The Chiefs' mascot is a wolf named KC Wolf. It has been around since 1989, but it is not the organization’s first representative — before KC Wolf, there was a live animal mascot discontinued for several reasons, which we'll get to later in this post.
Unlike other U.S. sports, most NFL mascots are not regarded as main franchise identifiers. Still, they present fans with a fun stadium presence, and KC Wolf carries a historic place among its NFL counterparts as one of the league's longest-standing mascots.
Here is everything you need to know about KC Wolf and the history of Chiefs mascots:
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What is the Kansas City Chiefs' mascot?
The Kansas City Chiefs have used a wolf named KC Wolf as their mascot since 1989. The character was elected to the National Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006 and remains the only NFL mascot to be inducted.
For the past 30 years, a man named Dan Meers has been the primary person underneath the costume. He survived a scary fall during a 2013 zip-lining stunt and was hospitalized, and he has continued his work since recovering from that incident.
Chiefs mascot name, colors
KC Wolf is a gray wolf typically dressed head to toe in red Chiefs apparel. Unlike most mascots, KC Wolf features googly eyes that circle wildly as it dances around.
Why is the Chiefs mascot a wolf?
Wolves are not signficant to Kansas City, so the KC Wolf did not come into existence because of local wildlife. Instead, KC Wolf is named after a group of rowdy fans in the early years of the Chiefs dubbed the "Wolfpack" who sat behind the Chiefs’ bench at Municipal Stadium.
Will KC Wolf haunt you in your nightmares?
There are certainly scarier mascots than KC Wolf scattered around major U.S. sports, such as Pierre the Pelican and Gritty. But the Kansas City icon is still somewhat unsettling — googly eyes and human-sized animal costume are never a great combo — and those already predisposed to fearing adults pretending to be mythical creatures are likely to steer clear.
Why did the Chiefs need to change their mascot?
Before KC Wolf, there was Warpaint, a horse ridden up and down the field by a white man in mock Native American garb. In addition to being offensive to indigenous people and their cultural traditions, it was considered by some to be ineffective at captivating children at Chiefs games. So, management brought in KC Wolf, a figure that has remained a staple of the team ever since.
Warpaint returned to Arrowhead Stadium in a slightly less prominent capacity in 2009. The horse is now ridden by a cheerleader sans Native American imagery, and it has not usurped KC Wolf as the official mascot.
Not everyone has been a fan of the horse comeback.
“I’ll wait until the horse pass,” former Chiefs safety Eric Berry said on the field in 2012. “I don’t mess with horses, bro. Straight up. He might come over here and throw a tantrum.”