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Ranking the top five Kansas City Chiefs coaches of all time

By Lyle Graversen

14 Dec 1997: Head coach Marty Schottenheimer of the Kansas City Chiefs yells instructions during the Chiefs'' 29-7 win over the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport
14 Dec 1997: Head coach Marty Schottenheimer of the Kansas City Chiefs yells instructions during the Chiefs'' 29-7 win over the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – CIRCA 1972: Head Coach Hank Stram of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game circa 1972 at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Stram was the head coach of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs from 1960-1974. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – CIRCA 1972: Head Coach Hank Stram of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game circa 1972 at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Stram was the head coach of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs from 1960-1974. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

2. Hank Stram

Before I get to why I have Hank Stram second on my list of all time great Kansas City Chiefs head coaches, let me say that at this point that I don’t think there is a wrong answer here. If you passionately believe that Stram should still be at the top of this list over Andy Reid, I won’t argue with you. They both have one Super Bowl win and will eventually both be in the NFL Hall of Fame. They are both worthy.

One thing I struggled with was whether to include Stram’s achievements when the team was known as the AFL’s Dallas Texans. Ultimately, I did not count them because this is a list of the best Kansas City Chiefs head coaches. So if you do feel those three seasons in Dallas should count when comparing his resume with Reid’s, then that might make Stram’s argument to be number one on this list a little stronger. After all, it includes the AFL championship he won in 1962, the year before they moved to Kansas City.

I did factor Stram’s AFL years in Kansas City which started in 1963 (three seasons before the first Super Bowl). In those 12 seasons as K.C.’s head coach Stram went 97-59-10. That puts Stram second in wins behind Schottenheimer (who coached two less seasons with the Chiefs, but played 16 games per season as opposed to 14 in Stram’s era) and his .614 winning percentage is third best in team history behind both Reid and Schottenheimer.

Stram won three division titles in twelve years in K.C. (Marty won three in ten seasons), but ultimately it’s Stram’s championship(s) that make him a contender for the top spot on this list. He obviously won Super Bowl IV and is currently the only Chiefs coach to appear in more than one Super Bowl with the Chiefs (he also lost Super Bowl I). If you did want to include Stram’s Dallas years, then you’d have to add in that AFL championship as well.

Hank Stram is a Hall of Fame coach and a truly historic part of the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. If you want to argue he belongs at number one of this list, I won’t argue with you, but ultimately I ended up going the other way.

My number one coach is…

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