KC Chiefs Helmet Prototype

[Chiefster2000]

Has anyone seen the KC Chiefs helmet prototype that came out during the early 1990's and was never used. Does anyone have a picture of that they could post?

[Chiefster2000]

I'm curious about a prototype helmet design for the Kansas City Chiefs that was unveiled in the early 1990s. I saw then-NBC Sports commentator Bob Trumpy holding the helmet and discussing the design briefly before a NBC telecast of a Chiefs' game. The design in question was as follows: standard red shell, facemask color uncertain, and a striking and intricate (multi-part?) decal representing a stylized Dakota-style Chief's headdress. It was an attractive and progressive helmet design that went unused. Do you have any information on or clear pictures of this design?

According to the Chief''s Director of Public Relations, Pete Morris, this proposed new design was done outside of the control of the team. He stated that the Chief's owner Lamar Hunt has always closely controlled the team's uniform design and prefers the long-standing traditional style that they continue to use. Pete added that when NFL team's adopted "throwback" uniforms in 1994 there were no significant changes to the current Chief's uniforms that needed to be made to recreate the style of their old uniforms.

------- This is what I have found on a website--------

Still looking for that picture of it

[ShaftDu]

interesting tell me more, KC had the same design for ages.

[Chiefster2000]

I know they did. Sorry thats all the information I can find. That is why I am asking for more info or a logo.

[Ez Street]

I'm curious about a prototype helmet design for the Kansas City Chiefs that was unveiled in the early 1990s. I saw then-NBC Sports commentator Bob Trumpy holding the helmet and discussing the design briefly before a NBC telecast of a Chiefs' game. The design in question was as follows: standard red shell, facemask color uncertain, and a striking and intricate (multi-part?) decal representing a stylized Dakota-style Chief's headdress. It was an attractive and progressive helmet design that went unused. Do you have any information on or clear pictures of this design?

According to the Chief''s Director of Public Relations, Pete Morris, this proposed new design was done outside of the control of the team. He stated that the Chief's owner Lamar Hunt has always closely controlled the team's uniform design and prefers the long-standing traditional style that they continue to use. Pete added that when NFL team's adopted "throwback" uniforms in 1994 there were no significant changes to the current Chief's uniforms that needed to be made to recreate the style of their old uniforms.

------- This is what I have found on a website--------

Still looking for that picture of it

Interesting, first I've heard of it. I'd love to see that bad boy.

[Chiefster2000]

Ya, I hadn't either untill yesterday.

[powersurge]

I couldn't find a chiefs prototype, but this website has some really cool prototypes from other NFL teams. Take a look:

http://www.logoserver.com/NFL.html

[Vertigo]

ohh yes logoserver... Great site almost any logo you can thinkm of

[Chiefster2000]

I know trust me I have looked everywhere for it. That is why I posted it on this group to see if anyone has seen it or has a picture of it.

[Tomcat7742]

I saw it a few years back online, someone had posted it. It wasn't very impressive, I'm glad they stayed with their current look.

- Chris

[Chiefster2000]

Really do you think you could find it or let me know where you saw it?

[KennyRock]

Gaw. Every time I go to that site... I need to look at this...

"Update" does not always equal "good" - sometimes, it equals "anorexic horse with cartoon sunglass eyes that would result in many more problems for the Colts than struggling against New England a few times".

I'd be interested to see a prototype as well. I'm a big fan of the Chiefs unis, in part cause my HS had the same colors.

[BlueSky]

Great site. Doesn't this guy look like the 1960's version of Joker from the Batman TV series after a night of hard drinking in some tough bars?

[Vertigo]

MOD EDIT: Shut up and go away if you don't like how we run the place. 99.9% of the people here don't have a problem with the manner in which Chris does business on his site. If you do, go hang somewhere else.

[CC97]

I'd like to point out that the post was edited because of his comments (which occured after the link), not because of the link he posted (why the fluff would I keep the link in it if that was the reason I was editing it?)

[Vertigo]

whatever sorry

[Chiefster2000]

Anyway... back to what I originally was asking... Does anyone have a picture of the altername prototype?

[swisherHOU]

I've never heard of a prototype for the Chiefs. I remember a few years ago there was a wild rumor that they were going to ditch their native american mascot for the "wolf pack" of something like that.

