KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs hope to make history next month by becoming the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Luckily for the Chiefs, the number three has several connections to Kansas City.
In the 1820s, three trails took explorers westward from Kansas City: the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails.
“This place is uniquely situated: the river bends north here, this is as far west as you can go on the Missouri River,” explained Travis Boley, of the Independence, Missouri-based Oregon-California Trails Association. “There’s no railroad yet, there’s no highways yet, but you can get outfitted in Independence and Westport.”
Boley said the Kansas City area was full of young men chasing fortunes back then — just like today’s Chiefs.
Rod Gray is CEO of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. In the 1980s, the nonprofit formed to standardize judging for barbecue competitions.
Today, judges across the world follow KCBS’ criteria, which focus on three grades: appearance, taste and tenderness.
“The goal of a perfectly-cooked rib is that it just leaves the teeth mark, it doesn’t take the whole side; that’s overcooked in competition,” Gray explained.
The Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park outside the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art includes a sculpture called "Three Bowls." The piece is made out of cedar wood and graphite, not sterling silver like the Lombardi Trophy.
As for the Chiefs, the team won its last game by three points. Kicker Harrison Butker’s game-winner went through the uprights with 3:33 remaining on the clock.
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KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.