Chiefs The meeting that brought Andy Reid to Kansas City and changed the Chiefs’ fortunes

**DaFace** · 01-11-2019, 02:02 PM

Pretty interesting long-form article by Mellinger about the decision between Andy and Clark back in 2013. We knew a lot of this, but it's cool to think back about how pivotal the decision has been for the franchise. Probably not a lot to discuss, but I thought it was interesting.

The meeting that brought Andy Reid to Kansas City and changed the Chiefs’ fortunes

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nf...224241440.html

The week that changed the Kansas City Chiefs forever began with a Hail Mary phone call to Andy Reid’s cell phone six years ago this month. He’d just been fired as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and was walking out of his going-away party when he saw a number he didn’t recognize.

Clark Hunt, the Chiefs’ billionaire chairman in need of a coach after firing Romeo Crennel, expected to leave a message.

“I didn’t expect you to answer,” Hunt told Reid, according to someone familiar with the conversation.

“This is the first call I’ve answered,” Reid replied.

The two had little relationship beyond seeing each other at an annual meeting between coaches and owners. But they did have a long-distance mutual admiration. Reid has always loved history and football, and few families are more entwined with the history of football than the Hunts. As the chairman of the family business, Clark had long craved stability for the Chiefs.

The pairing made sense, with a few contingencies.

Hunt needed to know if Reid wanted to work again. Reid had just gone through an unthinkably difficult year — his son Garrett died of an accidental overdose, and 14 seasons with the Eagles ended with a 4-12 record in 2012.

Reid needed to know if Hunt had a plan. The Chiefs had experienced their own tragedy wrapped in the worst year of their franchise history — a 2-14 season low-lighted by starting linebacker Jovan Belcher’s murder-suicide.

They met on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in a conference room at the Philadelphia airport. Within a few hours, a plane from the Cardinals landed to take Reid to an interview in Arizona. He never boarded. He also had an interview scheduled with the Chargers. He canceled it.

They ordered Chickie & Pete’s — an Eagles partner, and the host of his radio show with the Eagles — but Reid didn’t eat a bite. This was business. Before he left he made a decision that would change the league and set forth the path of one of the sport’s longest head-coaching careers.

In the following years, the Chiefs went from dysfunction to stability, from 2-14 to the AFC’s No. 1 seed with Reid. The coach went from fired to wanted, from a situation that had become unrepairable to a place so excited for his credibility that a news helicopter followed his first drive to the stadium.

Reid has bolstered a Hall of Fame case, and now holds the franchise’s best chance of reaching a Super Bowl in at least 15 years. All of it started in that conference room six years ago, a relationship forged over crab fries, the coach who had his pick of jobs choosing the Chiefs for reasons that ran from personal to professional.

Eight teams hired new coaches that cycle. The Chiefs moved first, and best. Reid is the only coach hired that offseason still with his team, and only the Patriots have won more games. Chiefs executives considered themselves lucky that Reid was available, the perfect man at the perfect time.

“Just how thorough Clark was,” Reid said this week when asked what he remembered about that meeting. “He wants to win a championship. That’s what he wants to do. He gave you every indicator that’s what he wanted. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for. Then he went into details from there.”

(more at the link)

01-11-2019, 02:02 PM	Topic Starter
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	The meeting that brought Andy Reid to Kansas City and changed the Chiefs’ fortunes Pretty interesting long-form article by Mellinger about the decision between Andy and Clark back in 2013. We knew a lot of this, but it's cool to think back about how pivotal the decision has been for the franchise. Probably not a lot to discuss, but I thought it was interesting. The meeting that brought Andy Reid to Kansas City and changed the Chiefs’ fortunes https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nf...224241440.html The week that changed the Kansas City Chiefs forever began with a Hail Mary phone call to Andy Reid’s cell phone six years ago this month. He’d just been fired as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and was walking out of his going-away party when he saw a number he didn’t recognize. Clark Hunt, the Chiefs’ billionaire chairman in need of a coach after firing Romeo Crennel, expected to leave a message. “I didn’t expect you to answer,” Hunt told Reid, according to someone familiar with the conversation. “This is the first call I’ve answered,” Reid replied. The two had little relationship beyond seeing each other at an annual meeting between coaches and owners. But they did have a long-distance mutual admiration. Reid has always loved history and football, and few families are more entwined with the history of football than the Hunts. As the chairman of the family business, Clark had long craved stability for the Chiefs. The pairing made sense, with a few contingencies. Hunt needed to know if Reid wanted to work again. Reid had just gone through an unthinkably difficult year — his son Garrett died of an accidental overdose, and 14 seasons with the Eagles ended with a 4-12 record in 2012. Reid needed to know if Hunt had a plan. The Chiefs had experienced their own tragedy wrapped in the worst year of their franchise history — a 2-14 season low-lighted by starting linebacker Jovan Belcher’s murder-suicide. They met on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in a conference room at the Philadelphia airport. Within a few hours, a plane from the Cardinals landed to take Reid to an interview in Arizona. He never boarded. He also had an interview scheduled with the Chargers. He canceled it. They ordered Chickie & Pete’s — an Eagles partner, and the host of his radio show with the Eagles — but Reid didn’t eat a bite. This was business. Before he left he made a decision that would change the league and set forth the path of one of the sport’s longest head-coaching careers. In the following years, the Chiefs went from dysfunction to stability, from 2-14 to the AFC’s No. 1 seed with Reid. The coach went from fired to wanted, from a situation that had become unrepairable to a place so excited for his credibility that a news helicopter followed his first drive to the stadium. Reid has bolstered a Hall of Fame case, and now holds the franchise’s best chance of reaching a Super Bowl in at least 15 years. All of it started in that conference room six years ago, a relationship forged over crab fries, the coach who had his pick of jobs choosing the Chiefs for reasons that ran from personal to professional. Eight teams hired new coaches that cycle. The Chiefs moved first, and best. Reid is the only coach hired that offseason still with his team, and only the Patriots have won more games. Chiefs executives considered themselves lucky that Reid was available, the perfect man at the perfect time. “Just how thorough Clark was,” Reid said this week when asked what he remembered about that meeting. “He wants to win a championship. That’s what he wants to do. He gave you every indicator that’s what he wanted. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for. Then he went into details from there.” (more at the link)
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