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During his eleven years in Kansas City, Andy Reid has played a significant role in the growth of the Chiefs into a successful franchise.
When he was hired in 2013, the Chiefs were in shambles following a six-year stretch in which they had gone a combined 29-67. The previous season, they had finished with an NFL-worst 2-14 record. An organisation that hadn’t won or even appeared in a Super Bowl since the 1969 season was one that yearned to go back there but had been unable to do it time and time again.
Under Reid’s leadership, that quickly changed. Kansas City emerged as a consistent winner and made it to the playoffs four times during Reid’s first five seasons there. By inserting quarterback Patrick Mahomes in lieu of Alex Smith, he transformed a decent team into a formidable force. Since Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback prior to the 2018 season, the Chiefs, who often field one of the most exciting and high-scoring offences in the NFL, have won two Super Bowls and taken part in six AFC championship games.
Important Reading: Andy Reid started his Super Bowl career at Mizzou.
As it gets ready to play the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl on Sunday, a team that was once all but unbeatable to win the championship is about to cement its place as the sport’s modern dynasty. However, decades before he performed his magic in Kansas City, Reid left quite an impression when travelling 120 miles east on Interstate 70.
Much younger, Reid managed the offensive line at Missouri from 1989 to 1991 during his last three years as a collegiate coach. Reid remembers it fondly, despite the fact that it was merely one job on his long and impressive CV.
Just before the 2020 Super Bowl, Reid said, “I loved my time in Columbia.” “I think highly of the University of Missouri. It’s a wonderful place. Even though we weren’t as good as we may have been, we were getting better during my time there. Working for Bob Stull there and getting to know the Columbian community was such a wonderful experience! It’s a fantastic location.
The coaching career of Andy Reid in Missouri
Like many others, Reid began his coaching career in the shadows of the sport after graduating from BYU in 1981 by taking on odd jobs.
Following a season as a graduate assistant at BYU, he moved on to coach the offensive line for three seasons at San Francisco State before the programme was shut down ten years following Reid’s final year there. Before being appointed as the offensive line coach at UTEP, where he began his professional career, he was a player for Northern Arizona in 1986. Reid spent two seasons there, and during that time the Miners made significant progress, winning 10-3 in 1988 and 7-4 in 1987 (after only finishing 4-8 the previous year). This achievement set a programme single-season record for victories that remains in today.
After that victory, Missouri lured UTEP head coach Bob Stull, who, amazingly for Reid, brought his whole staff to Columbia.
Stull came with the intention of giving the Tigers and the Big Eight Conference a whole new look. Stull distinguished himself from the wishbone and power-running tactics that were prevalent in the league at the time with his spread-out, passing-oriented style. At least part of that effort came from a coaching staff that featured Reid and two other future NFL head coaches, Marty Mornhinweg and Dirk Koetter.
The guys Reid was tasked with training greeted the thirty-year-old Reid with wide arms when he arrived in Missouri.
“His personality was really pleasant,” right tackle Andy Lock said of Reid during his rookie season with the Tigers in 2020. There was a playful snark about him. He kind of drew us in naturally since he’s young and we felt like he was already part of the group when he joined, and we rapidly came to admire him.
“It was almost like he was a fellow offensive lineman,” said Gene Snitsky, a former Missouri offensive lineman best known for his professional wrestling career, in 2020. “He fit right in with them, and everyone just fit in with him.”
Reid’s reputation as a diligent worker at Missouri extended throughout his time there. He would get to the football headquarters before the sun came up and stay till the end of the day. Reid, a former offensive lineman, was aware of the position he would try to teach his teammates. He was seen staying with his position group to finish extra conditioning exercises after practice ended in 1990 spring practices. He asserted during the movie review that he had been transparent and truthful with his players, giving them credit where it was deserved and not singling any of them out.
