Coached by the legendary Hank Stram, and led by Hall-of-Fame quarterback Len Dawson, the Kansas City Chiefs finished the 1969 American Football League regular season with a record of 11-3. Kansas City’s success was a total team effort as the Chiefs finished second in the league in scoring while ranking first in the AFL in points allowed. Three different running backs (Mike Garrett, Robert Holmes, Warren McVea) each rushed for at least 500 yards on the season. In the playoffs, the Chiefs defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders to win the championship. This set up a meeting with Bud Grant’s Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, played January 11, 1970, a contest won by the Chiefs, 23-7. That year, the AFL was absorbed into the NFL.

Presented here is a 1969 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl IV Champions ring presented to Lloyd Wells. A pioneer in the scouting world, Wells was the first African-American scout and his ability to sign players for the Kansas City Chiefs and away from the rival NFL was a savvy hire by a pioneer in his own right – Chiefs’ owner Lamar Hunt. Wells was instrumental in signing players from historically black colleges and his list of signees included Hall of Famer Charlie Lanier, Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Curley Culp, Emmitt Thomas and Otis Taylor. This ring features a large round 1-carat diamond set in the center of a football shape with 10 additional smaller diamonds around its perimeter. A larger red stone serves as the backdrop. “KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 1969 WORLD CHAMPIONS” appears around the stone’s bezel setting in raised relief. The left shank of the ring features the AFL logo along with the teams and final score of the championship game, with Kansas City’s franchise title years of 62, 66 and 69 listed above. The name “WELLS” appears at the top between the letters “T” and “C”. “CONFIDENCE” is displayed at the bottom. Shown on the opposite shank are the team names and final score of the Super Bowl, with images of its trophy and a globe, symbolizing world champions. “POISE” is down below. This Jostens 14K gold ring is an approximate size 11 and weighs approximately 47.0 grams.

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