Q. You were an assistant at Purdue, SMU, Notre Dame and Miami before you were hired in 1960 as the first head coach of the Dallas Texans, who later moved to Kansas City and were renamed the Chiefs in 1963. Does it please you to see one of your former colleagues–Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders–still representing the old AFL in a sense, in Sunday’s Super Bowl?
A. We have been friends all these years. I talk to him all the time, even though the competitive stuff was tough during the years I coached K.C., but it was a great relationship.
Q. Which team do you think will win Sunday’s big game?
A. I think the Raiders are going to win because they have better talent than Tampa Bay. They have better running backs, a better defense and a better secondary. And they have a great kicker in Sebastian Janikowski.
Q. During your 17 years of coaching, you compiled a 131-97-10 regular-season record, and a 5-3 postseason mark. What occupies your time these days?
A. I still live in New Orleans and play in a lot of celebrity golf tournaments. I make a lot of speaking engagements.
Q. You coached the Chiefs to two Super Bowls, losing to Green Bay in Super Bowl I, then defeating Minnesota in Super Bowl IV. You were the only AFL coach to take a team to two Super Bowls. How has the pro game changed since you were coaching?
A. It has changed dramatically. The head coaches have [about a dozen] assistant coaches now. I had three or four when I was coaching Kansas City.
Q. Is it difficult for you to fathom that the Raiders got two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and $8 million for allowing coach Jon Gruden to go to Tampa Bay?
A. That’s typical of what has happened in the league. A lot of unique things happen and you scratch your head when it is all over with.
Q. You are credited with developing the “moving pocket,” to exploit the talents of quarterback Len Dawson, and you devised the “two-tight-end offense” and “stack defense.” What kind of money did you make as an NFL coach?
A. I had to take the vow of poverty when I was coaching. When I first started, (Texans/Chiefs owner) Lamar Hunt signed me to a contract. He wanted to give me $15,000 and I said: “No, no. I have to have $20,000.” And when I left Kansas City (in 1974), I was just making $100,000. I was happy to get that then. You have to stay ahead of the posse.
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Have a question or an idea for Fred Mitchell? E-mail: AskFred@tribune.com
