Chiefs Christmas Reflection from KCJohnny

KCJohnny · 06:57 AM

I was 10 years old on Christmas Day 1971. I was transfixed as two of the brand new AFC’s powerhouses were dueling in the playoffs in what would turn out to be the longest game in NFL history. The two 10-3-1 teams were deadlocked at 24 and heading into a 2^nd sudden death overtime. The Chiefs won the toss and Ed Podalak returned the kickoff more than 70 yards deep into Dolphin territory. Future HoF kicker Jan Stenerud mysteriously miffed a medium range FG and the Dolphins drove down the other way for a game-winning Garo Yepremium FG.

Hot tears streamed down my face as I stared at the little black & white TV in stunned disbelief. How could the Chiefs have lost? It would be a feeling that would return more than once.

As a young man I drifted away from many of the things I loved as a boy, and Chiefs football was one of them. For some reason I got very interested again during the 1990 season. These Chiefs were fun to watch! The defense was especially entertaining with some of the league’s top DBs shutting down WRs and Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas disrupting opposing backfields.

There were 3 playoff games and one regular season finale that brought back the bewildered emotions of that little 10 year old boy.

The first was the 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff game against Indy. the kicker that shall go unnamed missed 3 FGs in that game as the Colts beat the Chiefs in a frozen Arrowhead stadium 10-7. I remember walking out into the frigid night air and staring at the Christmas lights decorating the neighborhood apartments and wondering how a mere sports contest could make me feel so lost, so empty, so sad.

The second was the 1997 AFC Divisional Playoff vs the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos. Tony Gonzalez was pushed out of the back of the end zone while making a grab for (an apparent) TD. There was no replay review in those years. Then with the score 14-10 Pete Stoyonavich kicked a 34 yard FG to close the gap to 14-13 – but wait! Holding? Holding on a FG attempt? Announcer Paul McGuire spoke for Chiefs fans around the world when he frantically questioned the call. “Holding?” he shouted in his microphone, “What holding? There was no hold on the play!” The Chiefs backed up 10 yards and missed. Elvis Grbac’s helmet microphone malfunctioned on the final drive and he couldn’t hear O-Coord Paul Hackett’s plays being sent in. The Chiefs ended the game on the Denver 28 with an incomplete pass. Had the phantom holding call not taken those 3 points off the scoreboard, Stoyo would have had a shot at the game winner. Again I walked outside as that sickening feeling returned. Why????

2 January, 2000. I followed the game on the internet in my office 15 miles from the Military Demarcation Line dividing North and South Korea. The game was very personal to me as HC Gunther Cunningham had sent me a “CARE package” with a team poster, media guide, letter from Gun and an autographed Chiefs ball cap. The coolest thing was the Christmas card. Gunther Cunningham grew up in an Army family, his father a career American Soldier like myself. I was genuinely touched. I got up at 0400 hours to log on and follow the game online. The Chiefs jumped out to a 17 point lead and a win would give them the AFC West title. Rich Gannon led the Raiders to a dramatic comeback and the game was knotted up 38-38 when K Pete Stoyanovich, whose 44-yarder beat the Raiders back in Week 12, missed a game-winning attempt and the game went into overtime. Oakland marched down the field after a botched Jon Baker bare-footed kickoff gave Oakland the ball on their 40 (what is it with the Chiefs and kickers????). Raider kicker Joe Nedney spoiled the Kansas City hopes for a playoff berth with his game winning FG. I stared at my computer monitor in familiar shock and disbelief. Did that really just happen? The emotional surge of dark disappointment seemed overwhelming.

Fast forward to Baghdad, January 2004. While deployed in counterinsurgency operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom, football seemed like an extravagant, nearly meaningless interest. And yet the game was piped into our Forward Operating Base as the Chiefs and Colts fired up each other’s defenses in a shootout at Arrowhead and I had to watch. One stop! Force one punt and we go to the AFC Title game! I stared again in disbelief as Tony Gonzalez was called for offensive pass interference on a TD that resulted in a missed Morten Andersen FG. Instead, the Chiefs lost as Indy ate up the final 4:16 as the Chiefs squandered a 3^rd 13-3 season with homefield advantage… and that awful feeling visited me again, in war-torn Baghdad.

Its almost like it’s become emotionally safer to watch a bad Chiefs team than a competitive one. Almost.

