1971 Kansas City Chiefs season

1971 Kansas City Chiefs season
1971 Kansas City Chiefs season
Owner	Lamar Hunt
General manager	Jack Steadman
Head coach	Hank Stram
Home field	Municipal Stadium
Results
Record	10–3–1
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Dolphins) 24–27 (2OT)
Pro Bowlers	QB Len Dawson; WR Otis Taylor; G Ed Budde; OT Jim Tyrer; DT Curley Culp; DT Buck Buchanan; LB Bobby Bell; LB Willie Lanier; CB Emmitt Thomas; K Jan Stenerud; P Jerrel Wilson
	← 1970; Chiefs seasons; 1972 →;

The 1971 Kansas City Chiefs season was the

AFC West division championship, the Chiefs' first division title since 1966 and last until 1993. The Chiefs tied with the Miami Dolphins for the best record in the AFC and were tied for the third-best record overall in the NFL, trailing only the 11–3 marks of the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.^[1]

The Chiefs' playoff loss to Miami remains the longest game in NFL history at 82 minutes and forty seconds. Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian made a 37-yard field goal with seven minutes and twenty seconds left in the second overtime to win the game.^[2]

1971 marked the end of an era, as the last remaining original Texan/Chief, longtime player Johnny Robinson, retired after all 10 seasons in the AFL, 2 seasons in the NFL, and 12 seasons with the Texans/Chiefs.

Season summary

Most of the pieces of the team which won

Most Valuable Player award. Outside linebacker Bobby Bell, defensive tackles Buck Buchanan and Curley Culp, and cornerback Emmitt Thomas joined Lanier on the AFC Pro Bowl squad following the season. Bell, Buchanan, Culp, Lanier, and Thomas are all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

.

On offense,

tackle Jim Tyrer

.

Kansas City's

punter Jerrel Wilson, both of whom were named to the Pro Bowl. Podolak and Warren McVea handled the bulk of the return duties

.

The season was the last for the Chiefs in

Royals Stadium, being constructed for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball, comprised the Truman Sports Complex, bucking the trend of multi-purpose stadiums

in vogue at the time.

The season ended as the Miami Dolphins won the longest game in

safety Johnny Robinson,^[3] who was an original member of the franchise as a rookie on the 1960 Dallas Texans. Head coach Hank Stram often called the 1971 Chiefs the franchise's best-ever squad, and the home playoff loss haunted Stram for the rest of his life, even after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

in 2003; Stram died in 2005 at age 82. Others in the Hall of Fame from this squad are owner Hunt, quarterback Dawson, and kicker Stenerud.

The loss to Miami began a nosedive in the Chiefs' fortunes. Kansas City backslid to 8–6 and 7–5–2 in 1972 and 1973, before falling to 5–9 and a tie for last in the AFC West in 1974, leading to Stram's firing following the season. Kansas City did not reach the playoffs again until 1986, did not host (or win) another playoff game until 1991, and did not win the AFC West division title again until 1993.

NFL Draft

1971 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	16	Elmo Wright	Wide receiver	Houston
2	39	Wilbur Young	Defensive tackle	William Penn
2	42	Scott Lewis	Defensive end	Grambling
4	94	David Robinson	Tight end	Jacksonville State
5	120	Mike Adamle	Running back	Northwestern
6	146	Kerry Reardon	Defensive back	Iowa
8	191	Mike Sensibaugh	Defensive back	Ohio State
8	198	Rick Telander	Defensive back	Northwestern
9	224	Alvin Hawes	Tackle	Minnesota
10	250	Bruce Jankowski	Wide receiver	Ohio State
11	276	Nate Allen	Defensive back	Texas Southern
12	302	Tony Esposito	Running back	Pittsburgh
13	328	Chuck Hixson	Quarterback	SMU
14	354	Bruce Bergey	Defensive end	UCLA
15	380	Mike Montgomery	Defensive back	Southwest Texas State
16	406	Darrell Jansonius	Guard	Iowa State
17	431	Travis Hill	Defensive back	Prairie View A&M

