By Roger and Marcia Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
At 27 years old, Lamar Hunt applied for a National Football League expansion franchise. He wanted a team in Dallas, Texas, where he lived. In 1959, the NFL executives were reluctant to dilute their market. Baseball was the top spectator sport and professional football did not dominate the sport spectator market, as it does today. According to Fox Sports, 52% of sports fans prefer football and 37% baseball. An unspoken reason for denying Hunt an NFL franchise was his age. The NFL owners were an exclusive group and couldn’t envision adding this young man into their club.
Hunt’s fallback plan was to purchase the Chicago Cardinals NFL team and relocate it to Dallas. He was not approved to purchase the Cardinals. His path to a professional football team led him to form the American Football League. He had one of the eight teams in the rival league; the Dallas Texans. Their first season was in 1960.
The NFL countered by establishing the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys drew more fans than the Texans. By the 1962 season, Hunt began to look for an alternative city for his football team. Learning of the opportunity to attract a professional football team to his city, Kansas City, Missouri Mayor, H. Rowe Bartle, promised Hunt a home game attendance of 25,000 per game. Kansas City was an easy commute from Dallas and Hunt moved the team in 1963.
Before becoming mayor of Kansas City, H. Roe Bartle was the Scout Executive of the Heart of America Boy Scout Council. He established an honor camping society for the council. It became known as the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. Bartle became the chief of the tribe. Inductees into the tribe choose a tribal name. His was (chief) Lone Bear. The nickname Chief stuck with him when he transitioned to mayor.
During Hunt’s discussions with the mayor, he referred to him as Chief. When he decided to relocate the Dallas Texans to Kansas City, he needed a different name. He decided to name the team after the mayor’s nickname.
Three years after establishing the Kansas City Chiefs, the American Football League and the NFL merged. The expanded league planned for a championship game and Hunt provided the name; Super Bowl. Appropriately, his team played in the first Super Bowl in 1966.
Stadiums
The Chiefs first games were played in the Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It was completed in 1923 and provided a venue for minor and negro baseball teams. When the Philadelphia Athletics baseball team relocated to Kansas City, in 1955, the stadium was renovated. The A’s left Kansas City in 1967 and were replaced by the Royals in 1969. It was home field for the Kansas City Chiefs football team and Kansas City Spurs soccer team.
Arrowhead stadium was completed for the 1972 football season. It was designed for hosting football games. A baseball stadium was built adjacent to Arrowhead. For the past 54 years, it has been one of the premier sporting venues in the United States. Even though it is one of the oldest venues of this capacity, it was selected to host 2026 World Cup Soccer games. It was well designed, engineered, built and maintained.
Kansas City has a long tradition of tailgating before and after games. The facility is fan friendly. That includes receptacles for charcoal (from grills) early access to the parking lots and restrooms.
The Chiefs lease for Arrowhead stadium expires in 2031. At that time, they will move to a covered stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
Hometown Hero
By Mark Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Years ago, I got to go to a Chiefs game when Bobby Douglas played for New Orleans. He didn’t play that game but it was a neat venue. We met him coming out of the tunnel after the game. Those guys are HUGE. Hank Stram led them out. He was dressed “to the nines” in a black suit and surrounded by his babe entourage.
September 9, 1976
Kansas City 17 New Orleans 27
Notes:
- Bobby Douglas was raised in Mark’s hometown of El Dorado, Kansas and graduated from El Dorado High School.
- Hank Stram coached the Kansas City Chiefs from 1960 to 1974. He coached the Chiefs through two Super Bowls. They lost in Super Bowl I to the Green Bay Packers and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. He coached the New Orleans Saints in the 1976 and 1977 seasons.
Margaritaville
From Brianne (Lehr) Smith, great-grandniece*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Brianne Lehr Smith and her husband traveled 860 miles from Temple, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia to watch her hometown team, Kansas City Chiefs on September 22, 2024. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes.
“The game was a nail biter” stated Brianne. KC won in the final minute for the third straight week; the score was 22-17. It was an exciting evening game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Brianne estimated that 75% of the 72,400 people in attendance were Chiefs fans.
To celebrate the win, Brianne and her husband joined relatives and friends at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville in Atlanta. Everyone was all smiles.
Brianne (Lehr) Smith and her grandfather, David Lehr. He is Andy Lehr’s nephew. From the collection of Brianne (Lehr) Smith
Backstage Pass
From Charlie Leavitt, great grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Charlie Leavitt’s first Chiefs game was October 19, 2025 the Chiefs hosted the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs won the game 31 to 0.
