Municipal Stadium is fondly remembered for the many fan-friendly innovations the Chiefs came up with to enhance the game-day experience--the Pardo "Swing" band playing after every kickoff and Chiefs TD, "Warpaint" the horse running up and down the sideline after a Chiefs score, the field expertly cared for by George Toma (The "God of Sod')-who put the Chiefs helmet logo on one side of the 50 yd line and the Chiefs opponent that week on the other side, fans who sold the most season tickets getting awarded with red sports jackets and being able to stand on the field during the team player introductions etc. WR Otis Taylor has said (in his book "The Need to Win") that many of the Chiefs from that era regretted leaving Municipal Stadium for Arrowhead Stadium in 1972 as the atmosphere (including the surrounding neighborhood) simply wasn't the same. Today the site of Municipal Stadium is a small park with a series of small statues of players in KC sports history (Chiefs, Athletics, Negro League Baseball) who played there
Hi John. You're absolutely correct. I grew up in Kansas City during the 1960's and I spent many many days of my youth at Municipal Stadium and I loved every minute of it. Whether it be sitting up in the Wolfpack seats (left field bleachers that were erected just after baseball season) at a Chiefs home game or sitting in the lower level down the 3rd base line a few rows behind the pillars up in the green seats watching baseball (A's and then Royals) I absolutely loved being at Municipal Stadium. It makes me sad for my kids to never have had those great experiences. I love old ballparks and old arenas, as they have the atmosphere and character that the "cookie-cutter" types of arenas and stadiums of today just don't have. As a kid I used to take a bus with a friend of mine, from the Country Club Plaza out to Municipal Stadium for afternoon Royals games. We'd usually get there about 2-hours early. We'd get right field seats ($1.00 back then) and we'd each take a section of the bleachers during batting practice. Invariably we'd come away with at least one baseball each from BP. During football season I used to slip up to that same area from time to time (known as Stenerud's Roost) and position myself for a kicked extra point that always ended up in that area. I never got into the heavy battles (and there were some nasty ones) but stayed on the periphery of the group in hopes the ball would pop out to me and I could make a quick getaway. It never happened, but it was fun anyway. Nothing like that can happen in the new stadiums (except in Wrigley Field and Fenway Park with BP). I feel fortunate to have lived during that time, as it was far more innocent and people were more connected to what life was really all about. Today, the prices are waaay too high and you have too many people who would be looking to sue somebody else. We didn't realize it at the time but we were living through a wonderful era.
@@Chiefsfansince-qb1kt ...1963 was before my time, but my dad was around back then, and he told me years ago that the KC Chiefs used to be a Dallas football team called the Dallas Texans and they moved to KC in 1963 and first played their games in the Kansas City Athletics Municipal Stadium back in the 1960's, before the KC Athletics left Kansas City in 1967 to go to Oakland. After the A's left, the Royals got started and in about 1971 the KC Chiefs and the Royals moved into the current stadiums that they play at now.
@@midos6767 Hello Midos67. Your dad was pretty accurate with many of those details. The Chiefs DID begin play in Kansas City in 1963, having moved there only a few months AFTER winning the American Football League Championship game in double OT in what was the longest pro game ever played at that time. The won over the Houston Oilers at Jeppeson Stadium in Houston on a field goal by Tommy Brooker. There is video here on UA-cam of that game. It's in black and white instead of color. Anyway, the Texans were successful in Dallas, having outdrawn the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL during the 3-seasons they both played at the Cotton Bowl. Owner Lamar Hunt was wooed to Kansas City by Mayor H. Roe Bartle (AKA "the Chief") and a consortium of Kansas City businessmen, who persuaded and ultimately convinced Hunt that Kansas City was the place for his football team. Promises to Hunt were that Kansas City's Municipal Stadium (by the way it was NEVER known as Athletics Municipal Stadium) would be reconfigured for football with a section of stands erected on the left field grass and a seating capacity of over 40,000, and there would be 35,000 season tickets sold over time. It took several years but the businessmen in Kansas City got it done, and then some. There were several hundred business men and women who sold at least 100 season tickets and earned a red jacket that they wore to games. They were called 'The Red Coaters.' My uncle Tom was one of these men. As the 60's evolved, the Chiefs won the AFL Championship in 1966, 31-7 over the Buffalo Bills and then played in the 1st Super Bowl in January of 1967, losing to the Green Bay Packers 35-10. The score was 14-10 Packers at halftime. The Chiefs didn't get back to the Super Bowl until January 11th of 1970 when the beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. The Chiefs played 2-more seasons in Municipal Stadium , with the last game being a Christmas Day game in 1971 where they lost to the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in double OT, the longest game in NFL history. The Chiefs opened Arrowhead in 1972 with a 20-10 loss to the same Dolphins, who used that win as a springboard to a perfect 17-0 season, including a win in Super Bowl 7 over the Washington Redskins 14-7. The Royals didn't open Royals Stadium (now known as Kauffman Stadium in honor of their original owner) until 1973. By the way, the total cost of both stadiums and all the parking, infrastructure, etc was 73.5 million dollars. They fell 8-million dollars short of having a movable roof that would have run on rails and covered either stadium in the event of bad weather. So your dad is pretty close to being right and I think it's cool that he has shared this history with you. We (your dad and I) were pretty fortunate to have lived through these good times with our beloved Kansas City sports teams. Best wishes Midos. Long Live the AFL!!!
