The Kansas City Chiefs, an NFL franchise based in Kansas City, Missouri, have used a red, white and gold arrowhead containing the interlocking letters “KC” as their primary logo since 1972. The mark was first introduced on the team’s helmets in 1963, the same year the franchise relocated from Dallas and adopted the Chiefs name.
Design and History
The franchise was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, a charter member of the American Football League. When owner Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City in 1963, the club was renamed the Chiefs in honor of Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle, whose nickname was “Chief.” Bartle had been instrumental in attracting the franchise to the city. [1]
Before the arrowhead, the team used two earlier logos. The first, designed by cartoonist Bob Taylor in 1960, depicted a gun-toting cowboy with a red map of Texas in the background, appropriate for the Dallas-based Texans. [2] After the move to Kansas City, Taylor produced a second logo featuring a running Native American figure holding a football, set against a map of Missouri and surrounding states. This logo was used prominently during the 1960s. [2]
The arrowhead design was created by Lamar Hunt himself. According to the Kansas City Star, Hunt sketched the logo on a napkin, drawing inspiration from the interlocking “SF” inside an oval on San Francisco 49ers helmets. He replaced the oval with an arrowhead shape containing the interlocking “KC.” [3] Hunt’s creation was used as the Chiefs’ helmet design starting in 1963 and became the team’s primary logo in 1972, replacing the earlier Native American figure logo. [3]
The Chiefs’ official website notes that while the origin of the team’s name has no affiliation with American Indian culture, much of the club’s early promotional activities relied heavily on imagery depicting American Indians in a racially insensitive fashion. The organization has since worked to eliminate that imagery. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The arrowhead shape is the last remaining element of Native American imagery in the current logo, according to Creative Bloq’s history of the mark. [2] The team has played at Arrowhead Stadium since 1972, the same year the arrowhead became the primary logo. [3]
Typography and Design
The interlocking “KC” letterforms in the current logo were hand-drawn by Lamar Hunt and remain in use today. The letters feature bold black outlines around red lettering, creating a layered effect. [2] The logo sits inside a white arrowhead with a thick black outline. [4]
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