The Mt. Rushmore of Kansas City Sports

Continuing my series on the history – and future – of Kansas City sports, now it's time for maybe the most difficult part: determining the four most important figures in Kansas City sports history.

Of course there's more, but like the United States honoring its presidents with Mt. Rushmore, I will only hold it to four.

Here we go, in no special order:

Lamar Hunt: The man who brought professional football to Kansas City should be remembered as one of the four most important sports figures in the city's history. The Chiefs, after spending a number of years as the Dallas Texans, moved to Kansas City and found success. The team went to Super Bow I and lost to Lombardi's Hall of Fame Packers. Three years later, the Chiefs would bring home Kansas City's first professional championship after defeatinCity should always beg the Vikings in Super Bowl IV 23-7.

Since then, the Chiefs have sold out year after year and has became a religion of sorts in Kansas City. While the Royals had their years in the late 1970s and 1980s, it is clearly a Chiefs town and the city comes together for service at One Arrowhead Drive on Sundays. Without Lamar Hunt, this isn't possible. While it's easy to bash Carl Peterson and even Clark Hunt, Kansas City wouldn't be much in the sports world without Lamar Hunt. An easy choice for Kansas City's Mt. Rushmore.

Ewing Kauffman: Including Hunt and Kauffman for Kansas City's Mt. Rushmore was like the United States including Washington and Lincoln: it's a must and no-brainier. After Charley Finley bailed out on Kansas City and moved the Athletics to Oakland, Kansas City was without a baseball team. That changed in the late 1960s as Kauffman purchased the expansion Kansas City Royals and owned them until he passed away in 1993.

The decision turned out to be a wise one as the Royals won six division championships, two pennants and the 1985 World Series. The Royals were Kansas City's town for a good decade or so during the struggle of the Chiefs. After his death, Kauffman still leaves a legacy. The Kauffman Foundation benefits numerous students annually and gives students an opportunity to grow their skills and various areas.

Buck O'Neil: If there was a true ambassador for Kansas City and the city's sports scene, it would clearly be Buck O'Neil. O'Neil, who played a number of years in the Negro Leagues on the Kansas City Monarchs, was instrumental in reviving the legacy of the Negro Baseball League and the role Kansas City played in it. He later managed the Monarchs to a pennant and would break down the color barrier when it comes to coaching in Major League Baseball.

Becoming "an overnight sensation at 82," O'Neil would later lead the effort to establish the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. The museum has often brought some of the best baseball players in town to pay tribute to the past. O'Neil was an ambassador to not only Kansas City, but the history of it.

There are a number of possibilities for the fourth and final position on Mt. Rushmore. I believe O'Neil, Hunt and Kauffman are easy selection.

How about the fourth? You could go with Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer George Brett, Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Len Dawson, legendary golfer Tom Watson or even Hank Stram.

My choice? I'll go with George Brett.

George Brett: In a team sport, no one did more in Kansas City sports history to carry his team than George Brett. One reason why I selected him over Dawson and other athletes in Kansas City sports history is he has more memorable moments in Kansas City history. Whether it's the upper deck shot in the 1980 ALCS in Yankee Stadium, the Pine Tar moment in Yankee Stadium in 1983 and him completely taking over the 1985 ALCS. He also won three batting titles in three different decades.

He is the only Kansas City Royal in the Hall of Fame and spent over 20 years in one uniform, a rarity in the free agency era of Major League Baseball. He still remains active in Kansas City and is my fourth member of Kansas City's Sports Mt. Rushmore.