It is loud. Actually, that doesn't even begin to cover it. If you’ve ever stood on the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium when the defense is facing a third-and-short, you know it's a physical weight. The air vibrates. Your teeth chatter. For the fans at home, though, that chaos has to be translated into something coherent, something emotional, and something legendary. That is where the play by play Chiefs broadcasters come in. They aren't just reading names off a depth chart. They are the narrators of a dynasty.
Mitch Holthus. If you know, you know.
When you think about the sound of a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass, you don't just hear the roar of the crowd. You hear "Touchdown, Kan-zas City!" in that specific, gravelly cadence that has defined the franchise for over three decades. It’s iconic. Honestly, it’s basically the soundtrack to the most successful era in the history of the sport in the Midwest. But getting to that level of synonymous connection between a voice and a team isn't an accident. It's a mix of preparation, local obsession, and the ability to stay calm when Travis Kelce is doing something improbable in the end zone.
The Evolution of the Play by Play Chiefs Broadcast
The role has changed a lot since the early days of the franchise. Back when the team first moved from Dallas to Kansas City in 1963, the broadcast landscape was a different beast. You didn't have every game on a high-definition stream in your pocket. You had the radio. The radio was everything.
Bill Grigsby and Wayne Larrivee are names that still carry weight in the kingdom. Grigsby, with his "Beautiful, baby!" catchphrase, brought a sort of 1960s optimism that matched the Hank Stram era perfectly. He wasn't just a reporter; he was a fan with a microphone. That’s a tradition that has stuck. In Kansas City, if you're too objective, the fans kind of tune you out. They want someone who feels the heartbreak of a missed field goal just as much as they do.
Then came Mitch Holthus in 1994.
Think about that timeline. He has been the play by play Chiefs voice through the "Lin Elliott game," the agonizing drought of the 2000s, the revival under Andy Reid, and now the three-ring circus of the Mahomes era. He’s the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in the team's history. Most people don't realize how much work goes into a single three-hour window on a Sunday. Holthus famously spends hours during the week studying rosters, but not just the starters. He wants to know the third-string linebacker’s hometown. Why? Because if that kid makes a play on special teams, he deserves his moment in the sun.
What Makes a "Chiefs Kingdom" Broadcast Different?
The energy is just... higher.
✨ Don't miss: Liechtenstein National Football Team: Why Their Struggles are Different Than You Think
Most NFL broadcasts are a bit corporate. You’ve got your standard "I-formation, handoff to the right, three-yard gain." It’s fine. It’s professional. But the Kansas City market demands more flavor. Because the Chiefs have such a massive geographical footprint—stretching across Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Arkansas—the radio network is one of the largest in the league. For a farmer in western Kansas, that voice is his primary connection to the team.
There's also the chemistry in the booth. It’s never just a one-man show. For years, Holthus was paired with the legendary Len Dawson. Having a Hall of Fame quarterback as your color analyst is a cheat code. Dawson provided the "been there, done that" gravitas, while Holthus provided the lightning. Today, Danan Hughes brings a former player's perspective that keeps the broadcast grounded in the X's and O's without losing the excitement.
The Mahomes Effect on Modern Play-by-Play
Let's be real: calling games for Patrick Mahomes is both the easiest and hardest job in sports media.
It’s easy because the highlights are constant. It’s hard because you run out of adjectives. How many ways can you describe a no-look pass or a left-handed throw while being chased by a 300-pound defensive end? The play by play Chiefs team has had to reinvent their vocabulary. You can’t just use the same "he throws, it’s caught" routine. You have to capture the absurdity of it.
I remember watching a clip of the booth during the 13-second comeback against the Buffalo Bills. The sheer panic and then the sudden, explosive joy—it was raw. That’s what people are looking for in 2026. They don't want a robot. They want someone who sounds like they might actually have a heart attack if the Chiefs don't convert this fourth down.
The Mechanics of the Booth
If you were to step into the booth at Arrowhead, you’d see a chaotic spread of "spotter boards." These are large, hand-colored sheets of paper with every player’s number, height, weight, and a little nugget of trivia.
- The Spotter: This is the unsung hero. They sit next to the play-by-play person and literally point to the name of the player who made the tackle. It happens too fast for one person to see everything.
