The 10 key moments — good and bad — from Marty Schottenheimer’s time as Chiefs coach
From 1972 through 1988, the Chiefs had one playoff season. Then general manager Carl Peterson hired Marty Schottenheimer and winning started immediately.
The next decade under Schottenheimer produced nine winning seasons and seven playoff berths. Arrowhead Stadium became a happening, and the Chiefs took over Kansas City.
Here are 10 of the most memorable moments, mostly good, some bad, from the Schottenheimer decade.
Nov. 11, 1990: Derrick Thomas, the first draft pick of the Schottenheimer Chiefs a year earlier and a future Hall of Famer, recorded an NFL record seven sacks against the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium. But the Chiefs lost 17-16.
Dec. 28, 1991: A 10-6 victory in the Wild Card round against the rival Raiders was the Chiefs’ first playoff victory since their Super Bowl IV win. The Chiefs defense had six takeaways as Kansas City won despite the Raiders gaining more yards.
April 20, 1993: The Chiefs acquired four-time winning Super Bowl champion quarterback Joe Montana from the San Francisco 49ers in a trade. This was the catalyst for the free agent signing of running back Marcus Allen two months later.
Jan. 8, 1994: In the Wild Card round, the Steelers led the Chiefs by two touchdowns at the half, but Joe Montana led a fourth-quarter comeback, capped by Tim Barnett’s 7-yard touchdown catch that tied the score. In overtime, Nick Lowery’s field goal won the game.
Jan. 16, 1994: The Chiefs again trailed at the half in their next playoff game, this time in Houston, but Joe Montana threw three second-half touchdowns and Marcus Allen’s scoring run wrapped up a 28-20 win and a trip to the AFC Championship Game.
Oct. 17, 1994: The Chiefs had lost 11 straight to the Broncos in Denver. But Montana connected with Willie Davis on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 8 seconds left to win the game in dramatic fashion 31-28.
Jan. 7, 1996: Expectations were high for the Chiefs, who were the AFC’s top seed with a 13-3 record. But on a bitterly cold night, Steve Bono threw three interceptions and Lin Elliott missed three field goals as the Colts upset the Chiefs 10-7 in a Divisional playoff game.
Nov. 16, 1997: Schottenheimer called it “one of the most important wins we’ve had here,” and it was one of the most dramatic when Pete Stoyanovich booted a 54-yard field goal as time expired as the Chiefs beat the Broncos 24-22.
Jan. 4, 1998: Again the top seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record, the Chiefs came up short for the second time in three years in a Divisional playoff game. The Broncos scored a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and Elvis Grbac’s late drive stalled at the Denver 20. The Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl.
Nov. 16, 1998: The Monday Night Meltdown game against the Broncos. On Denver’s final touchdown drive, the Chiefs were penalized for five personal foul penalties, three against Thomas, and Schottenheimer’s final team was the only one to finish with a losing record (7-9).
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 9:44 AM.