Why Is The Kansas City Chiefs Mascot A Wolf?

One of the more intriguing mascots the NFL has is the KC Wolf of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Wolf has been the mascot of the Chiefs since way back in 1989. He has been entertaining the crowd for more than 30 years now. The mascot is a one-stop solution for on field entertainment as he has been seen performing various stunts and antics every now and then. The funny antics performed by the Wolf are at times so hilarious that it is a great stress buster, especially during a tight contest between the Chiefs and their respective opponents.

Apart from being the comedian on the football field during a Chiefs’ match, the Wolf also has many other duties throughout the year. He is present in various other events including major league and minor league baseball, parades, grand openings, sporting events, and in general other such fun filled events. As a matter of fact, the Wolf has also gone international with his visits to countries such as Japan, Germany and Mexico.

Why do the Chiefs have a Wolf as mascot

Many people have this question in their minds as to why the Kansas City Chiefs’ mascot is a wolf. After all, the team is based in Missouri and wolves are not a native animal of the state. Moreover, wolves have not been a common sight in the entire Midwest for that matter. There are quite a few teams in the league whose mascot makes sense. For example, the Arizona Cardinals have a Cardinal as their mascot, while the Philadelphia Eagles have an Eagle. So naturally when it comes to the Chiefs this question confuses the casual viewer.

Back in the day before the Wolf became the mascot, the Chiefs had another mascot known as ‘Warpaint’. He was a horse on which a man would ride wearing Native American clothes. As the Native American community took objection to this, the franchise decided to do away with ‘Warpaint’ completely and settled on the current Wolf mascot. Yet, the question remains why a wolf was selected as the mascot?

There is a very simple answer to this question. Arrowhead Stadium where the Chiefs play their home games is known all around the world today as one of the loudest places ever. However, several years ago this was not the case. The home games were relatively quiet barring one section of the stands behind the team bench which was very loud and noisy. That area was known as the ‘Wolfpack’, and hence taking inspiration from there, the team decided that the new mascot would be in the form of a wolf.

How the Wolfpack was coined

The Kansas City Chiefs were not originally from Kansas City. In fact, the team's origins were from Dallas and the team was the Dallas Texans. This franchise played in the NFL post the merger from 1960 to 1962. In 1963, team owner Lamar Hunt moved the franchise to Kansas City and as a result, the change did not go smoothly initially. There were fewer fans at the stadium and it was nowhere near as loud as it is today.

In order to boost fan experience and to draw in more crowds, the team made a section of the stands where they encouraged fans to make more noise whilst enjoying the game. Soon this section came to be known as the Wolfpack which in turn became the inspiration behind the new mascot. Today, the Wolfpack is no longer a part of the Chiefs, but the Wolf continues to go strong season after season.