Chiefs Name Frank Gansz as Mackovic’s Successor

Frank Gansz, who developed the Kansas City kicking game into an offensive weapon, was hired Saturday as the new head coach of the Chiefs.

He replaces John Mackovic, fired two days ago by owner Lamar Hunt.

Gansz, 48, said he agreed to a four-year contract. Other terms were not disclosed.

Gansz, a 1960 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, spent the 1983-85 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles as a special teams coach. He also coached the Chiefs’ kicking teams in 1981 and 1982 under Marv Levy.

He began his coaching career in 1964 as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy, and also served at Colgate, Navy, Oklahoma State, Army and UCLA. In the NFL, Gansz also has coached for Cincinnati and San Francisco.

The Kansas City special teams blocked five punts and three field goal attempts this season. The unit scored all of the Kansas City points in the 24-19 victory over Pittsburgh on the last day of the regular season that clinched the AFC wild-card position for the Chiefs.

The special teams blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown for one of the Chiefs’ two scores in the wild-card loss to the New York Jets.

Gansz said his first priority would be to improve the Kansas City offense, which ranked last in the NFL last season and gained its fewest yards since 1977.

“We definitely are going to build on our offensive line,” he said. “I want to have the best offensive line in the NFL. I think that’s the cornerstone of your offense. I want to have a well-drilled offense that can control the ball, run the ball and pass the ball.”