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A People's History of Kansas City

Why Kansas City’s football team became the Chiefs

By Suzanne Hogan,
Olivia Hewitt
Published February 6, 2025 at 4:00 AM CST
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Crysta Henthorne KCUR 89.3 / Kansas Collection / The University of Kansas / Jeremy Bernfeld

As Kansas City celebrates the Chiefs’ third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, the team name, logo, and some problematic fan customs like the “tomahawk chop” are once again being broadcast worldwide. Suzanne Hogan explores how it all got started, and how the team avoided becoming the Kansas City Texans.

This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported and mixed by Suzanne Hogan, produced by Suzanne Hogan and Olivia Hewitt, with editing by Mackenzie Martin and Luke X. Martin. 

A People's History of Kansas City
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Suzanne Hogan
As managing podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I want to feed your curious mind, offer historical context so you understand why things are the way they are, and introduce you to the people working to make a difference behind the scenes. Reach me at hogansm@kcur.org.
See stories by Suzanne Hogan
Olivia Hewitt
Olivia is the 2024-2025 KCUR Studios intern. Email her at ohewitt@kcur.org
See stories by Olivia Hewitt
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