The 1964 Kansas City Chiefs season was the fifth season for the Kansas City Chiefs as a professional AFL franchise and second season in Kansas City following their move from Dallas. The Chiefs began the year with a 2–1 mark, then dropped three consecutive games as several of the team's best players, including E.J. Holub, Fred Arbanas, and Johnny Robinson, missed numerous games with injuries. Arbanas missed the final two games of the year after undergoing surgery to his left eye, in which he suffered almost total loss of vision. Running back Mack Lee Hill, who signed with the club as a rookie free agent and received a mere $300 signing bonus, muscled his way into the starting lineup and earned a spot in the AFL All-Star Game.
| 1964 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lamar Hunt |
| General manager | Jack Steadman |
| Head coach | Hank Stram |
| Home field | Municipal Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| AFL All-Stars | QB Len Dawson HB Abner Haynes TE Fred Arbanas OT Jim Tyrer FB Mack Lee Hill DE Bobby Bell DT Jerry Mays LB Walt Corey LB E.J. Holub DB Dave Grayson S Johnny Robinson S Bobby Hunt K Tommy Brooker |
The club ended the season with a pair of wins to finish at 7–7, runner-up in the AFL Western Division, 1½ games behind the San Diego Chargers.[1] An average attendance of just 18,126 for the seven home games at Municipal Stadium prompted discussion at the AFL owners' meeting about the Chiefs future in Kansas City.[2] Quarterback Lenny Dawson proceeded to have the best season of his career completing 199 passes out of 354 attempts for 2,879 yards and 30 touchdowns with 18 interceptions for a passer rating of 56.2 and a completion percentage of 89.9.
Personnel
editRoster
edit| 1964 Kansas City Chiefs roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers / Flankers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
Rookies in italics
| ||||
Preseason
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | at Oakland Raiders | W 21–14 | 1–0 | Frank Youell Field | 18,659 | Recap |
| 2 | August 14 | at Buffalo Bills | W 24–21 | 2–0 | War Memorial Stadium | 17,738 | Recap |
| 3 | August 22 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–26 | 2–1 | Municipal Stadium | 28,653 | Recap |
| 4 | August 28 | vs. Denver Broncos | W 14–10 | 3–1 | Farrington Field (Fort Worth, TX) | 19,500 | Recap |
| 5 | September 3 | at Houston Oilers | W 27–17 | 4–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 17,450 | Recap |
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–34 | 0–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 30,157 | Recap |
| 2 | Bye | ||||||
| 3 | September 27 | at Oakland Raiders | W 21–9 | 1–1 | Frank Youell Field | 18,163 | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | Houston Oilers | W 28–7 | 2–1 | Municipal Stadium | 22,727 | Recap |
| 5 | October 11 | at Denver Broncos | L 27–33 | 2–2 | Bears Stadium | 16,285 | Recap |
| 6 | October 18 | Buffalo Bills | L 22–35 | 2–3 | Municipal Stadium | 20,904 | Recap |
| 7 | October 23 | at Boston Patriots | L 7–24 | 2–4 | Fenway Park | 27,400 | Recap |
| 8 | November 1 | Denver Broncos | W 49–39 | 3–4 | Municipal Stadium | 15,053 | Recap |
| 9 | November 8 | Oakland Raiders | W 42–7 | 4–4 | Municipal Stadium | 21,023 | Recap |
| 10 | November 15 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–28 | 4–5 | Municipal Stadium | 19,792 | Recap |
| 11 | November 22 | at Houston Oilers | W 28–19 | 5–5 | Jeppesen Stadium | 17,782 | Recap |
| 12 | November 29 | at New York Jets | L 14–27 | 5–6 | Shea Stadium | 38,135 | Recap |
| 13 | December 6 | Boston Patriots | L 24–31 | 5–7 | Municipal Stadium | 13,166 | Recap |
| 14 | December 13 | at San Diego Chargers | W 49–6 | 6–7 | Balboa Stadium | 26,562 | Recap |
| 15 | December 20 | New York Jets | W 24–7 | 7–7 | Municipal Stadium | 14,316 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text | |||||||
Standings
edit| AFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 4–2 | 341 | 300 | L2 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 366 | 306 | W2 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 5 | 7 | 2 | .417 | 2–3–1 | 303 | 350 | W2 | |
| Denver Broncos | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 1–4–1 | 240 | 438 | L2 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
References
edit- ^ "Kansas City finishes strong". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. December 21, 1964.
- ^ "Kansas City Chiefs History 1960's". Archived from the original on October 18, 2004. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
- ^ "1964 Kansas City Chiefs Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
