tyreek Hill

“Cheetah” might be the most potent component of Andy Reid’s offense not named Patrick Mahomes. Versatility? Check. Speed? Double and triple check. Running a blistering 4.25-second time in the 40-yard dash, Hill lines up all over the field for this Patrick Mahomes-led offense: out wide, in the slot and even in the backfield. Hill’s trademark peace sign and resilience through some off-field challenges have forever endeared him to pretty much every Kansas City fan, and his ability to stretch an opposing defense and pull down the most improbable catches has rendered him virtually indispensable on the field. Reaching 4,054 receiving yards in just 58 career games at the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field on Dec. 22, he’s the fastest Chief ever to 4,000 yards, a mark previously held by Chiefs Hall of Famer Otis Taylor. And to think, Hill is just 25. He has many years of good (and fast) football ahead of him. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 2019: 12 games played (12 starts), 58 catches for 860 yards, 7 TDs.
• Career stats: 59 games played (42 starts), 281 catches for 4,115 yards, 32 TDs, 4 rush TDs. Four-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro.

He said it: “I tell him he’s got this ‘Cheetah’ nickname, but he’s really not a cheetah. They’ve got a burst and they go rest for about eight hours. That’s not this guy. He can keep going over and over again.” — Chiefs coach Andy Reid

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Then: Bobby Bell

Perhaps the greatest of the Chiefs’ many talented all-time defenders, Bell helped set the tone for Super Bowl IV. The Minnesota Vikings had driven from their own 20-yard line to the Chiefs’ 39 on their first possession of the game. But Bell slowed down Vikings running back Bill Brown on a play that resulted in a loss of yardage and forced a Minnesota punt. Bell had also come up huge on a critical goal-line stand against the New York Jets in the Chiefs’ divisional playoff game. A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Bell was also named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time team. Notably, he was the first member of the Chiefs to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player. Also notable: in high school in North Carolina, Bell played halfback for his six-man team. It was only in college, once he became a Minnesota Golden Gopher, that he switched to D-line. The Gophers won a national title in 1960, Bell left college for KC (he returned to graduate with his degree in 2015 at age 74), and the rest is history. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 1969: Started all 14 games, covered three fumbles, returned an onside kick for a touchdown.
• Career stats: 168 games over 12 seasons (never missed a game), 40 sacks, 26 INTs, nine fumble recoveries. Three-time Pro Bowler, All-Pro, six-time AFL All-Star, five-time All-AFL, NFL Def. Player of the Year (1969), NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, Chiefs Hall of Fame (No. 78 retired), Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He said it: “(The Vikings) were supposed to beat us like crazy. We felt there was no way.”

Now: Frank Clark

Clark was a major component in the reshaping of the Chiefs’ defense last offseason. He arrived via trade with the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for first- and third-round NFL Draft picks in 2019 along with the Chiefs’ second-round selection for 2020. Along with Clark, the Chiefs received from Seattle a third-round pick in 2019, which they used to select defensive lineman Khalen Saunders out of Western Illinois. After the trade, Clark signed a deal that guaranteed him $62.3 million and made him Kansas City’s highest-paid player. He got off to a slow start this season, and later it was learned that he was playing with a pinched nerve in his neck. He slowly recovered and really came to life in the Chiefs’ Week 7 victory at Denver (two sacks) and has posted five of his eight sacks this season since that game. He has become a team leader and was named to his first Pro Bowl this season. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 2019: 14 games (11 starts), eight sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception. Played 65 percent of KC’s defensive snaps.
• Career stats: 43 sacks overall, including 32 in his final three seasons with Seattle. His 13 last season ranked seventh in the NFL.

He said it: “I want to win some championships. I want to go to heights I’ve never been.”

TIGHT ENDS

Then: Fred Arbanas

A Detroit native who played at Michigan State, Arbanas was drafted in 1961 by both the AFL’s Dallas Texans (who would later become the KC Chiefs) and the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals. Arbanas chose the Texans and would go on to play in Dallas and KC for his entire career. After helping the Texans/Chiefs to three AFL titles, he and the Chiefs claimed a Super Bowl championship over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 11, 1970. After retiring following the 1970 season, Arbanas got into business, still in Kansas City, and served a longtime tenure with the Jackson County Legislature. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 1969: 14 games played (14 starts), 16 catches for 258 yards.
• Career stats: 118 games played (34 starts), 198 catches for 3,101 yards, 34 TDs, 5-time AFL All-Star, 6-time All-AFL, Chiefs Hall of Fame.

