1964 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 1964 Kansas City Chiefs season was the fifth season for the Kansas City Chiefs as a professional AFL franchise and second season in Kansas City following their move from Dallas. The Chiefs began the year with a 2–1 mark, then dropped three consecutive games as several of the team's best players, including E.J. Holub, Fred Arbanas, and Johnny Robinson, missed numerous games with injuries. Arbanas missed the final two games of the year after undergoing surgery to his left eye, in which he suffered almost total loss of vision. Running back Mack Lee Hill, who signed with the club as a rookie free agent and received a mere $300 signing bonus, muscled his way into the starting lineup and earned a spot in the AFL All-Star Game.

1964 Kansas City Chiefs season
Owner	Lamar Hunt
General manager	Jack Steadman
Head coach	Hank Stram
Home field	Municipal Stadium
Results
Record	7–7
Division place	2nd AFL Western
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
AFL All-Stars	QB Len Dawson HB Abner Haynes TE Fred Arbanas OT Jim Tyrer FB Mack Lee Hill DE Bobby Bell DT Jerry Mays LB Walt Corey LB E.J. Holub DB Dave Grayson S Johnny Robinson S Bobby Hunt K Tommy Brooker
← 1963 Chiefs seasons 1965 →

The club ended the season with a pair of wins to finish at 7–7, runner-up in the AFL Western Division, 1½ games behind the San Diego Chargers.^[1] An average attendance of just 18,126 for the seven home games at Municipal Stadium prompted discussion at the AFL owners' meeting about the Chiefs future in Kansas City.^[2] Quarterback Lenny Dawson proceeded to have the best season of his career completing 199 passes out of 354 attempts for 2,879 yards and 30 touchdowns with 18 interceptions for a passer rating of 56.2 and a completion percentage of 89.9.

Personnel

Roster

1964 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks 16 Len Dawson QB 12 Eddie Wilson QB / P 10 'Pete Beathard Running Backs 30 Jack Spikes P/FB 23 Bert Coan HB 32 Curtis McClinton FB 36 Mack Lee Hill FB 26 Frank Jackson HB Wide Receivers / Flankers 28 Abner Haynes WR / RB / KR 80 Reggie Carolan WR/FL 42 Johnny Robinson HB / WR / DB Tight Ends 84 Fred Arbanas TE 88 Chris Burford WR / E		Offensive Linemen 77 Jim Tyrer LG 79 Jerry Cornelison T/G 71 Ed Budde LG 60 Al Reynolds RG 61 Dennis Biodrowski G 65 Jon Gilliam C 64 Curt Merz RG 73 Dave Hill RT Defensive Linemen 78 Bobby Bell LDE 76 Hatch Rosdahl DE 82 Ed Lothamer DE 75 Jerry Mays DE 86 Buck Buchanan LDT 72 John Maczuzak DT 70 Curt Farrier DT 87 Mel Branch RDE		Linebackers 56 Walt Corey RLB 69 Sherrill Headrick MLB 35 Smokey Stover LLB 55 E.J. Holub LLB 69 Sherrill Headrick MLB 14 Bobby Ply LB / DB Defensive Backs 48 Duane Wood LCB 25 Charley Warner LCB 20 Bobby Hunt SS 45 Dave Grayson RCB 22 Willie Mitchell DB Special Teams 51 Tommy Brooker K / LB 44 Jerrel Wilson P Rookies in italics

^[3]

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	August 9	at Oakland Raiders	W 21–14	1–0	Frank Youell Field	18,659	Recap
2	August 14	at Buffalo Bills	W 24–21	2–0	War Memorial Stadium	17,738	Recap
3	August 22	San Diego Chargers	L 14–26	2–1	Municipal Stadium	28,653	Recap
4	August 28	vs. Denver Broncos	W 14–10	3–1	Farrington Field (Fort Worth, TX)	19,500	Recap
5	September 3	at Houston Oilers	W 27–17	4–1	Jeppesen Stadium	17,450	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 13	at Buffalo Bills	L 17–34	0–1	War Memorial Stadium	30,157	Recap
2	Bye
3	September 27	at Oakland Raiders	W 21–9	1–1	Frank Youell Field	18,163	Recap
4	October 4	Houston Oilers	W 28–7	2–1	Municipal Stadium	22,727	Recap
5	October 11	at Denver Broncos	L 27–33	2–2	Bears Stadium	16,285	Recap
6	October 18	Buffalo Bills	L 22–35	2–3	Municipal Stadium	20,904	Recap
7	October 23	at Boston Patriots	L 7–24	2–4	Fenway Park	27,400	Recap
8	November 1	Denver Broncos	W 49–39	3–4	Municipal Stadium	15,053	Recap
9	November 8	Oakland Raiders	W 42–7	4–4	Municipal Stadium	21,023	Recap
10	November 15	San Diego Chargers	L 14–28	4–5	Municipal Stadium	19,792	Recap
11	November 22	at Houston Oilers	W 28–19	5–5	Jeppesen Stadium	17,782	Recap
12	November 29	at New York Jets	L 14–27	5–6	Shea Stadium	38,135	Recap
13	December 6	Boston Patriots	L 24–31	5–7	Municipal Stadium	13,166	Recap
14	December 13	at San Diego Chargers	W 49–6	6–7	Balboa Stadium	26,562	Recap
15	December 20	New York Jets	W 24–7	7–7	Municipal Stadium	14,316	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text

Standings

AFL Western Division
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
San Diego Chargers	8	5	1	.615	4–2	341	300	L2
Kansas City Chiefs	7	7	0	.500	4–2	366	306	W2
Oakland Raiders	5	7	2	.417	2–3–1	303	350	W2
Denver Broncos	2	11	1	.154	1–4–1	240	438	L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

References

1. "Kansas City finishes strong". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. December 21, 1964.
2. "Kansas City Chiefs History 1960's". Archived from the original on October 18, 2004. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
3. "1964 Kansas City Chiefs Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.