Kansas City Chiefs unveil spectacular renovated Hall of Honor at Arrowhead Stadium
The Chiefs spent the offseason with numerous upgrades and renovations at the team’s training facility and Arrowhead Stadium.
The players saw their new locker room in late August, and fans will see new gold seats in the club levels.
But one new standout feature at Arrowhead Stadium is sure to capture imagination and feelings of nostalgia, as the Chiefs on Thursday night unveiled a completely renovated Hall of Honor.
From the big-screen televisions to HD touch-screen monitors on the walls to the bronze head statues and staggered displays of the great players to wear a Chiefs uniform, the Hall of Honor was built to impress.
“This Hall is magnificent,” said longtime Chiefs play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus, who emceed the event. “It is a Hall for the fans, but it is a Hall for every one of you players.
“It is also a Hall to remember the beginnings in what has become in many ways a one-of-a-kind franchise.”
Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt agreed.
“I’m standing here looking at a screen that’s got to be 16 to 18 feet across, and it just blows you away,” Hunt said. “I mean, it’s really, really that special.”
Chiefs team president Mark Donovan said on July 26 that the venture to upgrade the Hall of Honor cost “almost $9 million,” and the stunning result showed it was worth every penny.
With Chiefs greats Bobby Bell, Jan Stenerud, Will Shields, Willie Lanier, Neil Smith, Christian Okoye and Tamba Hali, among others, present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the renovated Hall of Honor links the past to the present.
The team’s deep tradition was especially important to the Hunt family.
“We are where we are today because of the contributions of the players, the coaches and administrators who helped build this franchise,” Hunt said. “The men showcased in this Hall helped shape the Chiefs. That’s why we created the Hall of Honor back in 2010 and why we invested the resources over the last two years to enhance it.
“We are committed to honoring tradition. It is an important part of our mission as an organization. It is important to me and my family that our history is woven throughout the identity of the franchise. We celebrate it and we our fans to enjoy it.”
There were plenty of smiles throughout the space, as distinguished guests made their way from display to display. Numerous former Chiefs players also took a few minutes to watch multiple videos of their greatest plays.
And through it all, there was little doubt the Chiefs accomplished their mission of keeping the memories of the great players and spirit of tradition alive.
“For this great organization, for them to include you in any way, honestly, it’s so humbling, it’s so rewarding for all the hard work you put in,” former Chiefs wide receiver Dante Hall said. “Maybe one day when I’m an old man, I can bring my kids here and be like, ‘Look, your dad did enough that the Chiefs felt like I should be in this beautiful Hall of Honor.’
“And that to me is what I think of. Like, wow, I did enough, they appreciate me enough to add me among all these great players, this great organization. That’s a beautiful thing.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
