The name Chiefs, one might assume, was inspired by the native Americans who lived in the US heartland. That’s not really the case. In fact, oil tycoon Lamar Hunt, the team’s owner, selected “Chiefs” in honor of Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle, whose nickname was “The Chief.” Bartle, who served as mayor from 1956 to 1963, was instrumental in bringing Hunt’s Dallas Texans to Kansas City in 1962, a move aimed at finding a market where the franchise, then in the AFL, would have the football market all to itself (rather than having to compete with the NFL’s Cowboys). Regardless of what inspired the Chiefs nickname, the team has made a connection with native Americans in other ways, such as using an arrowhead logo and playing in Arrowhead Stadium.
ORLIN WAGNER/AP
