Post by lazarus on Sept 14, 2005 11:25:21 GMT -5
Posted on Wed, Sep. 14, 2005
Bitterness between Chiefs, Raiders comes from the top
‘The rivalry grew out of mutual respect and mutual dislike.’
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
“The rivalry grew out of mutual respect and mutual dislike. ”
I t’s not even cordial anymore. If they pass each other in the hallway this weekend, or reach for the same crab leg in the buffet line, Carl Peterson probably won’t even make eye contact with him. And he certainly won’t stop and chat with Al Davis.
Rivalries are like that sometimes. They can make grown men with good jobs slather silver and black paint all over themselves and lose all sensibilities for 3 1/2 hours. They can make ill will linger for decades. Peterson’s disdain for the Raiders goes further than a snubbed handshake. It comes from the top, from his boss, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt.
“I would suspect in your conversation with Lamar that he indicated that he’s not real fond of him, is he?” Peterson says. “Lamar Hunt was the guy who founded (the AFL). Al Davis started in this league as an assistant coach. I don’t know that Al Davis has ever had a desire to, or has ever really taken a moment to say to Lamar Hunt, ‘Hey thank you, on behalf of myself and my family for starting the American Football League and allowing me an opportunity to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.’ ”
The warm fuzzies and thank-yous probably won’t come Sunday night, when the Chiefs travel to Oakland to play in one of the NFL’s longest and most bitter rivalries.
Peterson was in the locker room Sunday, shortly after the Chiefs’ win over the Jets, educating the rookies on the trip to the Black Hole. Hunt, who founded the franchise, walked past an assistant coach, who asked whether Hunt was making the trip.
Of course, Hunt said. It’s the Raiders.
“I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say I considered that to be (two) of our bigger games all year,” Hunt says. “The rivalry grew out of mutual respect and mutual dislike.”
Hunt, who founded the AFL in 1960, said it started with intense competition in the 1960s, reached a peak in the 1969 season, when the Chiefs beat the Raiders for the AFL championship, and became downright bitter in 1970 after the infamous Ben Dav idson incident. The Chiefs were up 17-14 that year when quarterback Len Dawson apparently sealed the win, running for a first down that would’ve let Kansas City run out the clock. While Dawson was on the ground, Dav idson speared him. Chiefs receiver Otis Taylor retaliated, a bench-clearing brawl ensued, and Dawson’s first down was nullified.
The game ended in a tie, costing the Chiefs a tie for the division title.
But it’s obvious the bitterness goes outside the lines. Hunt, who has nary a bad word to say about any owner, has grown impatient with Davis’ numerous lawsuits against the NFL, lawsuits that have included the Chiefs.
“I’m a friend in the context that we helped fight a battle together for survival of the American Football League,” Hunt says. “But I don’t consider myself close to Al in recent years. There are philosophical differences about how he … You just don’t continually sue your business partners like he has. That causes me some problems.”
Peterson’s chilly relationship with Davis reached its peak a few years back when they rode the same elevator down to the field after a close Chiefs victory. Peterson says he told Davis it was a great football game and it was too bad somebody had to lose. He says he was being sincere when he extended his hand to Davis and wished him luck for the rest of the season.
Davis, Peterson says, elected not to shake hands. They haven’t talked since.
“That’s how it’s been,” Peterson says. “When they beat us pretty soundly in Oakland the year they went to the Super Bowl with Rich Gannon … I had signed Rich Gannon (earlier) and he was out of football. I had known him since he was at St. Joseph’s Prep.
“After the game at Oakland Coliseum, I went into the locker room to congratulate Rich, and I know Al didn’t like it. Sometimes Al loses perspective that there are friendships in the league. For 3 1/2 hours, you want to beat each other up, but when it’s over, it’s over.”
Peterson says former Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer took Raiders week very seriously, so much that one time he asked his coach what made him hate them so much.
“He said, ‘I’ve always hated their arrogance,’ ” Peterson says.
Coach thingy Vermeil may not be quite as passionate about the silver and black, but he did spend a chunk of his news conference Tuesday describing the atmosphere and how it’s different this week because Oakland is on the schedule.
“I know the Raider fans,” Vermeil says. “When you go through the parking lot it’s the opposite of going through Green Bay’s parking lot. In Green Bay they say: ‘Hey, good luck, Coach. Hey, hope you have a good game.’ I tell you this, they wave only one finger when you go through (Oakland).
“But they’re very intense. That portion of their fan base is very intense. They love their Raiders.”
And Peterson loves Raider week. He walked briskly past reporters Tuesday, then sat back in his office and waxed nostalgic about the rivalry for about 20 minutes. He’ll warn the rookies to wear their helmets on the sidelines or run the risk of being pelted by batteries.
He’ll chuckle at the painted fans and walk past Davis without saying a word.
“I think it’s something that really makes the National Football League special,” Peterson says. “I think these types of rivalries are what the league is built on.”
