1983 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 1983 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League and the 24th overall. They matched on their 6–10 record and last place finish in the AFC West.

1983 Kansas City Chiefs season
OwnerLamar Hunt
General managerJim Schaaf
Head coachJohn Mackovic
Home fieldArrowhead Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place5th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
1
  • S Deron Cherry (2nd team)

After the conclusion of the 1982 season on January 4, the Chiefs fired head coach Marv Levy. Levy had compiled a 31–42 record in Kansas City. Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach John Mackovic was named the fifth head coach in team history on February 2. The 39-year-old Mackovic became the youngest individual ever to hold that post for the club.[1] The Chiefs held the seventh overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft and selected quarterback Todd Blackledge. The Chiefs would not draft another quarterback in the first round until the 2017 NFL draft when they drafted Patrick Mahomes.

Tragedy struck the Chiefs on June 29 when Joe Delaney drowned while attempting to save the lives of three children in Monroe, Louisiana. Delaney was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizen's Medal by Ronald Reagan on July 13.[1] Linebacker Bobby Bell became the first Chiefs player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 30,[1] providing some solace for the mourning Chiefs fan base following Joe Delaney's death.

With Bill Kenney and Todd Blackledge both on the roster, starting quarterback Steve Fuller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on August 19. Kenney earned a Pro Bowl berth after racking up a franchise-record 4,348 passing yards, while wide receiver Carlos Carson hauled in 80 passes for 1,351 yards.[1] Despite the team's high-flying passing game, Mackovic had trouble finding a suitable replacement for Joe Delaney and the running back position. The highest scoring contest in franchise history took place as the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks combined for 99 points in a wild, 51–48 overtime loss at the Kingdome. A meager crowd of 11,377 braved near-zero degree temperatures to attend the club's season-ending 48–17 win against Denver on December 18, the smallest attendance figure ever for a Chiefs game at Arrowhead as the club finished the year at 6–10.[1] The win did ensure Denver would not host the Wild Card Game the following week, as the Seahawks would take advantage of the Kingdome in a blowout win.

NFL Draft

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1983 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
1 7 Todd Blackledge Quarterback Penn State
2 34 Dave Lutz Guard Georgia Tech
3 61 Albert Lewis Cornerback Grambling State
4 92 Ron Wetzel Tight end Arizona State
5 119 Jim Arnold Punter Vanderbilt
6 146 Ellis Gardner Tackle Georgia Tech
7 173 Ken Thomas Running back San Jose State
7 179 Daryl Posey Running back Mississippi College
8 204 Irv Eatman Tackle UCLA
9 231 Adam Lingner Center Illinois
10 257 Mark Shumate Defensive tackle Wisconsin
11 284 Dwayne Jackson Defensive end South Carolina State
12 315 Ken Jones Tackle Tennessee

Personnel

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Staff

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1983 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Jim Vechiarella

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – C. T. Hewgley


Roster

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1983 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 August 6 at Cincinnati Bengals W 24–7 1–0 Riverfront Stadium 42,662 Recap
2 August 13 Detroit Lions L 13–17 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium 32,885 Recap
3 August 20 St. Louis Cardinals W 17–16 2–1 Arrowhead Stadium 34,070 Recap
4 August 27 at Chicago Bears L 17–20 (OT) 2–2 Soldier Field 56,311 Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 4 Seattle Seahawks W 17–13 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium 42,531 Recap
2 September 12 San Diego Chargers L 14–17 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium 62,150 Recap
3 September 18 at Washington Redskins L 12–27 1–2 RFK Stadium 52,610 Recap
4 September 25 at Miami Dolphins L 6–14 1–3 Miami Orange Bowl 50,785 Recap
5 October 2 St. Louis Cardinals W 38–14 2–3 Arrowhead Stadium 58,975 Recap
6 October 9 at Los Angeles Raiders L 20–21 2–4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 40,492 Recap
7 October 16 New York Giants W 38–17 3–4 Arrowhead Stadium 55,449 Recap
8 October 23 at Houston Oilers W 13–10 (OT) 4–4 Houston Astrodome 39,462 Recap
9 October 30 at Denver Broncos L 24–27 4–5 Mile High Stadium 74,640 Recap
10 November 6 Los Angeles Raiders L 20–28 4–6 Arrowhead Stadium 75,497 Recap
11 November 13 Cincinnati Bengals W 20–15 5–6 Arrowhead Stadium 44,711 Recap
12 November 20 at Dallas Cowboys L 21–41 5–7 Texas Stadium 64,103 Recap
13 November 27 at Seattle Seahawks L 48–51 (OT) 5–8 Kingdome 56,793 Recap
14 December 4 Buffalo Bills L 9–14 5–9 Arrowhead Stadium 27,104 Recap
15 December 11 at San Diego Chargers L 38–41 5–10 Jack Murphy Stadium 35,510 Recap
16 December 18 Denver Broncos W 48–17 6–10 Arrowhead Stadium 11,377 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Week 1: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 3 0 3713
Chiefs 7 0 7317

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers

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Week 2: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 0 7717
Chiefs 0 7 0714

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 3: at Washington Redskins

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Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 9 0012
Redskins 0 0 171027

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

  • Date: September 18
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 52,610
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Griese
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Miami Dolphins

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Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 3 006
Dolphins 0 7 7014

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Game information

Week 5: vs. St. Louis Cardinals

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Week 5: St. Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 0 0714
Chiefs 14 0 32138

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 6: at Los Angeles Raiders

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Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 3 0320
Raiders 0 7 7721

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Game information

Week 7: vs. New York Giants

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Week 7: New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 14 3017
Chiefs 0 10 141438

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 8: at Houston Oilers

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Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Oilers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chiefs 0 10 00313
Oilers 7 0 03010

at Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 39,462
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Gene Washington
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: at Denver Broncos

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Week 9: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 0 31424
Broncos 0 17 3727

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

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Week 10: Los Angeles Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 7 0 02128
Chiefs 0 6 7720

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,497
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Griese
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

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Week 11: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 3 3 3615
Chiefs 3 10 7020

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 44,711
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Reggie Rucker
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys

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Week 12: Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 14721
Cowboys 10 10 71441

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: November 20
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Clear, 71 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,103
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chiefs 7 21 713048
Seahawks 7 7 1717351

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 56,793
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and Jim Turner
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills

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Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 7 0714
Chiefs 0 3 339

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 34 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 27,104
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Gene Washington
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at San Diego Chargers

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Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 7 101438
Chargers 10 14 14341

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 35,510
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Griese
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week 16: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 3 01417
Chiefs 21 7 101048

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Clear, 0 °F (−18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 11,377
  • Referee: Tom Dooley
  • TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Jim Turner
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Standings

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AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Los Angeles Raiders(1) 12 4 0 .750 6–2 10–2 442 338 W1
Seattle Seahawks(4) 9 7 0 .563 5–3 8–4 403 397 W2
Denver Broncos(5) 9 7 0 .563 3–5 9–5 302 327 L1
San Diego Chargers 6 10 0 .375 4–4 4–8 358 462 L1
Kansas City Chiefs 6 10 0 .375 2–6 4–8 386 367 W1

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Kansas City Chiefs History 1980's". Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
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