Article on Arrowhead and its fans from a Boston Newspaper.

**BigRedChief** · 11-23-2004, 01:42 PM

November 23, 2004
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In comparison to its contemporaries it could be termed a modern marvel, an example of how to do things right when everyone else was doing things wrong.

Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs and host to last night's matchup with the Patriots, opened in August 1972, which means it was built only a year after the Patriots' Schaefer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium.

Arrowhead is only two years younger than Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, which fell into a pile of rubble when it was imploded in the summer of 2003. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who misses The Vet.

Two other stadiums built in the same era were Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati; both now are gone. The theory behind the last three of those obsolete stadiums -- to have baseball and football teams share facilities and play incompatible games on the same artificial surface -- proved a major miscalculation.

Kansas City didn't make the same mistake, constructing side-by-side stadiums -- Arrowhead for the Chiefs and Royals Stadium (now Kaufman Stadium) for a Major League Baseball team in what is called the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435.
Arrowhead has evolved into more than a nice place to watch a game. It is one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. The Chiefs have sold out 113 straight games (capacity 79,451), with the red-clad fanatics acting more like East Coast fans with the noise they make.
Last month, the Atlanta Falcons ran smack into the problems that come with playing at Arrowhead, losing, 56-10. It was something Falcons running back coach Ollie Wilson had experienced in his days as an assistant with the San Diego Chargers, who visit Arrowhead once a year.

"I don't think there's anything like [Arrowhead]," Wilson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The fans do a nice job. They just keep it going the whole time. You hear that constant `hmmmm' the whole time. It's kind of wild. But, hey, you gotta deal with it."
And the Chiefs players appreciate it.

"You'll have 30,000 people in the parking lot already tailgating by 8 or 9 in the morning," Chiefs quarterback Trent Green told the Kansas City Star earlier this season. "It's an incredible feeling when you're driving in on game day and you already see smoke going through the air. People have an incredible passion for football here, and I think that's what makes it so special."

In what can only be termed a scheduling oddity, the Patriots have only played three games in Arrowhead Stadium, losing all three. The two original American Football League teams used to play twice a year from 1960-66, and every year until 1970. There was one big gap: The teams met in 1981 and didn't play again until 1990. In fact, the Patriots' first game in Arrowhead was a 27-20 loss in 1992.

Over the years improvements have been made to Arrowhead, most notably a natural grass surface replacing artificial turf in 1994. Only Arizona, Dallas, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego have stadiums older than Arrowhead, and Arizona and Dallas are scheduled to get new ones.
There have been rumblings recently of a new stadium in Kansas City despite the great condition and sight lines of Arrowhead. A referendum was defeated earlier this month that would have allocated public funds to update the stadium, and it has Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt talking about options even though the team's lease doesn't expire until 2014. One of the options could be constructing a new stadium which would make a lot of people who've grown to love Arrowhead unhappy.
"There's just an aura about the place, even when it's empty," Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks told the Kansas City Star.

"It's not the same as other places," said the Patriots' Rodney Harrison, who formerly was with the Chargers. "It's loud. It's the loudest I've ever played in. The fans are out there four hours before game time, probably tailgating. But it's a great atmosphere for football.

"You love that type of situation. Monday Night. Great opportunity for us. When I go into a place like that, I play a little game with myself and say, `These are my fans.' I use the fans as my motivation. It's so loud in there you don't know if they're screaming at you or for their team. The fans are loud, but they can't make a play on the field."
Good job fans- HW

mcan · 11-23-2004, 01:54 PM

Nice piece. I just wish that we would have something more to scream about this year... Oh well. The ball can bounce both ways sometimes and next year will be our perfect year...

**ChiTown** · 11-23-2004, 02:23 PM

Home Field Advantage?

yeah. We're 2-3 at Arrowhead. Where would we be without our fans?

cadmonkey · 11-23-2004, 02:33 PM

What paper is that from, and who wrote it?

**BigRedChief** · 11-23-2004, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadmonkey

What paper is that from, and who wrote it?

Joe Sullivan Boston Globe . Got it off another Chief fans BB.

Ultra Peanut · 11-23-2004, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ENDelt260

Probably? What else does he suspect they might be doing?

Playing canasta.

Probably.

Mile High Mania · 11-23-2004, 02:47 PM

Arrowhead is on my list of stadiums to visit and one day... I'll catch a game there.

shaneo69 · 11-23-2004, 02:49 PM

I really like it when Ryan Sims keeps imploring the crowd to "raise the roof." We're causing Brady to use timeouts, offensive linemen are jumping early, and then the defense allows a first down conversion on 3rd and 15, 3rd and 18, etc. Stupid.

At least when Derrick Thomas used to do it, you knew a sack and/or forced fumble was coming up.

Demonpenz · 11-23-2004, 02:53 PM

i am just glad this team plays so hard for us

Ultra Peanut · 11-23-2004, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

i am just glad this team plays so hard for us

**Skip Towne** · 11-23-2004, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ENDelt260

Probably? What else does he suspect they might be doing?

Smoking pot. I'm sure many of the fans are addicted to it.

**BigRedChief** · 11-23-2004, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneo69

I really like it when Ryan Sims keeps imploring the crowd to "raise the roof." We're causing Brady to use timeouts, offensive linemen are jumping early, and then the defense allows a first down conversion on 3rd and 15, 3rd and 18, etc. Stupid.

At least when Derrick Thomas used to do it, you knew a sack and/or forced fumble was coming up.