Roster

**1971 Kansas City Chiefs roster**

	Quarterbacks 16 Len Dawson 7 John Huarte 10 Mike Livingston Running backs 1 Mike Adamle 38 Wendell Hayes 45 Robert Holmes 6 Warren McVea 35 Jim Otis 14 Ed Podolak Wide receivers 21 Dennis Homan 41 Bruce Jankowski 89 Otis Taylor 17 Elmo Wright Tight ends 83 Willie Frazier 88 Morris Stroud		Offensive linemen 71 Ed Budde G 60 George Daney G 73 Dave Hill T 61 Mo Moorman G 58 Jack Rudnay C 70 Sid Smith T 77 Jim Tyrer T Defensive linemen 84 Bruce Bergey DE 87 Aaron Brown DE 86 Buck Buchanan DT 61 Curley Culp DT 82 Ed Lothamer DT 81 Marvin Upshaw DE 99 Wilbur Young DE		Linebackers 78 Bobby Bell 63 Willie Lanier 51 Jim Lynch 50 Mike Oriard 66 Bob Stein Defensive backs 48 Nate Allen CB 24 Caesar Belser 23 David Hadley 46 Jim Kearney SS 40 Jim Marsalis CB 15 Kerry Reardon CB 42 Johnny Robinson FS 20 Mike Sensibaugh FS 18 Emmitt Thomas CB Special teams 3 Jan Stenerud K 44 Jerrel Wilson P		Reserve lists 54 IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad 12 Chuck Hixson QB Rookies in italics

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	August 7	at Baltimore Colts	W 10–7	1–0	Memorial Stadium	16,771	Recap
2	August 14	Atlanta Falcons	W 12–10	2–0	Municipal Stadium	37,403	Recap
3	August 21	at New Orleans Saints	W 27–7	3–0	Tulane Stadium	70,459	Recap
4	August 30	New York Jets	W 21–16	4–0	Municipal Stadium	37,650	Recap
5	September 4	St. Louis Cardinals	T 17–17	4–0–1	Municipal Stadium	36,743	Recap
6	September 11	at Dallas Cowboys	L 17–24	4–1–1	Cotton Bowl	74,035	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 19	at San Diego Chargers	L 14–21	0–1	San Diego Stadium	54,061	Recap
2	September 26	at Houston Oilers	W 20–16	1–1	Houston Astrodome	46,498	Recap
3	October 3	at Denver Broncos	W 16–3	2–1	Mile High Stadium	51,200	Recap
4	October 10	San Diego Chargers	W 31–10	3–1	Municipal Stadium	50,514	Recap
5	October 18	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 38–16	4–1	Municipal Stadium	49,533	Recap
6	October 24	Washington Redskins	W 27–20	5–1	Municipal Stadium	51,989	Recap
7	October 31	at Oakland Raiders	T 20–20	5–1–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,715	Recap
8	November 7	at New York Jets	L 10–13	5–2–1	Shea Stadium	62,812	Recap
9	November 14	Cleveland Browns	W 13–7	6–2–1	Municipal Stadium	50,388	Recap
10	November 21	Denver Broncos	W 28–10	7–2–1	Municipal Stadium	49,945	Recap
11	November 25	at Detroit Lions	L 21–32	7–3–1	Tiger Stadium	54,418	Recap
12	December 6	at San Francisco 49ers	W 26–17	8–3–1	Candlestick Park	45,306	Recap
13	December 12	Oakland Raiders	W 16–14	9–3–1	Municipal Stadium	51,215	Recap
14	December 19	Buffalo Bills	W 22–9	10–3–1	Municipal Stadium	48,121	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Diego Chargers

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	7	7	0	0	14
Chargers	0	0	7	14	21

at

San Diego, California

Date: September 19
Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 54,381
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Willie Davis
Recap

Game information

First quarter

KC – Warren McVea 6-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 7–0.

Second quarter

KC – Ed Podolak 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 14–0.

Third quarter

SD – Mike Montgomery 39-yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick). Chiefs 14–7.

Fourth quarter

SD – Jerry LeVias 37-yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick). Tied 14–14.
SD – Mike Garrett 26-yard run (Dennis Partee kick). Chargers 21–14.