Christmas is an emotional time for me for some very personal reasons. It is for many people that experienced childhood trauma or some other emotional imprinting at the time of year when all should be ‘merry and bright.’ Following the Chiefs all these years has been a roller coaster ride. And losing all those big games in such close fashion always brought me back to that Christmas Day in 1971.

Like every Chiefs fan, the little boy in me that ran around on the sandlots pretending to be Len Dawson or Willie Lanier still believes that a Chiefs Super Bowl will erase it all, redeem the past, and cure for all time that awful feeling of shock, disbelief and aching disillusionment. Perhaps we will see a Lombardi Trophy underneath the tree in a (hopefully near) Christmas yet to come. That’s what little boys dream of isn’t it?

Merry Christmas,
KCJohnny

>>

InChiefsHell · 12-24-2008, 06:27 AM

Good read dude. You should submit that to somewhere, it's printable.

KCJohnny · 12-24-2008, 06:30 AM

Thanks, ICH, I appreciate that. From your username, I am guessing you feel my pain!

Merry Christmas,
KCJ

Ebolapox · 12-24-2008, 06:43 AM

the 95 playoff loss to the colts was the first time I wept at a chiefs' loss. I was at the 2000 loss to the raiders in the last game of the year. it was especially painful--the drive home from KC was the longest drive ever.

KCJohnny · 12-24-2008, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

the 95 playoff loss to the colts was the first time I wept at a chiefs' loss. I was at the 2000 loss to the raiders in the last game of the year. it was especially painful--the drive home from KC was the longest drive ever.

That 2000 loss was particularly painful for me, too, H5N1.

crazycoffey · 12-24-2008, 06:52 AM

Very good read, nice share and thanks, alot!!!
Oh, and might I say - Stop deploying, retire or at least don't go overseas anymore......

old_geezer · 12-24-2008, 06:58 AM

Being an Old geezer

my most painful memory was watching my beloved Chiefs get mugged by the Packers in Super Bowl 1. Of course my favorite memory is watching the incomparable Otis Taylor dance down the sideline to put the exclamation point on the Chief's only Super Bowl win.

Of to work now - Merry Christmas to all (and to all a good night).

KCJohnny · 12-24-2008, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyCoffey

Very good read, nice share and thanks, alot!!!
Oh, and might I say - Stop deploying, retire or at least don't go overseas anymore......

LOL, I hope my deployments aren't part of this awful kickers-cost-us-the-season curse...

Merry Christmas!

crazycoffey · 12-24-2008, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCJohnny

LOL, I hope my deployments aren't part of this awful kickers-cost-us-the-season curse...

Merry Christmas!

We'll know for sure someday, within the next 15 years....

InChiefsHell · 12-24-2008, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCJohnny

LOL, I hope my deployments aren't part of this awful kickers-cost-us-the-season curse...

Merry Christmas!

Hmmm. Interesting. This whole time it's been Dammit Carl!

but perhaps it should have been Dammit KCJ!

...food for thought...

...hehehehe. Thanks for the service, it's at least a little more important than the Chiefs...

KCJohnny · 12-24-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

Hmmm. Interesting. This whole time it's been Dammit Carl!

but perhaps it should have been Dammit KCJ!

...food for thought...

...hehehehe. Thanks for the service, it's at least a little more important than the Chiefs...

Well, there are multiple causes for all the near misses, but the common denominator in all the heartbreak is KICKERS!!!!!!!

gblowfish · 12-24-2008, 07:32 AM

It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to be a Chiefs Fan.
That's why we're called "Long Suffering Chiefs Fans."

Nice story, Merry Christmas to All The CPers!

El Jefe · 12-24-2008, 07:33 AM

That was a good read. I think one of the hardest games for me to watch was the 04 Colts vs Chiefs game. I also went to watch the game against the Browns when we got beat in OT by an unknown Derek Anderson, it was an amazing game, but a long 3 hour ride back home.

KCJohnny · 12-24-2008, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchiefsfanGoLJ

That was a good read. I think one of the hardest games for me to watch was the 04 Colts vs Chiefs game. I also went to watch the game against the Browns when we got beat in OT by an unknown Derek Anderson, it was an amazing game, but a long 3 hour ride back home.

