David Butler II/USA Today Sports
Titans' Foe Has Special Connection to AFC Championship Trophy
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans hope to get their hands on a trophy Sunday, one that bears the name of a Kansas City Chiefs icon.
The prize for winning the AFC Championship is the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named in honor of the Chiefs founder, Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the architects of the old American Football League.
In order to collect it, Tennessee will have to win at Kansas City. The Titans and Chiefs will play for a spot in Super Bowl LIV, 2:05 p.m. Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium (CBS).
“[We] just try to take every week as it comes, and try to find a message to the team that I feel like is something that we can relate to that week, and then try to find keys that’ll help us win, and keep them consistent throughout the week and try to continue to prepare the players,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “… It’s a long season. It’s a difficult season to try to get to this point.”
The current trophy differs from the one that Titans won in 1999. It was redesigned in 2010 by Tiffany and Co. to more closely resemble the Lombardi Trophy that goes to the Super Bowl champion. It features a hollow, silver outline of a football etched with the conference logo and NFL shield, which rests on a sliver base.
The NFL changed the name of the AFC Championship trophy to the Lamar Hunt Trophy in 1984 – and the Chiefs have yet to win it.
This is the second straight year they have a chance to keep it in house. They hosted New England in last year’s conference title game but lost 37-31 and watched the Patriots leave with the token that honors one of the most beloved figures in Kansas City football history.
In 1993, the Chiefs played the AFC Championship at Buffalo and fell 30-13.
Now, Tennessee has the chance to take the trophy from Kansas City.
“(The Titans) are playing real good football right now,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “They’re strong and they’re well-coached. … All around, it’s a well-deserved team to be in this position.”