Municipal Stadium is fondly remembered for the many fan-friendly innovations the Chiefs came up with to enhance the game-day experience--the Pardo "Swing" band playing after every kickoff and Chiefs TD, "Warpaint" the horse running up and down the sideline after a Chiefs score, the field expertly cared for by George Toma (The "God of Sod')-who put the Chiefs helmet logo on one side of the 50 yd line and the Chiefs opponent that week on the other side, fans who sold the most season tickets getting awarded with red sports jackets and being able to stand on the field during the team player introductions etc. WR Otis Taylor has said (in his book "The Need to Win") that many of the Chiefs from that era regretted leaving Municipal Stadium for Arrowhead Stadium in 1972 as the atmosphere (including the surrounding neighborhood) simply wasn't the same. Today the site of Municipal Stadium is a small park with a series of small statues of players in KC sports history (Chiefs, Athletics, Negro League Baseball) who played there
that horse beats charlie o's mule every time!
I bet games were more fun back then. Today you have to put up with all the electronic noise which is over the top! I hate it.
Hi John. You're absolutely correct. I grew up in Kansas City during the 1960's and I spent many many days of my youth at Municipal Stadium and I loved every minute of it. Whether it be sitting up in the Wolfpack seats (left field bleachers that were erected just after baseball season) at a Chiefs home game or sitting in the lower level down the 3rd base line a few rows behind the pillars up in the green seats watching baseball (A's and then Royals) I absolutely loved being at Municipal Stadium. It makes me sad for my kids to never have had those great experiences. I love old ballparks and old arenas, as they have the atmosphere and character that the "cookie-cutter" types of arenas and stadiums of today just don't have. As a kid I used to take a bus with a friend of mine, from the Country Club Plaza out to Municipal Stadium for afternoon Royals games. We'd usually get there about 2-hours early. We'd get right field seats ($1.00 back then) and we'd each take a section of the bleachers during batting practice. Invariably we'd come away with at least one baseball each from BP. During football season I used to slip up to that same area from time to time (known as Stenerud's Roost) and position myself for a kicked extra point that always ended up in that area. I never got into the heavy battles (and there were some nasty ones) but stayed on the periphery of the group in hopes the ball would pop out to me and I could make a quick getaway. It never happened, but it was fun anyway. Nothing like that can happen in the new stadiums (except in Wrigley Field and Fenway Park with BP). I feel fortunate to have lived during that time, as it was far more innocent and people were more connected to what life was really all about. Today, the prices are waaay too high and you have too many people who would be looking to sue somebody else. We didn't realize it at the time but we were living through a wonderful era.
@@Chiefsfansince-qb1kt ...1963 was before my time, but my dad was around back then, and he told me years ago that the KC Chiefs used to be a Dallas football team called the Dallas Texans and they moved to KC in 1963 and first played their games in the Kansas City Athletics Municipal Stadium back in the 1960's, before the KC Athletics left Kansas City in 1967 to go to Oakland. After the A's left, the Royals got started and in about 1971 the KC Chiefs and the Royals moved into the current stadiums that they play at now.
@@midos6767 Hello Midos67. Your dad was pretty accurate with many of those details. The Chiefs DID begin play in Kansas City in 1963, having moved there only a few months AFTER winning the American Football League Championship game in double OT in what was the longest pro game ever played at that time. The won over the Houston Oilers at Jeppeson Stadium in Houston on a field goal by Tommy Brooker. There is video here on UA-cam of that game. It's in black and white instead of color. Anyway, the Texans were successful in Dallas, having outdrawn the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL during the 3-seasons they both played at the Cotton Bowl. Owner Lamar Hunt was wooed to Kansas City by Mayor H. Roe Bartle (AKA "the Chief") and a consortium of Kansas City businessmen, who persuaded and ultimately convinced Hunt that Kansas City was the place for his football team. Promises to Hunt were that Kansas City's Municipal Stadium (by the way it was NEVER known as Athletics Municipal Stadium) would be reconfigured for football with a section of stands erected on the left field grass and a seating capacity of over 40,000, and there would be 35,000 season tickets sold over time. It took several years but the businessmen in Kansas City got it done, and then some. There were several hundred business men and women who sold at least 100 season tickets and earned a red jacket that they wore to games. They were called 'The Red Coaters.' My uncle Tom was one of these men. As the 60's evolved, the Chiefs won the AFL Championship in 1966, 31-7 over the Buffalo Bills and then played in the 1st Super Bowl in January of 1967, losing to the Green Bay Packers 35-10. The score was 14-10 Packers at halftime. The Chiefs didn't get back to the Super Bowl until January 11th of 1970 when the beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. The Chiefs played 2-more seasons in Municipal Stadium , with the last game being a Christmas Day game in 1971 where they lost to the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in double OT, the longest game in NFL history. The Chiefs opened Arrowhead in 1972 with a 20-10 loss to the same Dolphins, who used that win as a springboard to a perfect 17-0 season, including a win in Super Bowl 7 over the Washington Redskins 14-7. The Royals didn't open Royals Stadium (now known as Kauffman Stadium in honor of their original owner) until 1973. By the way, the total cost of both stadiums and all the parking, infrastructure, etc was 73.5 million dollars. They fell 8-million dollars short of having a movable roof that would have run on rails and covered either stadium in the event of bad weather. So your dad is pretty close to being right and I think it's cool that he has shared this history with you. We (your dad and I) were pretty fortunate to have lived through these good times with our beloved Kansas City sports teams. Best wishes Midos. Long Live the AFL!!!
...lotta drunk idiots at Arrowhead, too.