Those are painful experiences that endure long after the games themselves. I remember that game. I couldn't believe what was happening.

LOL, Chiefs football is a trauma laden event. Buyers beware!

El Jefe · 12-24-2008, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCJohnny

Those are painful experiences that endure long after the games themselves. I remember that game. I couldn't believe what was happening.

LOL, Chiefs football is a trauma laden event. Buyers beware!

Yeah it always makes me laugh, because at one point, I said to myself "this can't be happening". It's a line I have said to myself way to many times to remember.

12-24-2008, 06:08 AM
KCJohnny Blind, deceived homer Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Fort Stewart, Georgia Casino cash: $5894	Christmas Reflection from KCJohnny *I was 10 years old* on Christmas Day 1971. I was transfixed as two of the brand new AFC’s powerhouses were dueling in the playoffs in what would turn out to be the longest game in NFL history. The two 10-3-1 teams were deadlocked at 24 and heading into a 2^nd sudden death overtime. The Chiefs won the toss and Ed Podalak returned the kickoff more than 70 yards deep into Dolphin territory. Future HoF kicker Jan Stenerud mysteriously miffed a medium range FG and the Dolphins drove down the other way for a game-winning Garo Yepremium FG. Hot tears streamed down my face as I stared at the little black & white TV in stunned disbelief. How could the Chiefs have lost? It would be a feeling that would return more than once. As a young man I drifted away from many of the things I loved as a boy, and Chiefs football was one of them. For some reason I got very interested again during the 1990 season. These Chiefs were fun to watch! The defense was especially entertaining with some of the league’s top DBs shutting down WRs and Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas disrupting opposing backfields. There were 3 playoff games and one regular season finale that brought back the bewildered emotions of that little 10 year old boy. The first was the 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff game against Indy. the kicker that shall go unnamed missed 3 FGs in that game as the Colts beat the Chiefs in a frozen Arrowhead stadium 10-7. I remember walking out into the frigid night air and staring at the Christmas lights decorating the neighborhood apartments and wondering how a mere sports contest could make me feel so lost, so empty, so sad. The second was the 1997 AFC Divisional Playoff vs the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos. Tony Gonzalez was pushed out of the back of the end zone while making a grab for (an apparent) TD. There was no replay review in those years. Then with the score 14-10 Pete Stoyonavich kicked a 34 yard FG to close the gap to 14-13 – but wait! Holding? Holding on a FG attempt? Announcer Paul McGuire spoke for Chiefs fans around the world when he frantically questioned the call. “Holding?” he shouted in his microphone, “What holding? There was no hold on the play!” The Chiefs backed up 10 yards and missed. Elvis Grbac’s helmet microphone malfunctioned on the final drive and he couldn’t hear O-Coord Paul Hackett’s plays being sent in. The Chiefs ended the game on the Denver 28 with an incomplete pass. Had the phantom holding call not taken those 3 points off the scoreboard, Stoyo would have had a shot at the game winner. Again I walked outside as that sickening feeling returned. Why???? 2 January, 2000. I followed the game on the internet in my office 15 miles from the Military Demarcation Line dividing North and South Korea. The game was very personal to me as HC Gunther Cunningham had sent me a “CARE package” with a team poster, media guide, letter from Gun and an autographed Chiefs ball cap. The coolest thing was the Christmas card. Gunther Cunningham grew up in an Army family, his father a career American Soldier like myself. I was genuinely touched. I got up at 0400 hours to log on and follow the game online. The Chiefs jumped out to a 17 point lead and a win would give them the AFC West title. Rich Gannon led the Raiders to a dramatic comeback and the game was knotted up 38-38 when K Pete Stoyanovich, whose 44-yarder beat the Raiders back in Week 12, missed a game-winning attempt and the game went into overtime. Oakland marched down the field after a botched Jon Baker bare-footed kickoff gave Oakland the ball on their 40 (what is it with the Chiefs and kickers????). Raider kicker Joe Nedney spoiled the Kansas City hopes for a playoff berth with his game winning FG. I stared at my computer monitor in familiar shock and disbelief. Did that really just happen? The emotional surge of dark disappointment seemed overwhelming. Fast forward to Baghdad, January 2004. While deployed in counterinsurgency operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom, football seemed like an extravagant, nearly meaningless interest. And yet the game was piped into our Forward Operating Base as the Chiefs and Colts fired up each other’s defenses in a shootout at Arrowhead and I had to watch. One stop! Force one punt and we go to the AFC Title game! I stared again in disbelief as Tony Gonzalez was called for offensive pass interference on a TD that resulted in a missed Morten Andersen FG. Instead, the Chiefs lost as Indy ate up the final 4:16 as the Chiefs squandered a 3^rd 13-3 season with homefield advantage… and that awful feeling visited me again, in war-torn Baghdad. Its almost like it’s become emotionally safer to watch a bad Chiefs team than a competitive one. Almost. Christmas is an emotional time for me for some very personal reasons. It is for many people that experienced childhood trauma or some other emotional imprinting at the time of year when all should be ‘merry and bright.’ Following the Chiefs all these years has been a roller coaster ride. And losing all those big games in such close fashion always brought me back to that Christmas Day in 1971. Like every Chiefs fan, the little boy in me that ran around on the sandlots pretending to be Len Dawson or Willie Lanier still believes that a Chiefs Super Bowl will erase it all, redeem the past, and cure for all time that awful feeling of shock, disbelief and aching disillusionment. Perhaps we will see a Lombardi Trophy underneath the tree in a (hopefully near) Christmas yet to come. That’s what little boys dream of isn’t it? Merry Christmas, KCJohnny >> Last edited by KCJohnny; 12-24-2008 at 06:57 AM.. Reason: spelling/edits.
Posts: 6,328