- The Stats Monitor: A real-time feed of every league stat. If Kelce breaks a record mid-quarter, they need to know instantly.
- The Engineer: The person making sure the crowd noise doesn't drown out the voices, which, at Arrowhead, is a legitimate technical challenge.
The "Voice of the Chiefs" isn't just one person; it's a machine. But the person at the front of that machine has to have the "big play" voice. You know the one. That gear where the pitch goes up an octave and the volume doubles. If you don't have that gear, you won't last in this town.
🔗 Read more: Cómo entender la tabla de Copa Oro y por qué los puntos no siempre cuentan la historia completa
Why We Still Listen to Radio Play-by-Play
You'd think with Sunday Ticket and every game being televised, radio would be dead. It’s not. Not even close.
A lot of fans actually mute the TV—especially if they aren't fans of the national announcers (sorry, Joe Buck)—and sync up the local radio call. There’s a specific warmth to a local play by play Chiefs call that a national broadcast can't replicate. The national guys have to be fair. The local guys? They are allowed to be homers. They are allowed to say "we" occasionally, even if the purists hate it.
It’s about community. When you’re driving home from a family Thanksgiving and the game is on the radio, that voice makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger. It’s a shared language. When Holthus yells "Put a big red circle around this one!", every person in a three-state radius knows exactly what he means. It means the momentum just shifted. It means something special is happening.
Surprising Facts About the Broadcast Team
Most people don't realize that Mitch Holthus actually started his career calling games for Kansas State. His roots in the region go deep. This isn't a guy who flew in from New York to take a high-paying gig. He understands the wind in October and the smell of the tailgate smoke.
Another weird detail: the delay. Because of digital broadcasting, the radio is often 10 to 20 seconds ahead of or behind the TV. Dedicated fans actually buy "radio delay" devices to sync the two perfectly. That is the level of dedication we are talking about here. People would rather spend money on hardware than listen to a national announcer call a Chiefs game.
The Future of the Voice
As we move further into the 2020s, the way we consume play by play Chiefs content is shifting. We’re seeing more "Mitch in the Minute" digital segments and behind-the-scenes social media content. The personality is becoming just as important as the call itself.
But at the end of the day, it comes back to the "Big Play."
💡 You might also like: Ohio State Football All White Uniforms: Why the Icy Look Always Sparks a Debate
Sports is about moments. It’s about that one second where the ball is in the air and everyone holds their breath. The play-by-play announcer is the one who gives that moment a name. They are the ones who turn a simple catch into a "Catch!" that will be replayed in highlight reels for the next fifty years.
If you want to truly appreciate the art of the broadcast, try this next Sunday: turn off the sound on your TV. Find the local stream. Listen to the way they describe the formation. Notice how they build the tension as the clock ticks down. It’s a masterclass in storytelling under pressure.
How to level up your Chiefs fan experience:
- Sync the Audio: Use an app like TuneIn or a local station stream and try to match it with your TV. It takes a little finessing with the "pause" button, but the payoff is huge.
- Follow the Booth on Socials: Danan Hughes and Mitch Holthus often post photos of their spotter boards before the game. It’s a cool look at the preparation involved.
- Listen to the Post-Game: The "Chiefs Post-Game Show" is where the real analysis happens. You get raw reactions from the locker room that you won't see on the 10 o'clock news.
- Check Out the Archives: Go to YouTube and look up "Chiefs radio calls" for games from the 90s or the 2019 Super Bowl run. Hearing the raw emotion of the 24-point comeback against the Texans is a religious experience for some.
The voices might change over the decades, but the soul of the broadcast remains the same. It’s loud, it’s biased, and it’s unapologetically Kansas City. That’s exactly how it should be.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
To get the most out of your Chiefs Sunday, start by downloading the official Chiefs Mobile App, which often carries the local radio feed for those within the broadcast area. If you are out of market, an NFL+ subscription is currently the most reliable way to get the home radio call live. Also, make sure to look for the "Mic'd Up" segments released by the team mid-week; they often blend the on-field player audio with the play-by-play calls, giving you a 360-degree view of how those iconic moments were captured in real-time. Finally, pay attention to the "Defensive Player of the Game" segments—the local broadcasters often highlight interior linemen and special teamers who never make the national highlight reels, giving you a much deeper understanding of why the team is actually winning.