Charlie and his family were treated to a backstage tour of the stadium prior to the kickoff.
In 2021, the Government Employees Health Association acquired the naming rights to the stadium and christened it: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The name was dropped in 2026 and the stadium name was restored to Arrowhead Stadium.
Childhood Memory
By John Lehr, grandnephew*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
The Players
By Marcia Eaton, wife of Roger Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Pete Koch
I met a Chiefs player, and I didn’t know it at the time. In 1987 or 1988 , I was walking into the Goodyear Service Center in Mission, Kansas and I noticed a big guy holding the door as I was entering. I was very small (4’11”) standing next to him. Roger was in the parking lot waiting in the car and he noticed the big guy holding the door. When I joined Roger in the car, he exclaimed “Don’t you know who that is? I didn’t and he stated it was Pete Koch.
Pete Koch played for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1985-1988 seasons as a defensive end. He was 270 pounds at 6 foot 6 inches. During the off season, Pete was also acting in Hollywood. He was featured in Heartbreak Ridge in 1986 as Private “Swede” Johanson alongside Clint Eastwood. He was in thirteen other movies and television shows.
Jan Stenerud (pronounced yawn)
I was the President of the HNTB Credit Union in Kansas City, Missouri at the same time the Chiefs former placekicker, Jan Stenerud was working for HNTB, an American architectural and infrastructure design firm.
We walked in the building at the same time almost every morning from the parking garage. He was very friendly and genuine for a Hall of Famer and always said “Good morning”. I was expecting my son in 1992 and he always asked how I was feeling. Jan signed an autograph photo for my employee’s daughter.
Jan started at HNTB in 1989 and assisted with their stadium projects. He was the kicker for the Chiefs for 13 seasons, 1967-1979. Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991, the first placekicker to do so. He helped the Chiefs win their first Superbowl. In his career he kicked with his Norwegian style, seventeen field goals over 50 yards. Including a 55-yard field goal against Denver in 1970.
Lamar hunt, Chiefs founder, also created the Worlds of Fun Theme park in Kansas City. Jan provided the name of one of the park’s roller coaster; Schussboomer. The name is German for a fast downhill skier. It was operated from 1973 until 1984.
Chris Martin
I met Chris Martin, former Chiefs player, and his family in Leawood, Kansas in 1999 while I was working at Crème de la Crème preschool. Chris played for the Chiefs as a linebacker from 1988 to 1992. He scored the longest recovery fumble touchdown of 100 yards in football history against the Miami Dolphins in 1991. At Crème de la Crème we were instructed to call his son, Sir Claudio Martin. My co-worker was a personal babysitter for the family as well. Claudio Martin played football in high school and for Missouri State.
Trent Green
While I was working at Blue Valley North high school in Overland Park, I met Trent Green’s son, Trent Green Junior, also known as T.J. The kids seemed to swarm around him hoping for Chiefs tickets. I believe he only went there one year before switching to a private high school. His younger sister played volleyball at Blue Valley North, but I didn’t know her. Trent Green’s oldest son, Derek, is engaged to Clark Hunt’s (owner of the Chiefs) daughter, Gracie. Trent Green was the quarterback for the Chiefs from 2001-2006. He is currently a CBS NFL analyst.
Will Shields
In 2011, while I was working at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, I noticed a flyer for Football Clinic 101 for women offered by former Chiefs player, Will Shields. He didn’t normally teach young girls, but he agreed to teach my Girl Scouts troop. They were Freshman. He gave them T Shirts and taught them various drills. Will Shields and his wife were so generous with their time instructing the girls.
Muriel Eaton recalls, “That was so fun! I enjoyed doing drills with my friends. They taught us how to flex our muscles for pictures. Afterwards, you took us for ice cream at McDonald’s back when they were only 50 cents.
Will Shields was born at Ft Riley, Kansas. The only team he played for was the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a guard and played 1993 to 2006, never missing a game. Will and his wife are known to be philanthropists and have several projects to help the less fortunate.
The Games
By Roger Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
First game at Arrowhead Stadium
We relocated to the Kansas City area in October of 1986. The next month we received tickets to a Kansas City Chiefs football game. November 9th was a rainy day at Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs battled the Seattle Seahawks. The game was poorly attended and we could sit nearly anywhere in the stadium. People were using umbrellas in the stadium. When the Chiefs began winning more games (1989 and beyond), the attendance increased and fellow spectators would not tolerate umbrellas. We left in the third quarter. The Chiefs won the game by a score of 27 to 7.
