The Forgotten Rodeo That Gave Birth To Kansas City's First NFL Team

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Picture this: cowboy hats, chaps, and horses galloping down Broadway. It's not a scene from an old Western movie, but rather the early days of Kansas City's first NFL team. Long before the Kansas City Chiefs became a household name, a different team roamed the city, leaving an indelible mark on the NFL.

Before the magical era of Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the rest of the current Chiefs squad, and decades before Hank Stram's "Wild West Variety Show" as dubbed by John Facenda and NFL Films, the city was home to the Kansas City Cowboys, a team that embodied the spirit of the American West.

Founded in 1920, the Cowboys were one of the original teams in the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which later became the National Football League (NFL). The team was owned by a group of local businessmen who were passionate about football and wanted to bring the sport to the city.

The Cowboys played their home games at a vacant lot on the corner of 20th and Holmes Streets, which was eventually renamed "Cowboy Stadium." The team's uniforms were a sight to behold, with cowboy hats, chaps, and suede jackets adorning their bright yellow jerseys.

Despite their rugged appearance, the Cowboys were a force to be reckoned with on the field. In their inaugural season, they finished with a respectable 4-4 record and even managed to defeat the eventual league champions, the Akron Pros.

However, the team's success was short-lived. After the 1924 season, the Cowboys disbanded due to financial difficulties, leaving the city without a professional football team for several years.

Fast-forward to the 1960s, when the Kansas City Chiefs were founded by Lamar Hunt, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Chiefs went on to become one of the most successful teams in the NFL, winning several championships and earning a loyal following in the city.

But the legacy of the Kansas City Cowboys lives on, serving as a reminder of the city's rich football history and its connection to the American West. Though they may be gone, they will never be forgotten, and their story continues to captivate football fans to this day.

The next time you're walking down Broadway, imagine the sound of horses' hooves and the sight of cowboy hats bobbing up and down as the Kansas City Cowboys rode into town. It may seem like a distant memory, but the spirit of that team lives on in the hearts of every Chiefs fan.