JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers are mulling over making the Kansas City Chiefs the official NFL team of the Show-Me State.
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions, and Ethics heard the proposal by Sen. Kiki Curls, SCR 4, to recognize the team that has resided in Missouri for nearly six decades.
SCR 4 would designate Kansas City Chiefs as the official professional football team of the state of Missouri.
“They are obviously worthy,” said Senate Pro Tem Dave Schatz, who questioned what would happen if anything team decided to locate in the state.
The Chiefs are the only NFL team that residents in Missouri since the Rams left St. Louis several years ago.
Curls noted that Lamar Hunt was instrumental in the creation of the Kansas City Chiefs when he brought the franchise to Kansas City from Dallas, Texas, in 1963, when the team was known as the Dallas Texans. It was a fan contest that determined the name “Chiefs” in honor of the nickname of Mayor Harold Roe Bartle, who persuaded Hunt to bring the team to Kansas City.
It was also noted that the Chiefs won the first Superbowl following the merger of the National Football League and the American Football League. The team has had several very successful seasons including the most recent season where they made won the American Football Conference West division title.
“Kansas City loves our Chiefs,” said Curls. “We are one of the biggest tailgating teams in the country and is considered the loudest stadium in the world.
The Chiefs’ most recent game, where they narrowly lost to the New England Patriots, sparked a variety of jokes.
Sen. Denny Hoskins wonder if they could add an amendment that, “says you actually have to hit the quarterback to call it pass interference.”
“This is still very raw,” noted Sen. Caleb Rowden, referring to Sunday’s loss.
No member from the team was present, though the Chiefs’ government advocate did testify in support of the resolution. The committee ultimately took no action on the proposal.
The committee also held a public hearing on a resolution to replace the statue of Thomas Hart Benton in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol with a statue of Harry S. Truman.
The proposal passed the General Assembly during the 2018 regular session but due to clerical issues failed to cross the finish line.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