Top passers

KC – Len Dawson – 11/22, 152 yards, 2 INT
SD – John Hadl – 17/37, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

KC – Ed Podolak – 17 rushes, 65 yards
SD – Mike Garrett – 15 rushes, 59 yards, TD

Top receivers

KC – Otis Taylor – 3 receptions, 76 yards
SD – Gary Garrison – 4 receptions, 72 yards

Week 2: at Houston Oilers

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Oilers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	10	3	0	7	20
Oilers	0	7	3	6	16

at

Houston, Texas

Date: September 26
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 46,498
Referee: Fred Swearingen
TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and George Ratterman
Recap

Game information

First quarter

KC – Wendell Hayes 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 7–0.
KC – Jan Stenerud 43-yard field goal. Chiefs 10–0.

Second quarter

HOU – Ken Houston 68-yard fumble return (Braden Beck kick). Chiefs 10–7.
KC – Jan Stenerud 11-yard field goal. Chiefs 13–7.

Third quarter

HOU – Braden Beck 15-yard field goal. Chiefs 13–10.

Fourth quarter

HOU – Charlie Joiner 12-yard pass from Dan Pastorini (kick failed). Oilers 16–13.
KC – Warren McVea 4-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 20–16.

Top passers

KC – Len Dawson – 14/24, 207 yards
HOU – Dan Pastorini – 10/21, 156 yards, TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

KC – Warren McVea – 15 rushes, 45 yards, TD
HOU – Joe Dawkins – 13 rushes, 16 yards

Top receivers

KC – Otis Taylor – 6 receptions, 97 yards
HOU – Ken Burrough – 2 receptions, 49 yards

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	0	10	0	6	16
Broncos	3	0	0	0	3

at

Denver, Colorado

Date: October 3
Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C)
Game attendance: 51,200
Referee: Norm Schachter
TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Dave Kocourek
Recap

Game information

First quarter

DEN – Jim Turner 37-yard field goal. Broncos 3–0.

Second quarter

KC – Aaron Brown 68-yard interception return (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 7–3.
KC – Jan Stenerud 20-yard field goal. Chiefs 10–3.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

KC – Jan Stenerud 26-yard field goal. Chiefs 13–3.
KC – Jan Stenerud 16-yard field goal. Chiefs 16–3.

Top passers

KC – Len Dawson – 9/21, 91 yards, INT
DEN – Don Horn – 14/27, 168 yards, 4 INT

Top rushers

KC – Ed Podolak – 15 rushes, 38 yards
DEN – Bobby Anderson – 11 rushes, 34 yards

Top receivers

KC – Morris Stroud – 1 reception, 50 yards
DEN – Jim Whalen – 3 receptions, 71 yards

Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 4: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	7	0	0	10
Chiefs	0	10	7	14	31

at

Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Date: October 10

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C)

Game attendance: 50,514

Referee: Norm Schachter
TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
Recap

Game information

First quarter

SD – Dennis Partee 43-yard field goal. Chargers 3–0.

Second quarter

SD – Mike Garrett 3-yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick). Chargers 10–0.
KC – Jim Otis 3-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chargers 10–7.
KC – Jan Stenerud 29-yard field goal. Tied 10–10.

Third quarter

KC – Otis Taylor 15-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 17–10.

Fourth quarter

KC – Warren McVea 15-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 24–10.
KC – Ed Podolak 7-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 31–10.

Top passers

SD – John Hadl – 12/23, 135 yards, TD, 2 INT
KC – Len Dawson – 16/23, 188 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

SD – Mike Garrett – 7 rushes, 44 yards
KC – Warren McVea – 11 rushes, 80 yards

Top receivers

SD – Gary Garrison – 1 reception, 36 yards
KC – Otis Taylor – 6 receptions, 97 yards, TD

Week 5: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 5: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	9	0	0	7	16
Chiefs	0	28	0	10	38

at Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Date: October 18
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 49,533
Referee:
ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell
Recap

Game information

First quarter

PIT – Roy Gerela 43-yard field goal. Steelers 3–0.
PIT – Roy Gerela 40-yard field goal. Steelers 6–0.
PIT – Roy Gerela 35-yard field goal. Steelers 9–0.

Second quarter

KC – Otis Taylor 3-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Steelers 9–7.
KC – Otis Taylor 27-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 14–9.
KC – Elmo Wright 5-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 21–9.
KC – Ed Podolak 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 28–9.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

KC – Jan Stenerud 11-yard field goal. Chiefs 31–9.
PIT – John Fuqua 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Chiefs 31–16.
KC – Emmitt Thomas 32-yard interception return (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 38–16.