He said it: “I made a lot of friends here, got active in the community, started a business, raised my family. Kansas City and Jackson County have been good to me.” — Arbanas, at the time of his retirement in 2014 from the Jackson County Legislature

Now: Travis Kelce

In so many ways, the affable Kelce is Kansas City’s ideal everyman: He’s excellent in his field, knows how to have a good time yet maintains workmanlike focus in his craft, and is fiercely proud of his place in the world — which in Kelce’s case is among the NFL’s pantheon of all-time tight end greats. It’s certainly no stretch to include the third-round draft pick out of Cincinnati (2013) in that conversation, either. Earlier this season, No. 87 became the first player at his position to record four straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards receiving. He’s also the first tight end in NFL history with back-to-back 1,200-yard campaigns. No wonder that Kelce is often MVP QB Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target. Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez defined tight end play in KC, and now Kelce is re-imagining it before our eyes. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 2019: 16 games played (16 starts), 97 catches for 1,229 yards, 5 TDs, Pro Bowl selection.
• Career stats: 96 games played (89 starts), 507 catches for 6,465 yards, 37 TDs. Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro.

He said it: “How consistent he is on a game-to-game basis is truly special. He’s going out there trying to win; he’s being a competitor.” — Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

KICKERS

Then: Jan Stenerud

The Norwegian-born Stenerud went to Montana State on a ski-jumping scholarship. He became a kicker there and soon entered the NFL as one of the league’s first soccer-style specialists. The four-time All-Pro and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time team scored the first nine points of Super Bowl IV. His first came on a 48-yard field goal, the longest Super Bowl field goal for the first 24 years of the big game. That year, the 1969 season and Stenerud’s third in the NFL, he led the league in field-goal accuracy at 77.1 percent. When he retired after the 1985 season, Stenerud was the longest-tenured player to have competed in the AFL (19 years). He scored 1,699 points, making 373 of 558 field-goal attempts and 580 of his 601 extra-point tries. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 1969: 27 of 35 on field goals, 38 of 38 on PATs and a long of 54 yards.
• Career stats: 373 of 558 on field goals (66.8 percent), 580 of 601 on PATs, 1,699 total points. Hall of Famer, 4-time All-Pro, 4-time Pro Bowler, Chiefs Hall of Famer (No. 3 retired by team).

He said it: “I remember the happiness I shared when you win the Super Bowl with teammates, coaches, administrators and the whole city. It’s fabulous. You never forget it.”

Now: Harrison Butker

Butker has become one of the NFL’s premier kickers. His 2019 highlights include a career-long 56 yard field goal against the Chicago Bears. No kicker this season made (34) or attempted (38) more field goals than Butker, and his 147 total points topped the NFL. Teams average 19.56 yards per kickoff return against the Chiefs, the fourth-best figure in the league, and that starts with Butker’s leg strength and accuracy. After becoming the career scoring leader at Georgia Tech, Butker was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 Draft. He was waived when the Panthers kept veteran Graham Gano instead, and the Chiefs snatched him off Carolina’s practice squad after parting ways with Cairo Santos. In his first game, Butker kicked the game-winner in a victory over Washington. His 39-yarder with eight seconds remaining sent last season’s AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots into overtime. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2018 and 2019. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 2019: 34 of 38 field goals (89.5 percent), 45 of 48 extra points (93.8), 60 kickoff touchbacks.
• Career stats: 96 of 107 field goals (89.7 percent), 138 of 145 extra points (95.2). He’s 9-of-15 from beyond the 50.

He said it: “I do the best when I’m just kind of in my zone.”

SAFETIES

Then: Johnny Robinson

Last summer, Johnny Nolan Robinson was finally voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was long overdue. The former AFL and NFL star who wears his Super Bowl IV ring on one hand and 1958 LSU national championship ring on the other spent a decade leading the Dallas Texans/KC Chiefs’ ferocious defense after being picked in the first round of the 1960 AFL Draft and playing two years as a flanker. Robinson recorded 57 career interceptions and always seemed to deliver in a game’s biggest moment. He had two picks in the Texans’ AFL title-game victory over Houston in 1962, one in the 1966 AFL title game against Buffalo and 11 tackles in Super Bowl I against Green Bay. Since retiring from pro football in 1971, he has operated the non-profit Johnny Robinson Boys Home, a mission Star columnist Vahe Gregorian chronicled in making Robinson’s case for the Hall of Fame. He’s survived rheumatoid arthritis in his spine, thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a quadruple heart bypass and a severe stroke ... but he’s now and forever a Hall of Famer. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 1969: 14 games played (14 starts), 4 INTs, 12 passes defensed, 75 tackles (63 solo), 2 QB hits, 3 TFL, 2 sacks.
• Career stats: 164 games played (83 starts), 57 INTs, 741 INT return yards, 17 TDs (2 defensively). Pro Bowl, first-team All-Pro, NFL INTs leader (1970), AFL INTs leader (1966), Chiefs Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He said it: “The journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame may have been long and the road may have been hard at times, but I found that sometimes you must go through the valley in order to stand upon the mountain.”

