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Why is the Kansas City Chiefs Mascot a Wolf?

By Will Coleman

K.C. Wolf stands tall before an Arrowhead Stadium crowd during a game against the Chargers.
K.C. Wolf stands tall before an Arrowhead Stadium crowd during a game against the Chargers. / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

As Patrick Mahomes and the eventual Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs took the field in Miami this past Sunday, anyone tuned into the FOX broadcast had to have been puzzled by the team mascot that ran out of the tunnel with the players. We can have fun with the idea of a mascot like Gritty of the Philadelphia Flyers, but all this one does it raise questions and confuse us.

Meet K.C. Wolf. You're probably wondering why a wolf is meant to represent the Chiefs and, well, it's complicated.

What Exactly is the Mascot for the Kansas City Chiefs?

With a dated and controversial name like the Chiefs, it should come as no surprise that the same fanbase that performs tomahawk chops at Arrowhead Stadium once had a live mascot: Warpaint.

The horse was a cornerstone of the franchise's storied tradition before its act was pulled in 1989, having led the team parade following the Chiefs' Super Bowl IV win. Warpaint was present at the Kansas City parade earlier on Wednesday, but the reality is the horse was retired from game action to avoid controversy in an increasingly progressive society.

Give Warpaint's successor credit though. Named after a rambunctious section of fans from Municipal Stadium known as "The Wolfpack," K.C. Wolf has been portrayed by the same man all these years and was the first NFL mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

The Chiefs have a wolf as their mascot to distract fans from the greater issue at hand -- its team name. If it ever comes to it – Kansas City Wolves doesn't have the worst ring to it, right?