12-24-2008, 06:27 AM	#2
InChiefsHell Rockin' yer FACE OFF! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Casino cash: $1069125	Good read dude. You should submit that to somewhere, it's printable. __________________ We have a million reasons for failure, but not one excuse... Die Donks, DIE!! A quote: "Oh well, there's always next year. We'll be better then, you'll see..." - Every Chiefs fan for the last 41...crap...42 years... Quit listening to all that crappy new music and check out HEADSTRONG!
Posts: 11,396

12-24-2008, 06:30 AM	#3
KCJohnny Blind, deceived homer Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Fort Stewart, Georgia Casino cash: $5894	Thanks, ICH, I appreciate that. From your username, I am guessing you feel my pain! Merry Christmas, KCJ __________________
Posts: 6,328

12-24-2008, 06:43 AM	#4
Ebolapox remember, remember Join Date: Jul 2002 Casino cash: $18672619	the 95 playoff loss to the colts was the first time I wept at a chiefs' loss. I was at the 2000 loss to the raiders in the last game of the year. it was especially painful--the drive home from KC was the longest drive ever.
Posts: 24,741

12-24-2008, 06:52 AM	#6
crazycoffey Space for rent Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Eternal Damnation Casino cash: $22402477	Very good read, nice share and thanks, alot!!! Oh, and might I say - Stop deploying, retire or at least don't go overseas anymore......
Posts: 22,598

12-24-2008, 06:58 AM	#7
old_geezer bite me Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Windsor, Mo. Casino cash: $43446	Being an Old geezer my most painful memory was watching my beloved Chiefs get mugged by the Packers in Super Bowl 1. Of course my favorite memory is watching the incomparable Otis Taylor dance down the sideline to put the exclamation point on the Chief's only Super Bowl win. Of to work now - Merry Christmas to all (and to all a good night). __________________ If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.
Posts: 1,256

12-24-2008, 07:32 AM	#12
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $3137982	It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to be a Chiefs Fan. That's why we're called "Long Suffering Chiefs Fans." Nice story, Merry Christmas to All The CPers!
Posts: 21,355

12-24-2008, 07:33 AM	#13
El Jefe Don't tread on me. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Where the peaches grow Casino cash: $136463	That was a good read. I think one of the hardest games for me to watch was the 04 Colts vs Chiefs game. I also went to watch the game against the Browns when we got beat in OT by an unknown Derek Anderson, it was an amazing game, but a long 3 hour ride back home. __________________ Urban Meyer: We're going to rotate them right away. We don't redshirt here at Ohio State. We're changing that up. We're going to have the culture out here that there's no redshirting. If you don't play here, it's because you're not good enough. It's not because we're holding you back. We're going to recruit the kind of player where we want them on the field right now. That's the approach we took at Florida, and it's the approach we're going to take here.
Posts: 7,631

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