Mother Mary to the Playoff Game
12-28-1991
My mother enjoyed watching football games on television. Marcia and I thought that she would like to attend a game. The Chiefs qualified for the championship playoffs in the 1991 season. They were scheduled to play the Los Angeles Raiders. The Chiefs-Raiders rivalry was well known and dated back to the early days of the American Football League. This would be the third time in the season that the two teams faced each other. The Chiefs won the first two games.
Since my parents were in town, Marcia and I decided to take my mother to the game. When the tickets were available, I went to the Jones Store to purchase our tickets. The Jones Store was a regional chain of department stores. It was later acquired by Macy’s Department Stores. The line for tickets was long. As I neared the front of the line, I noticed a small sign that indicated they only accepted cash or checks. Having neither, I stepped out of line and raced home to get my checkbook.
We lived within minutes of the store. I returned to the waiting line and was able to purchase three tickets. They were at the top of the stadium – the last row of seats. Mother Mary was 68 years old and in remarkable health. She made the hike from the 1,000-acre parking lot and up the stairs to our seats. A fog blanketed the stadium and it wasn’t visible from our parking space. The fog began to lift as we completed the climb to our seats.
It was a memorable event and the Chief defeated the Raiders for the third time that season. The final score was Kansas City 10 Los Angeles Raiders 6.
Note: The Raiders changed locations several times. Their locations have included: Oakland, California, Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada
Bo Jackson
Every few decades an athlete rises to dominate his sport and distinguish himself as superior to his (would be) peers. Bo Jackson was selected as the top college football player in 1985. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by teams from the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
The Kansas City Royals were fortunate to sign him to a contract to play baseball. In his first year, he hit 22 home runs. That was a record for a first-year player. His baseball accomplishment attracted fans and commercial endorsements. But he always wondered how well he could compete in the National Football League.
The Las Vegas Raiders football time lured him to test his talents. The Raiders had a long-standing rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs. While the fans in Kansas City were not happy to see him play for the Raiders, they were supportive of his decision.
Bo was already a household name through his athletic exploits with the Royals baseball team and his commercial endorsements. When he joined the Raiders football team, he joked that he needed a hobby. That launched an expanded advertising campaign. Bo Knows!
Birthday At Arrowhead
By Ryan Leavitt, great grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
For my 7th birthday my parents got me tickets to my first Chiefs game after years of bugging them. Also, a pretty sweet wig and coat! Been waiting for today for my whole life and for many of my close family members and friends they have waited much longer than that!! I will never forget my favorite players from that season like Dante Hall, Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzales, Trent Green, and Larry Johnson!
LETS GO CHIEFS!
October 26, 2003
Kansas City Chief vs Buffalo Bills Chief 38 to Bills 5
Arrowhead Wedding and Flying Beer
By Meg Conger, granddaughter*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
I was at a Chiefs playoff game with Brock and Gigi several years ago. It was the game that would determine if the Chiefs went to the Super Bowl and emotions were high. The temperature, unfortunately, was not, and people were heavily bundled up. I wore a full-length mink coat as it was the warmest coat I owned.
The couple sitting a row ahead of us were even more emotional. Unbeknownst to me, the couple was going to be married in the stands at half-time. The couple were not wearing wedding attire, so it was a surprise to see them make a wedding formation, complete with a maid of honor, a best man, and, of course, an officiant. People gathered around the couple and the wedding commenced.
The ceremony was quick but appeared to be legal. The bride didn’t have a bouquet, so there were no flowers to be thrown. There were, however, cups of beer. Large cups. And they were tossed in the air with vigor. Unfortunately, the most vigorous beer throwers were next to me.
I, and my coat, got drenched in beer. At first, I stood there in disbelief, but I decided not to say anything. I didn’t want to be a negative voice at a wedding. The bride saw what happened, gasped and pointed at me. The two guys who threw the beer sobered up just enough, and temporarily, to see me standing there drenched. They apologized repeatedly and I assured them it was no big deal. I was surprised by how nice I was about everything.
My niceness vanished when the men turned away and their sobriety vanished, along with their manners. They exclaimed quite loudly, “Who the hell wears a fur coat to a football game!” And a few other unkind things. I went up to them and tapped them on their shoulders. I said loudly, “I’ll tell you who in the hell wears a mink coat to a football game! Someone who CAN!”
The looks on their faces were worth the price of the coat cleaning.