Can I get an Amen brother. I miss the KC strip.

el borracho · 11-23-2004, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

November 23, 2004
KANSAS CITY, Mo. "It's not the same as other places," said the Patriots' Rodney Harrison, who formerly was with the Chargers. "It's loud. It's the loudest I've ever played in. The fans are out there four hours before game time, probably tailgating. But it's a great atmosphere for football.

"You love that type of situation. Monday Night. Great opportunity for us. When I go into a place like that, I play with myself and say, `These are my fans.' I use the fans as my motivation."
Good job fans- HW

Rodney's a sailor!

11-23-2004, 01:42 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3149627 VARSITY	Article on Arrowhead and its fans from a Boston Newspaper. November 23, 2004 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In comparison to its contemporaries it could be termed a modern marvel, an example of how to do things right when everyone else was doing things wrong. Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs and host to last night's matchup with the Patriots, opened in August 1972, which means it was built only a year after the Patriots' Schaefer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium. Arrowhead is only two years younger than Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, which fell into a pile of rubble when it was imploded in the summer of 2003. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who misses The Vet. Two other stadiums built in the same era were Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati; both now are gone. The theory behind the last three of those obsolete stadiums -- to have baseball and football teams share facilities and play incompatible games on the same artificial surface -- proved a major miscalculation. Kansas City didn't make the same mistake, constructing side-by-side stadiums -- Arrowhead for the Chiefs and Royals Stadium (now Kaufman Stadium) for a Major League Baseball team in what is called the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435. Arrowhead has evolved into more than a nice place to watch a game. It is one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. The Chiefs have sold out 113 straight games (capacity 79,451), with the red-clad fanatics acting more like East Coast fans with the noise they make. Last month, the Atlanta Falcons ran smack into the problems that come with playing at Arrowhead, losing, 56-10. It was something Falcons running back coach Ollie Wilson had experienced in his days as an assistant with the San Diego Chargers, who visit Arrowhead once a year. "I don't think there's anything like [Arrowhead]," Wilson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The fans do a nice job. They just keep it going the whole time. You hear that constant `hmmmm' the whole time. It's kind of wild. But, hey, you gotta deal with it." And the Chiefs players appreciate it. "You'll have 30,000 people in the parking lot already tailgating by 8 or 9 in the morning," Chiefs quarterback Trent Green told the Kansas City Star earlier this season. "It's an incredible feeling when you're driving in on game day and you already see smoke going through the air. People have an incredible passion for football here, and I think that's what makes it so special." In what can only be termed a scheduling oddity, the Patriots have only played three games in Arrowhead Stadium, losing all three. The two original American Football League teams used to play twice a year from 1960-66, and every year until 1970. There was one big gap: The teams met in 1981 and didn't play again until 1990. In fact, the Patriots' first game in Arrowhead was a 27-20 loss in 1992. Over the years improvements have been made to Arrowhead, most notably a natural grass surface replacing artificial turf in 1994. Only Arizona, Dallas, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego have stadiums older than Arrowhead, and Arizona and Dallas are scheduled to get new ones. There have been rumblings recently of a new stadium in Kansas City despite the great condition and sight lines of Arrowhead. A referendum was defeated earlier this month that would have allocated public funds to update the stadium, and it has Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt talking about options even though the team's lease doesn't expire until 2014. One of the options could be constructing a new stadium which would make a lot of people who've grown to love Arrowhead unhappy. "There's just an aura about the place, even when it's empty," Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks told the Kansas City Star. "It's not the same as other places," said the Patriots' Rodney Harrison, who formerly was with the Chargers. "It's loud. It's the loudest I've ever played in. The fans are out there four hours before game time, probably tailgating. But it's a great atmosphere for football. "You love that type of situation. Monday Night. Great opportunity for us. When I go into a place like that, I play a little game with myself and say, `These are my fans.' I use the fans as my motivation. It's so loud in there you don't know if they're screaming at you or for their team. The fans are loud, but they can't make a play on the field." Good job fans- HW
Posts: 79,010

11-23-2004, 01:54 PM	#2
mcan Apr 13,1949 – Dec 15, 2011 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kansas City, MO Casino cash: $9996085	Nice piece. I just wish that we would have something more to scream about this year... Oh well. The ball can bounce both ways sometimes and next year will be our perfect year...
Posts: 3,761

11-23-2004, 02:23 PM	#3
ChiTown Stroking to the SB Champs! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Flatlands of Kansas Casino cash: $3303962	Home Field Advantage? yeah. We're 2-3 at Arrowhead. Where would we be without our fans? __________________
Posts: 39,338

11-23-2004, 02:33 PM	#4
cadmonkey Please no Vick!!!!!! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boston, Ma Casino cash: $10004900	What paper is that from, and who wrote it? __________________
Posts: 13,115

11-23-2004, 02:47 PM	#7
Mile High Mania #triggering Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Tejas Casino cash: $3687229	Arrowhead is on my list of stadiums to visit and one day... I'll catch a game there. __________________
Posts: 30,285

11-23-2004, 02:49 PM	#8
shaneo69 Smug Weasel Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bleachers at Busch Casino cash: $10004900	I really like it when Ryan Sims keeps imploring the crowd to "raise the roof." We're causing Brady to use timeouts, offensive linemen are jumping early, and then the defense allows a first down conversion on 3rd and 15, 3rd and 18, etc. Stupid. At least when Derrick Thomas used to do it, you knew a sack and/or forced fumble was coming up.
Posts: 4,910

11-23-2004, 02:53 PM	#9
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3132136	i am just glad this team plays so hard for us __________________
Posts: 54,272