1980 Kansas City Chiefs season
Encyclopedia
The 1980
Kansas City Chiefs
season ended with an 8–8 record, the team's first winning season since 1972
, but no playoff berth.
Beginning the new decade, the Chiefs selected guard Brad Budde
, the son of Chiefs Hall of Fame
guard Ed Budde
, as the team's first-round draft choice, making the Buddes the first father-son combination to become first-round draftees of the same team in NFL history. In a then-controversial move on August 26, the Chiefs released placekicker Jan Stenerud
, who at the time was club’s all-time leading scorer. He was replaced by journeyman Nick Lowery
, who had been cut 11 times by eight different teams himself.
After enduring an 0-4 start, the club rebounded to post a four-game winning streak. After Steve Fuller was sidelined with a knee injury late in the season, former Miami
12th-round draft choice Bill Kenney
became the team's starting quarterback. He was so anonymous that when he appeared in that contest, the name on the back of his jersey was inadvertently misspelled “Kenny.” Kenney went on to lead the club to a 31-14 victory against Denver on December 7 in his initial NFL start. The defense continued to evolve as defensive end Art Still
and safety Gary Barbaro
became the first Chiefs defensive players to be elected to the Pro Bowl
in five seasons. The Chiefs finished the year at 8-8, the club’s highest victory tally since 1972.
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
season ended with an 8–8 record, the team's first winning season since 1972
1972 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1972 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the Chiefs moving into the newly constructed Arrowhead Stadium and ended with a 8–6 record and second place finish in the AFC West.The Chiefs introduced the newly completed Arrowhead Stadium to the general public...
, but no playoff berth.
Beginning the new decade, the Chiefs selected guard Brad Budde
Brad Budde
Brad Edward Budde is a former American football offensive guard in the National Football League .-College career:...
, the son of Chiefs Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
guard Ed Budde
Ed Budde
Edward Leon Budde , a product of Denby High School in Detroit, Michigan and later Michigan State University, was the number one draft pick of the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in 1963....
, as the team's first-round draft choice, making the Buddes the first father-son combination to become first-round draftees of the same team in NFL history. In a then-controversial move on August 26, the Chiefs released placekicker Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud is a former professional football player for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs , and the NFL's Chiefs , Green Bay Packers , and Minnesota Vikings .-Background:...
, who at the time was club’s all-time leading scorer. He was replaced by journeyman Nick Lowery
Nick Lowery
Dominic Gerald Lowery , nicknamed Nick the Kick, is a former American football placekicker for the New England Patriots , the Kansas City Chiefs , and New York Jets . Lowery was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and when he retired was ranked first in field goal percentage and also had the most...
, who had been cut 11 times by eight different teams himself.
After enduring an 0-4 start, the club rebounded to post a four-game winning streak. After Steve Fuller was sidelined with a knee injury late in the season, former Miami
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
12th-round draft choice Bill Kenney
Bill Kenney
William Patrick Kenney is a retired quarterback who spent 9 years in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1980 to 1988 and a former politician who spent 8 years as a Missouri State Senator...
became the team's starting quarterback. He was so anonymous that when he appeared in that contest, the name on the back of his jersey was inadvertently misspelled “Kenny.” Kenney went on to lead the club to a 31-14 victory against Denver on December 7 in his initial NFL start. The defense continued to evolve as defensive end Art Still
Art Still
Arthur Barry Still is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills...
and safety Gary Barbaro
Gary Barbaro
Gary Wayne Barbaro is a former defensive back in the National Football League and United States Football League....
became the first Chiefs defensive players to be elected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in five seasons. The Chiefs finished the year at 8-8, the club’s highest victory tally since 1972.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7, 1980 | Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27-14 | |
| 2 | September 14, 1980 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
L 17-16 | |
| 3 | September 21, 1980 | at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20-13 | |
| 4 | September 28, 1980 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24-7 | |
| 5 | October 5, 1980 | at Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31-17 | |
| 6 | October 12, 1980 | Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter... |
W 21-10 | |
| 7 | October 19, 1980 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 23-17 | |
| 8 | October 26, 1980 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 20-17 | |
| 9 | November 2, 1980 | Baltimore Colts | L 31-24 | |
| 10 | November 9, 1980 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 31-30 | |
| 11 | November 16, 1980 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20-7 | |
| 12 | November 23, 1980 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 21-13 | |
| 13 | November 30, 1980 | Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
L 20-6 | |
| 14 | December 7, 1980 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31-14 | |
| 15 | December 14, 1980 | at Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 21-16 | |
| 16 | December 21, 1980 | at Baltimore Colts | W 38-28 | |