Now: Tyrann Mathieu

Before the good — if just for some critical context — we remind you of the bad: the Chiefs’ 2018 defense wasn’t just shaky, it was downright terrible. Vulnerable. A liability. So they blew it all up last offseason, bringing in a new defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo, installing a new scheme (the 4-3) and replacing a number of formerly central players on the roster. The linchpin? Honey Badger. Mathieu, once a Heisman finalist at LSU, was signed in March 2018 to a three-year contract worth $42 million. What Mathieu has brought to the Chiefs is immeasurable: He’s a gritty competitor, leader both on the field and off and motivator who makes younger teammates (though he’s only 27 himself) so much better. The man Mathieu ultimately replaced, cancer survivor Eric Berry, became a fixture in Kansas City. Mathieu, after just one season in Chiefs red, is becoming one, too. — Jeff Rosen

• Stats in 2019: 16 games played (16 starts), 4 INTs, 12 passes defensed, 75 tackles (63 solo), 2 QB hits, 3 TFL, 2 sacks.
• Career stats: 98 games played (89 starts), 17 INTs, 61 passes defensed, 472 tackles (416 solo), 21 QB hits, 36 TFL, 9 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 TD, one Pro Bowl, one All-Pro selection.

He said it: “When he speaks, people listen. Moving on from a guy (Eric Berry) who had that room for so long, how do you duplicate that? You put high priority on not just talent, but character and leadership.” — Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach

THE HEAD COACHES

Then: Hank Stram

By the time the Chiefs reached Super Bowl IV, Stram had established himself as the best coach in AFL history. His Hall of Fame credentials were sealed with the final victory for the AFL against the Minnesota Vikings. Stram was a teacher, innovator, strategist and master motivator, and he molded one of the greatest teams in pro football history with the 1969 Chiefs and their seven future Hall of Famers. Stram went on to a successful career in broadcasting, calling NFL games on television and radio for CBS. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 1969: 11-3 regular season, victories at the Jets and Raiders in the AFL playoffs and the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
• Career stats: 124-76 for the Chiefs in 15 seasons (1960-74), 131-97 overall, including two years as the Saints’ head coach. Finished with 5-3 career playoff record.

He said it: “Gloster, tell (QB Len Dawson), ‘65 Toss Power Trap.’ It might pop wide open.” — Stram’s fateful call during Super Bowl IV to Gloster Richardson, before sending the wide receiver into the Chiefs’ huddle with the play

Now: Andy Reid

Reid added to his resume in 2019 by leading the Chiefs to their fourth straight AFC West title. Before 2016, the Chiefs had never finished first in the division in back-to-back years. With dynamic quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 Chiefs offense posted record-setting numbers. But when last season fell short of the Super Bowl, sweeping changes were made and the Chiefs enter this postseason a with more balanced team. Reid has the most career regular-season victories (207) of any coach without a Super Bowl or NFL championship. Only Bill Belichick has more wins (273) among active coaches. Also ahead of Reid: Don Shula (328), George Halas (318), Tom Landry (250) and Curly Lambeau (226). Reid’s lone Super Bowl appearance came in the 2004-2005 season with Philadelphia, but his time in KC has been impressive — his teams have won at least 10 games six times. He’s a future Hall of Famer. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 2019: The Chiefs’ 12-4 record marked the first time in club history they’ve won at least 12 games in successive seasons.
• Career stats: In 14 seasons in Philly and seven in KC, Reid is 207-128-1. He’s 77-35 in red, an average of 11 wins per season.

He said it: “This is a self-motivated group that likes to be around each other.” — Reid, on the 2019 Chiefs

THE VENUES

Then: Municipal Stadium

Municipal Stadium opened in 1923 at 2123 Brooklyn Ave. as Muehlebach Field. It would later become Ruppert Stadium, and then Blues Stadium, but when Kansas City became major league with the arrival of the baseball Athletics in 1955, it was henceforth dubbed Municipal Stadium. It also was home to the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues and KC Cowboys of the NFL (1924-26). When the Chiefs played there, the field ran along the first-base line and both teams’ benches were on the same sideline. Only one playoff game was held there: the Chiefs’ 1971 Christmas Day loss to the Miami Dolphins in the longest game in NFL history. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 1969: The Chiefs went 6-1 at Muni, falling only to the Raiders.
• All-time stats: The Chiefs were 44-16-3 in the nine seasons they called Municipal home.

Now: Arrowhead Stadium

When it’s full, there’s no better atmosphere in the NFL. But, oddly, the Chiefs were two games better on the road (7-1) this season than they were at home. Still, as coach Andy Reid pointed out after their regular-season finale against the L.A. Chargers, the crowd noise makes a difference. Arrowhead opened in 1972, five years after Jackson County voters approved a $102 million bond issue for the Truman Sports Complex along Interstate 70. Separating the city’s football and baseball stadiums ran contrary to the thinking of the times, but Kansas City had the right idea. In Arrowhead’s first 17 seasons, the Chiefs had only six winning seasons at home. The arrival of general manager Carl Peterson and coach Marty Schottenheimer changed their fortunes and led to the full houses and tailgating culture that has endures today. — Blair Kerkhoff

• Stats in 2019: The Chiefs went 5-3 at home. In Reid’s seven seasons, the Chiefs are 41-15 (73.2 percent) in regular-season home games.
• All-time stats: The home playoff victories here can still be counted on one hand – three. Overall playoff record at Arrowhead: 3-7.

This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 4:00 AM.

Blair Kerkhoff

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4730

Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

Jeff Rosen

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4706