Governor's Cup (Missouri)

The Missouri Governor's Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner between the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams' annual meetings in the preseason and occasional contests in the regular season.

The contest has been a staple of Missourian's football teams from 1968 to 1987 (between the Chiefs and St. Louis' first football team, the Cardinals) and 1996 to the present (featuring the Chiefs and newly-relocated Rams). The local press occasionally refer to the game as The Battle of Missouri, The Show-Me State Showdown (a play on Missouri's state nickname), or the I-70 Series. The Chiefs and Rams meet every year in the pre-season but have only met four times in the regular season.

History

1968-1988

The contest began in 1968 when St. Louis had the football Cardinals until the Cardinals' relocation in 1988. The Governor's Cup game was resumed in the 1996 season between the Chiefs and the Rams.

The Chiefs posted a 16-7-2 mark in its Governor's Cup series against the Cardinals from 1968 to 1987, going 2-1-1 in the regular season record and 14-6-1 in preseason play.

1996-present

When the Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis, the rivalry among Missourians re-emerged. Both the Rams and the Chiefs possessed the two most productive offenses in the NFL in the early 2000's, and the meetings often resulted in shootouts. Former Ram's coach Dick Vermeil was hired by the Chiefs in 2001 after he had won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams with one of the NFL's most powerful offensive squads in history.

Once the Chiefs created their own high-powered offense with the arrival of Vermeil, the rivalry became even more exciting. In often meaningless preseason games, the Chiefs and Rams gave all their energy to secure the Governor's Cup, their spot as the best offense in the league, and bragging rights for their respective city in Missouri.

Dick Vermeil faced off against his old coaching buddies with the Rams--including his offensive coordinator of "The Greatest Show on Turf," Mike Martz--whom succeeded Vermeil for the Rams head coaching job.

St. Louis Football Cardinals vs. Kansas City Chiefs

All-Time Pre-Season Results

The Chiefs and Cardinals met every pre-season to determine the best NFL team in Missouri. The Chiefs lead the pre-season series 14-6-1.

All-Time Regular Season Results

Note: The Governor's Cup was awarded between the Chiefs and the St. Louis Football Cardinals from 1968 through 1987, the Cardinals' final season in St. Louis.

Date	Visiting team	Home team	Stadium
November 22, 1970	St. Louis Cardinals 6	Kansas City Chiefs 6	Municipal Stadium
December 1, 1974	Kansas City Chiefs 17	St. Louis Cardinals 13	Busch Memorial Stadium
November 23, 1980	Kansas City Chiefs 21	St. Louis Cardinals 13	Busch Memorial Stadium
October 2, 1983	St. Louis Cardinals 14	Kansas City Chiefs 38	Arrowhead Stadium
November 23, 1986	Kansas City Chiefs 14	St. Louis Cardinals 23	Busch Memorial Stadium

St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs

All-Time Pre-Season Results

The Chiefs and Rams meet every pre-season to determine the best NFL team in Missouri. The Rams lead the pre-season series 6-5.

Date	Visiting team	Home team	Stadium
August 19, 1996	St. Louis Rams 34	Kansas City Chiefs 30	Arrowhead Stadium
August 22, 1997	Kansas City Chiefs 13	St. Louis Rams 14	Trans World Dome
August 28, 1998	St. Louis Rams 10	Kansas City Chiefs 6	Arrowhead Stadium
August 31, 2001	Kansas City Chiefs 17	St. Louis Rams 21	Edward Jones Dome
August 30, 2002	St. Louis Rams 16	Kansas City Chiefs 23	Arrowhead Stadium
August 28, 2003	Kansas City Chiefs 22	St. Louis Rams 6	Edward Jones Dome
August 23, 2004	St. Louis Rams 7	Kansas City Chiefs 24	Arrowhead Stadium
September 2, 2005	Kansas City Chiefs 23	St. Louis Rams 27	Edward Jones Dome
August 26, 2006	St. Louis Rams 12	Kansas City Chiefs 16	Arrowhead Stadium
August 30, 2007	Kansas City Chiefs 3	St. Louis Rams 10	Edward Jones Dome
August 28, 2008	St. Louis Rams 17	Kansas City Chiefs 21	Arrowhead Stadium
September 3, 2009	Kansas City Chiefs 9	St. Louis Rams 17	Edward Jones Dome

All-Time Regular Season Results

Note: The Governor's Cup was not awarded for games between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, only since the Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995.

The Rams lead the regular season series 4-0.

Date	Visiting team	Home team	Stadium	Game notes
October 26, 1997	Kansas City Chiefs 20	St. Louis Rams 28	Trans World Dome	Isaac Bruce becomes the first NFL player since 1968 to throw a touchdown, catch a touchdown and rush for a touchdown in the same game.
October 22, 2000	St. Louis Rams 54	Kansas City Chiefs 34	Arrowhead Stadium	Census estimates 60% Rams' supporters in attendance.
December 8, 2002	St. Louis Rams 10	Kansas City Chiefs 49	Arrowhead Stadium	Dante Hall records two kick returns for touchdowns in the first quarter.
November 5, 2006	Kansas City Chiefs 31	St. Louis Rams 17	Edward Jones Dome	Census estimates 70% Chiefs fans in attendance

The teams are scheduled to meet during the 2010 season in St. Louis. Under the NFL's scheduling format adopted in 2002, the game was scheduled for Kansas City, but the NFL adjusted the rotation starting in 2010 for the AFC West and NFC West in order to alleviate travel to the West Coast.

NOTE: The scores are reversed above, the game notes are fake!

See also

• Governor's Cup (Texas)