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
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