Top passers

PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 20/39, 269 yards, 2 INT
KC – Len Dawson – 14/26, 290 yards, 3 TD, INT

Top rushers

PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 9 rushes, 37 yards
KC – Ed Podolak – 20 rushes, 43 yards, TD

Top receivers

PIT – Dave Smith – 5 receptions, 93 yards
KC – Otis Taylor – 6 receptions, 190 yards, 2 TD

Week 6: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 6: Washington Redskins at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	7	10	0	3	20
Chiefs	3	3	7	14	27

at Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Date: October 24

Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C)

Game attendance: 51,989

Referee:
Ron Barr
Recap

Game information

First quarter

WAS – Charley Taylor 4-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick). Redskins 7–0.
KC – Jan Stenerud 39-yard field goal. Redskins 7–3.

Second quarter

KC – Jan Stenerud 15-yard field goal. Redskins 7–6.
WAS – Curt Knight 33-yard field goal. Redskins 10–6.
WAS – Charley Taylor 36-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick). Redskins 17–6.

Third quarter

KC – Otis Taylor 25-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Redskins 17–13.

Fourth quarter

WAS – Curt Knight 23-yard field goal. Redskins 20–13.
KC – Elmo Wright 15-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Tied 20–20.
KC – Otis Taylor 28-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 27–20.

Top passers

WAS – Billy Kilmer – 15/38, 220 yards, 2 TD, INT
KC – Len Dawson – 10/23, 203 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

WAS – Charley Harraway – 12 rushes, 58 yards
KC – Ed Podolak – 24 rushes, 110 yards

Top receivers

WAS – Charley Taylor – 7 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD
KC – Otis Taylor – 5 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD

[1]

[2]

[3]

AFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Kansas City Chiefs	10	3	1	.769	4–1–1	8–2–1	302	208	W3
Oakland Raiders	8	4	2	.667	4–1–1	7–3–1	344	278	W1
San Diego Chargers	6	8	0	.429	2–4	4–7	311	341	L1
Denver Broncos	4	9	1	.308	1–5	3–6–1	203	275	L2

v t e Kansas City Chiefs
Founded in 1960 Formerly the Dallas Texans (1960–1962) Based and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri
Franchise	Franchise History Seasons Players First-round picks Coaches Logos and uniforms Awards Records Starting quarterbacks (list)
Stadiums	Cotton Bowl Municipal Stadium Arrowhead Stadium
Key personnel	Chairman & CEO: Clark Hunt President: Mark Donovan General manager: Brett Veach Head coach: Andy Reid
Culture	Chiefs name controversy Hunt family Lamar Norma Clark H. Roe Bartle George Toma Warpaint K. C. Wolf Cheerleaders Tomahawk chop "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" Quarterback
Lore	2018 game vs. Los Angeles Rams Jet Chip Wasp 13 Seconds
Rivalries	Buffalo Bills Denver Broncos Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams (former)
Wild card berths (10)	1968 1969 1986 1990 1991 1992 1994 2006 2013 2015
Division championships (16)	1962 1966 1971 1993 1995 1997 2003 2010 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Conference championships (4)	2019 2020 2022 2023
League championships (5)	1962 1969 (IV) 2019 (LIV) 2022 (LVII) 2023 (LVIII)
Retired numbers	3 16 18 28 33 36 58 63 78 86
Media	Broadcasters Television: KCTV WDAF-TV KSHB-TV KMBC Radio: WDAF-FM Personalities: Dave Armstrong Len Dawson Kendall Gammon Bob Gretz Art Hains Bill Grigsby Kevin Harlan Mitch Holthus Roger Twibell
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t e Kansas City Chiefs seasons
Formerly the Dallas Texans (1960–1962)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–65) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

1971 Kansas City Chiefs season

Season summary

NFL Draft

Roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Diego Chargers

Week 2: at Houston Oilers

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 5: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 6: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 7: at Oakland Raiders

Week 8: at New York Jets

Week 9: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 10: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 11: at Detroit Lions

Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills

Standings

Postseason

Schedule

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. Miami Dolphins

References

External links