December 12-18

Dec. 12, 1971- Jan Stenerud kicked a late field goal set up by a Raiders’ interference penalty, and the Chiefs defeat Oakland, 16-14, to clinch the AFC West. It was the Chiefs first division championship since 1966.

Dec. 13, 1969- The Chiefs fell in Oakland, 10-6, and miss out on the AFL Wester Division title. But, thanks to the AFL’s special one-year-only playoff system, the Chiefs still qualified for the playoffs.

Dec. 13, 1998- Bam Morris ran through the Dallas Cowboys defense for 137 yards and a touchdown to lead the Chiefs to a 20-17 win at Arrowhead. The win was Marty Schottenheimer’s 100th as the Chiefs head coach.

Dec. 14, 1965- Mack Lee Hill, the Chiefs star second-year fullback, died during knee surgery. He injured the knee against Buffalo two days earlier and died when his body temperature soared to 108 degrees during the surgery.

Dec. 14, 1968- The Chiefs wrapped up the regular season with a 30-7 win at Denver, finishing with a 12-2 record. Oakland also finished with a 12-2 mark, and a divisional playoff is setup the following week.

Dec. 14, 2003- The Chiefs clinched their first AFC West title since 1997 with a 45-17 win over Detroit at Arrowhead. Trent Green became the first player in team history to register a “perfect” 158.3 passer rating in a game.

Dec. 16, 1962- Dallas won their season finale, beating the Chargers 26-17 at the Cotton Bowl and finished with an 11-3 record and first place in the AFL West.

Dec. 16, 1979- The Chiefs lost in the rain and mud in Tampa Bay, 3-0.

Dec. 17, 1961- The Texans ended a disappointing season by defeating the Titans at the Cotton Bowl, 35-24.

Dec. 17, 1967- Noland “Super Gnat” Smith returned a kickoff an NFL record 106 yards against the Broncos in Denver as the Chiefs won, 38-24. The team finished the season with a 9-5 record, good for second place in the AFL West.

Dec. 17, 1971- Chiefs fullback Tony Richardson was born.

Dec. 18, 1960- The Texans defeated the Bills, 24-7, ending their first season with an 8-6 record and second place finish in the Western Division.

Dec. 18, 1966- The Chiefs ended the regular season with a 27-17 win at San Diego and finish with a 11-2-1 record.

Dec. 18, 1977- The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 21-20 in the season finale. The loss left the Chiefs with a record of 2-12, the worst in franchise history.