1974 Kansas City Chiefs season
1974 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
Head coach | Hank Stram |
General manager | Jack Steadman |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 5–9 |
Division place | 3rd AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | C Jack Rudnay LB Willie Lanier CB Emmitt Thomas |
The 1974 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League, the 12th season in Kansas City Chiefs, and the 15th overall, it ended with a 5–9 record and the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the 3rd straight season consecutive and 3rd-place finish in the , Hank Stram was fired after the season and was replaced by Paul Wiggin in 1975.
While the club's sparkling new facility at Arrowhead Stadium was drawing rave reviews, the Chiefs roster was beginning to show its age.[1] The result was the team's first losing season in 11 years as the club was unable to string together consecutive victories during the year, a first in franchise history.[1] Many of the club's key players were entering the twilight of their careers: Len Dawson was 39, Jim Tyrer was 35, Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, and Ed Budde were 34, Dave Hill was 33 and Otis Taylor was 32.[1]
One of the year's few bright spots in the 5–9 season was cornerback Emmitt Thomas, who led the league with a franchise-record 12 interceptions. The final game of the 1974 campaign marked the final time all seven of Kansas City's Pro Football Hall of Fame players from the club's AFL champion era took the field together with coach Hank Stram.[1] Including owner Lamar Hunt and seven future Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famers, an amazing total of 16 Hall of Fame inductees were involved in that 1974 season finale game. That 35–15 loss against Minnesota provided an anticlimactic conclusion to Hank Stram's illustrious coaching career in Kansas City. Three days later, Stram, the only head coach in franchise history was relieved of his duties on December 27 after compiling a 124–76–10 regular season record with the club.
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
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Roster[]
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 15 | New York Jets | W 24–16 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,854 | Recap |
2 | September 22 | at Oakland Raiders | L 7–27 | 1–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 48,108 | Recap |
3 | September 29 | at Houston Oilers | W 17–7 | 2–1 | Houston Astrodome | 28,538 | Recap |
4 | October 6 | Denver Broncos | L 14–17 | 2–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 67,298 | Recap |
5 | October 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 34–24 | 2–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 65,517 | Recap |
6 | October 20 | at Miami Dolphins | L 3–9 | 2–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 67,779 | Recap |
7 | October 27 | at San Diego Chargers | W 24–14 | 3–4 | San Diego Stadium | 34,371 | Recap |
8 | November 3 | New York Giants | L 27–33 | 3–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 61,437 | Recap |
9 | November 10 | San Diego Chargers | L 7–14 | 3–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 48,551 | Recap |
10 | November 18 | at Denver Broncos | W 42–34 | 4–6 | Mile High Stadium | 50,236 | Recap |
11 | November 24 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 6–33 | 4–7 | Riverfront Stadium | 49,777 | Recap |
12 | December 1 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 17–13 | 5–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 41,863 | Recap |
13 | December 8 | Oakland Raiders | L 6–7 | 5–8 | Arrowhead Stadium | 60,577 | Recap |
14 | December 14 | Minnesota Vikings | L 15–35 | 5–9 | Arrowhead Stadium | 35,480 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings[]
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Oakland Raiders | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 5–1 | 9–2 | 355 | 228 | W3 |
Denver Broncos | 7 | 6 | 1 | .536 | 3–3 | 5–4–1 | 302 | 294 | L1 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 233 | 293 | L2 |
San Diego Chargers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 212 | 285 | W2 |
References[]
- ^ a b c d "Kansas City Chiefs History 1970's". Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
- 1974 National Football League season by team
- Kansas City Chiefs seasons
- 1974 in sports in Missouri