Your story sounds similar to when the Texans introduced their name and logo and had the original white helmet on the CBS and FOX pregame shows.

[Chiefster2000]

does anyone have any pictures of it?

[Chiefster2000]

FROM http://www.kcchiefs.com/history/uniform

Chiefs Uniform History

AFL Origins - 1960s - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000 to present - Arrowhead Stadium

1959

At one of the initial organizational meetings of the American Football League in late ?59 ? before the teams even had any players or coaches ? the AFL owners choose their team colors. Lamar Hunt desires Columbia Blue and Orange for his Dallas Texans franchise. But before Hunt or any other owner can make a selection, Houston?s Bud Adams claims Columbia Blue for his Oilers franchise. Hunt reverts to Red and Gold for the Texans, which remains the primary color scheme for the Chiefs to this day.

1960-62

The Texans take the field for the AFL?s inaugural season in ?60 sporting red helmets with gray facemasks. The helmet features the state of Texas in white with a gold star situated on Dallas. Home jerseys are solid red featuring white numerals, white ?TV? numerals on the sleeves and white lettering, all trimmed in gold. Road jerseys are white with red numerals, red ?TV? numerals on the sleeves and red lettering, all of which are borderedtexans by thin gold trim. Both jerseys are a cloth design, featuring three-quarter sleeves with stitched ?tackle twill? numerals and letters. The team wears white pants featuring vertical stripes of red, gold and red. Socks are red on top, white on the bottom with alternating stripes at the calf of white, red, gold, red and white. Although several minor changes are made to the stripe width over the years, the primary sock design remains relatively consistent to the present day.

1963-67

The Texans move to Kansas City in ?63. Hunt and head coach Hank Stram initially plan on calling the relocated team the ?Kansas City Texans.? However, general manager Jack Steadman wisely convinces the duo to change the franchise?s nickname to ?Chiefs.? The club?s uniform remains virtually unchanged, with the exception of the helmet logo. The state of Texas is replaced on the headgear by a design originally sketched by Hunt on a napkin. Hunt?s inspiration for the interlocking ?KC? design was the ?SF? inside of an oval on San Francisco?s helmets. Kansas City?s overlapping initials appear inside a white arrowhead instead of an oval and are surrounded by a thin black outline. The result is one of the most distinctive helmets in all of football.

1968

The most dramatic changes to the Chiefs uniform come in ?68. Head coach Hank Stram prefers more red in the club?s road attire and orders red pants to go with the team?s white road jerseys. Stram asserts that the red pants will match the red numerals on the white road jerseys. While Stram?s fashion sense is never in question, some in the organization theorize that the superstitious Stram really wants to part ways the white pants because the club lost Super Bowl I while wearing them. No matter the logic, the white pants are not seen again during the Stram era. The club?s new red pants feature alternating vertical stripes of white, red, gold, red and white and are paired with predominantly white socks that feature striping of red, gold and red at the calf. Alterations are also made to the club?s jerseys at this time. Sleeves are shortened from three-quarter length to their present-day short-sleeve status. Stripes are also introduced on the bottom of the sleeves, where they still reside. Red jerseys feature white, gold and white stripes on the sleeves, while the club?s white jerseys receive red, gold and red stripes.

1969

After winning the AFL Championship Game, Stram orders new red jerseys to be worn in Super Bowl IV and they are delivered just days before the game. Stram also directs equipment manager Bobby Yarborough to have all the helmets repainted before the Superafl Bowl, but relents after players insist on wearing their ?battle-scarred? headgear. The ?AFL-10? patch worn on the left shoulder of Kansas City?s jerseys in Super Bowl IV is the brainchild of AFL President Milt Woodard. During the entire ?69 season, all NFL teams wear an ?NFL-50? patch which commemorates the NFL?s 50th Anniversary season. Woodard counters with a patch of his own to celebrate the 10-year existence of the AFL, which is proudly worn by the Chiefs on behalf of the entire AFL in their 23-7 victory vs. Minnesota (1/11/70).