-----------------------------------------------------------
To reach Elizabeth Merrill, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4744 or send e-mail to lmerrill@kcstar.com
Bitterness between Chiefs, Raiders comes from the top
‘The rivalry grew out of mutual respect and mutual dislike.’
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
“The rivalry grew out of mutual respect and mutual dislike. ”
I t’s not even cordial anymore. If they pass each other in the hallway this weekend, or reach for the same crab leg in the buffet line, Carl Peterson probably won’t even make eye contact with him. And he certainly won’t stop and chat with Al Davis.
Rivalries are like that sometimes. They can make grown men with good jobs slather silver and black paint all over themselves and lose all sensibilities for 3 1/2 hours. They can make ill will linger for decades. Peterson’s disdain for the Raiders goes further than a snubbed handshake. It comes from the top, from his boss, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt.
“I would suspect in your conversation with Lamar that he indicated that he’s not real fond of him, is he?” Peterson says. “Lamar Hunt was the guy who founded (the AFL). Al Davis started in this league as an assistant coach. I don’t know that Al Davis has ever had a desire to, or has ever really taken a moment to say to Lamar Hunt, ‘Hey thank you, on behalf of myself and my family for starting the American Football League and allowing me an opportunity to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.’ ”
The warm fuzzies and thank-yous probably won’t come Sunday night, when the Chiefs travel to Oakland to play in one of the NFL’s longest and most bitter rivalries.
Peterson was in the locker room Sunday, shortly after the Chiefs’ win over the Jets, educating the rookies on the trip to the Black Hole. Hunt, who founded the franchise, walked past an assistant coach, who asked whether Hunt was making the trip.
Of course, Hunt said. It’s the Raiders.
“I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say I considered that to be (two) of our bigger games all year,” Hunt says. “The rivalry grew out of mutual respect and mutual dislike.”
Hunt, who founded the AFL in 1960, said it started with intense competition in the 1960s, reached a peak in the 1969 season, when the Chiefs beat the Raiders for the AFL championship, and became downright bitter in 1970 after the infamous Ben Dav idson incident. The Chiefs were up 17-14 that year when quarterback Len Dawson apparently sealed the win, running for a first down that would’ve let Kansas City run out the clock. While Dawson was on the ground, Dav idson speared him. Chiefs receiver Otis Taylor retaliated, a bench-clearing brawl ensued, and Dawson’s first down was nullified.
The game ended in a tie, costing the Chiefs a tie for the division title.
But it’s obvious the bitterness goes outside the lines. Hunt, who has nary a bad word to say about any owner, has grown impatient with Davis’ numerous lawsuits against the NFL, lawsuits that have included the Chiefs.
“I’m a friend in the context that we helped fight a battle together for survival of the American Football League,” Hunt says. “But I don’t consider myself close to Al in recent years. There are philosophical differences about how he … You just don’t continually sue your business partners like he has. That causes me some problems.”
Peterson’s chilly relationship with Davis reached its peak a few years back when they rode the same elevator down to the field after a close Chiefs victory. Peterson says he told Davis it was a great football game and it was too bad somebody had to lose. He says he was being sincere when he extended his hand to Davis and wished him luck for the rest of the season.
Davis, Peterson says, elected not to shake hands. They haven’t talked since.
“That’s how it’s been,” Peterson says. “When they beat us pretty soundly in Oakland the year they went to the Super Bowl with Rich Gannon … I had signed Rich Gannon (earlier) and he was out of football. I had known him since he was at St. Joseph’s Prep.
“After the game at Oakland Coliseum, I went into the locker room to congratulate Rich, and I know Al didn’t like it. Sometimes Al loses perspective that there are friendships in the league. For 3 1/2 hours, you want to beat each other up, but when it’s over, it’s over.”
Peterson says former Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer took Raiders week very seriously, so much that one time he asked his coach what made him hate them so much.
“He said, ‘I’ve always hated their arrogance,’ ” Peterson says.
Coach thingy Vermeil may not be quite as passionate about the silver and black, but he did spend a chunk of his news conference Tuesday describing the atmosphere and how it’s different this week because Oakland is on the schedule.
“I know the Raider fans,” Vermeil says. “When you go through the parking lot it’s the opposite of going through Green Bay’s parking lot. In Green Bay they say: ‘Hey, good luck, Coach. Hey, hope you have a good game.’ I tell you this, they wave only one finger when you go through (Oakland).
“But they’re very intense. That portion of their fan base is very intense. They love their Raiders.”
And Peterson loves Raider week. He walked briskly past reporters Tuesday, then sat back in his office and waxed nostalgic about the rivalry for about 20 minutes. He’ll warn the rookies to wear their helmets on the sidelines or run the risk of being pelted by batteries.
He’ll chuckle at the painted fans and walk past Davis without saying a word.
“I think it’s something that really makes the National Football League special,” Peterson says. “I think these types of rivalries are what the league is built on.”
-----------------------------------------------------------
To reach Elizabeth Merrill, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4744 or send e-mail to lmerrill@kcstar.com