Checking out some previous Eagles-Chiefs matchups
By now, we all have heard plenty about the Andy Reid connections to this year’s Super Bowl.
The current Kansas City Chief head coach will be going against his former Philadelphia Eagles team.
In this week’s Yesterday column - a look back at sports and life in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes beyond - I’ll take a look at some previous Eagles-Chiefs matchups, and some associated pop-culture related references.
When Did This Begin? ... The Eagles-Chiefs series is a relatively short one with only nine games played between them, with Kansas City holding a 5-4 advantage.
Their initial meeting was in 1972 with the then 0-5 Eagles meeting the 3-2 Chiefs. The Eagles stormed out to a 21-0 lead and had to hold off a late Chiefs’ rush for a 21-20 upset victory.
Birds’ quarterback Pete Liske has one of his better games in his Philly career with three touchdown passes and 209 yards. Liske uncorked touchdown passes of 67 yards to Ben Hawkins, and others of 41 and 36 yards to Harold Jackson. The Eagles’ tight end was Kent Kramer (remember that name?) He had three rather quiet years with the team - totaling just 17 catches.
The Eagles’ top rusher was Larry Watkins while upstart back Po James had 65 yards.
Defensively, the team had the likes of defensive ends Richard Harris and Mel Tom. Harris was the team’s No. 1 pick in the 1971 draft, but never lived up to expectations and was gone after three years.
Steve Zabel was a notable Eagle for a few years as a middle linebacker, and Ron Porter intercepted a pass. I tried to recall Porter, but couldn’t. He spent three years with the team as an outside linebacker.
The legendary Len Dawson was the Chiefs’ quarterback, and the Eagles’ defense held him to 168 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The real star was running back Ed Podolak, who caught seven passes for 60 yards. Podolak, who was primarily known for his kick return duties, emerged as one of the league’s most productive backs for his running and pass-catching abilities, and was one of the most underrated stars of the 1970s.
This was a huge victory for the Eagles, who managed just a win over Houston (18-17) and a tie with St. Louis (6-6) during the 2-11-1 season.
It was 20 years before the Eagles and Chiefs would meet again. In 1992, Kansas City posted a 24-17 victory. In that game, Randall Cunningham was the Eagles’ quarterback and Herschel Walker was the lead rusher - it’s hard to remember Herschel with the Eagles.
Who were the Eagles’ tight end and kicker? Try former Colt Pat Beach at tight end, and Roger Ruzek as the kicker. That’s a good trivia question.
Who Is This New Coach? ... It was January 1999, and the Eagles shocked the football world by hiring unknown Andy Reid as their head coach. He came with a high pedigree as a quarterback coach for Brett Favre, and head coach Mike Holmgren in Green Bay. Reid, who was quickly recognized for his burly build and bushy mustache, replaced Ray Rhodes, who guided the team to a 3-13 season the previous year.
The Eagles were high on Reid, and also new director of player personnel Tom Modrak (remember him?), who came over from Pittsburgh.
Who was Reid’s starter at quarterback for nine games? How about Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson, who would later work for Reid in Philly and KC.
The Chiefs in 1999 were guided by Gunther Cunningham, who was tapped after he was a defensive coordinator for former head coach Marty Schottenheimer. In 1999, the Chiefs’ starting quarterback was Dave Krieg, the former Seahawks standout.
Here’s some irony. Before his first season as head coach in Kansas City in 2013, Andy Reid fired current Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni, who was previous coach Romeo Crenel’s quality control coach. Reid brought most of his old Eagles’ staff with him.
Remember Those Chiefs? ... When I think back to the Chiefs over the years, more than a handful of players come to mind.
For me, there initially was a Sports Illustrated picture of Len Dawson addressing the huddle with his players apparently lined up nearly in unison over two rows. It was a classic cover shot from either the late 1960s or the early 1970s.
One of my earliest memories of the Chiefs was Super Bowl IV, when they beat the Vikings with head coach Bud Grant and quarterback Joe Kapp. That’s when I started to develop an affection for the Vikings - along with the Jets - at the time.
There was robust head coach Hank Stram with his dark suit and tie, a white shirt, and piece of paper rolled up in his hand. Stram was famous for his line of “keep matriculating down the field, fellows.”
Some other Chiefs who have been tucked in my memory are tight end Fred Arbanas and safety Johnny Robinson, whose football cards I still have.
Running back Mike Garrett - No. 21 - was one of the first elusive backs of the 70s. Along with Garrett, there was backup quarterback Mike Livingston, running back Wendell Hayes, safety Mike Sensibaugh, and punter Jerrell Wilson - No. 44. Everyone remembers kicker Jan Stenerud, but few remember Wilson, who was just as effective.
One of my most memorable Chiefs was wide receiver Elmo Wright, who was the team’s top pick in 1971. Wright could be compared in stature to former Chief and current Miami Dolphin Tyreek Hill, but he wasn’t as quick.
But Wright was famous for his touchdown celebrations when he did his version of an Indian war dance. Wright is still recognized as the forefather of the end zone celebration, but his routine was soon forgotten after Billy “White Shoes” Johnson entered the league.
Some Famous Chiefs ... When I think of the word “chief,” some famous chiefs that I watched growing up come to mind.
Chief-Noc-A-Homa was the Atlanta Braves’ mascot from 1966 to 1985. He had a teepee set up in left field, and he would do a war dance if the Braves hit a home run, had a big inning, or won the game. You always waited for him to do something.
How about Chief Jay Strongbow of WWF fame? He was one of the sports’ most popular wrestlers in the 1970’s, and was known to go into his war dance to try to finish off an opponent. Strongbow carried a tomahawk with him, and was recognized for his swinging high-knee kicks.
As a youngster, I remember watching Chief Halftown afternoons on Channel 6. Halftown was a full-blooded Indian, who also was a professional bowler. Unbeknownst to many, Halftown had one of the longest running shows in the TV business from his beginning in 1960 until he retired in 1999. He had an interesting show, and I didn’t realize he was active for that long of a period.
Finally, there was the “chief” from Get Smart, played by Edward Platt. I recently started watching the show from our streaming service, and it reminded me how great of a comedy-action series it was for five seasons in the mid-to-late sixties.
Some Super Cereal ... In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kellog’s launched Batman and Superman “Sugar Coated” cereals.
There was a Batman mask in his box, and a piece of Kryptonite in the Superman box. This was the age of “sugar-coated” cereals.
Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll highlight a former player, coach, manager, or announcer from yesterday.
Do you remember kick returner Larry Marshall? He was primarily a kick returner and also a defensive back for the Chiefs and Eagles. Marshall was also a native of Philadelphia, who was drafted in the 15th round by the Chiefs in the 1972 draft.
Marshall spent the 1972 and ‘73 seasons with the Chiefs before he was part of the Eagles’ revival from 1974 through ‘77. He ended his career in 1978, splitting time between the Chiefs and Rams.