1970

Following Super Bowl IV, the team?s cloth jerseys give way to a more breathable mesh fabric. Heat-transfer numerals and letters replace sewn-on ?tackle twill? characters. The style of the numerals and letters changes slightly. The characters decrease in size, while the gold trim around both the numerals and letters expands to become more visible. Jersey numerals remain this size before eventually returning to larger proportions in the early ?80s.

1974

The club?s facemask changes from gray to white. A change in manufacturers results in a slightly smaller arrowhead logo on the helmet with a thicker black border compared to the design of the ?60s.

marks

1983joe delaney patch

The Chiefs wear a circular patch on their left upper chest bearing a gold eagle and the number 37 in memory of RB Joe Delaney who drowned on June 29, 1983 in Monroe, Louisiana after trying to save the lives of three youngsters.

1984

The original eight American Football League teams all wear 84 original8circular ?Silver Anniversary? patches on the upper left chest of their jerseys commemorating the 25th anniversary of the AFL and their respective franchises. Kansas City?s patch features the Chiefs helmet and the AFL logo.

1989

The arrival of head coach Marty Schottenheimer signals the club?s most dramatic uniform change in over 20 years. Schottenheimer asks and receives permission from Hunt to revert to back to white pants on the road, a ?white-on-white? look that has not been utilized by the Chiefs since ?67. White belts also return to the club?s pants after using red belts at various periods of the ?70s and ?80s. Kansas City reintroduces the white pants at Denver (9/10/89) and maintains this look on the road through the ?99 season.

1991

A sticker bearing the American Flag adorns the back of all NFL helmets to honor troops fighting in the Gulf War. The NFL Shield becomes a standard part of all NFL uniforms, appearing on the back of helmets, on the ?v? of jerseys and on the left hip of pants.

1992

The club wears a black panel with the white initials ?WWD? on the upper left chest of itswwd jersey in memory of Director of Player Personnel Whitey Dovell, who passed away on May 11, 1992. The team also paints the number ?86? on the field at Arrowhead Stadium to honor the memory of Hall of Fame DT Buck Buchanan, who passed away on July 16, 1992.

1994

Solid fabric jerseys complete with ?tackle twill? numerals and letters return, taking the 35place of mesh jerseys and heat-transfer characters. All NFL teams wear ?NFL Diamond Anniversary? patches on their left upper chest in honor of the league?s 75th season. The Chiefs also wear a ?35th Anniversary? patch on their right upper chest in celebration of the franchise?s 35th season. The patch features the AFL, Texans and Chiefs logos. It marks75

the only time in team history the club has worn two different patches in the same season. The Chiefs also wear ?Throwback? uniforms ? replicas of the club?s ?63 attire ? for games at Atlanta (9/18/94) and vs. St. Louis (9/25/94).

401999

The club wears a ?40th Anniversary? patch in honor of the franchise?s 40th season. The patch features the AFL and Chiefs logos.

2000

The Chiefs wear a circular sticker bearing the number ?58? on the back of their helmets in memory of LB Derrick Thomas, who passed away on58 February 8, 2000. Ever mindful of Stram?s legacy and the franchise?s glory days, head coach Gunther Cunningham receives Hunt?s blessing to revert back to the red pants on the road. The resurrected red pants debut in a 23-22 win at Denver (9/24/00) and remain a fixture of the club?s road attire.

2001

2001 flagA sticker bearing the American Flag returns to the back of all NFL helmets following the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The flag reappears on Chiefs helmets vs. the N.Y. Giants (9/23/01) and remains there to this day.

2002

The Chiefs wear a ?40th Anniversary in Kansas City? patch vs. Oakland (10/27/02),40 in KC commemorating the franchise?s 40th season in Mid-America. ?The Scout? - Kansas City?s most recognizable civic icon - is prominently featured on the patch along with Kansas City?s downtown skyline. The NFL Equipment Shield replaces NFL Shield on jerseys and pants.

Note: Special thanks to Bobby Bell, Chiefs equipment manager Mike Davidson, Len Dawson, Rick Dean of the Topeka Capital-Journal, Bob Gretz of KCFX Radio, former Chiefs team photographer Rod Hanna, Lamar Hunt, former Chiefs equipment manager Bobby Yarborough and Chiefs photographer Hank Young for their research assistance.