KC Sports Legend Hank Stram Dies

TheKansasCityChannel.com ^ | 07/04/2005

[KS Flyover]

KC Sports Legend Hank Stram Dies

Stram Led The Chiefs To 2 Super Bowl Appearances

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Hank Stram, a legend in Kansas City sports history, died Monday in New Orleans following a lengthy illness.

He was 81.

Stram led the Chiefs to their only two Super Bowl appearances: In Super Bowl I the Chiefs lost to the Green Bay Packers, and in Super Bowl IV in 1970, the Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings.

"It was all about the team. Winning was -- that's the name of the game in sports -- and it was team and winning is what I remember the most," Chiefs Hall of Fame kicker Jan Stenerud said in a 2003 interview.

Stram also had the respect of his opponents.

"Just being a winner and being a guy that you knew his teams were always going to be prepared, and he was a colorful coach," Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Don Shula told KMBC in 2003.

"(He was) a tenacious, vicious competitor. He had a love and passion for football," Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis said.

Stram was inducted into the National Football League's Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1987.

Stram was the Chiefs all-time winning coach.

[arnoldpalmerfan]

I am a Raiders fan and I agree with your comments.

Hank Stram was a wonderful coach.

You have a neat blog.

[LRS]

I'm sure you could find it some where. I hope you do, for any football fan should appreciate what Stram did that game.

I was a bit short earlier (dodging a severe thunderstorm). Let me see how much I remember about the game:

The game was in the late '60's. I want to say 1968, and in KC.

The Chiefs receiving core was decimated with injury, including Otis Taylor. During the week, Stram let people think he was actually going to make big use of "Super Gnat" Nolan Smith as a wide out. The Raiders defense was chomping at the bit, because they were going to have a "neck tie party" with the Super Gnat as the honored guest (the Raiders were pretty good with the neck tie tackle). But, KC came out with 2 TE's, and the full house T, and ran the ball. The Raiders defensive line was caught totally unprepared, and didn't know how to handle the 1940's style cross buck blocking scheme KC came out with , and they were getting shredded. I don't think Len Dawson threw any more than 3 passes in the first half. I think the score at the half was either 10-3, or maybe 13-3, or something like that, with KC up. The Raiders did adjust at halftime, and slowed KC down in the 2nd half, forcing Dawson to throw a few more passes. However, I think KC won the game. But, if I am remembering the correct year, Oakland won the series with KC that year at home, and I think they won the division. Those were the wacky days of the AFL/AFC...

I hope I pretty much have the facts correct, but if I have messed up, some one please correct me! My memory for detail isn't what it use to be...

[185JHP]

Hank had a great knowledge of the game. He'd sometimes say "they should do such-and-such now." And if the team did it, it would usually work. A civil tongue was another of his attributes.

[speedy]

Concur, arnie. And you have good taste in golfers, too. Latrobe PA bump.

[speedy]

Yep. All that, and quite natty too. He'll be missed.

[RightOnline]

Professional football has lost another of its greats.

To Jesus' loving arms, Coach Stram.

[arnoldpalmerfan]

Unfortunately, ESPN Classic cannot show telecasts of NFL games because of the agreement that NFL Films has with the NFL. There are so many great NFL games that should be available to ESPN classic viewers.

I hope ESPN will do something to honor Coach Stram this week.

Coach Stram, rest in peace. You were a wonderful man.

[mainepatsfan]

I still love the bites from Lombardi. "What the hell is going on out there??!!!!"

[mainepatsfan]

His Chiefs beat the Raiders in the last AFL game to advance to Super Bowl IV. Madden said he was the one coach he didn't want to face.

[KC Burke]

I had a business acquaintance with one of his long time staters from his glory days, who will go unnamed as I wouldn't want something negative to be made of the following story.

He related late in Hank's coaching days that Hank was always about winning and like many of that stripe turned everything into the win/loose battle of the moment. He told me that he and Hank used to get together to play tennis and Hank would bent the rules and virtually cheat him if he didn't object, all because winning was everything...even in casual tennis play. A gentleman and a stickler for behavior, it is true, but he had the killer instinct when victory was in his grasp.

[GOP_Raider]

That game was waaaaaaay before my time, but IIRC, we beat Kansas City twice during that regular season.