Chiefs Eyeing History with Potential Super Bowl Three-Peat, Joining Lakers
The sight of Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, being interviewed by CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson has become an annual pre-Super Bowl moment.
As the Chiefs advance to their fifth Super Bowl in six seasons, Wolfson greeted Mahomes with the familiar line, “We meet again,” after their win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game. The Chiefs are now on the brink of a historic achievement—becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. If they beat the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, the Chiefs would join the Los Angeles Lakers as the only team to achieve a “three-peat” in major American sports since the Lakers did it from 2000 to 2002.
The Lakers’ dominant team, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, completed the job that began during the Showtime Era under Pat Riley, when the Lakers won NBA titles in 1987 and 1988. Despite this, the Lakers’ pursuit of a third straight title ended in failure, as they were swept by the Detroit Pistons in the 1989 NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, across town in Los Angeles, at UCLA, Sue Enquist felt a sense of solidarity with the Lakers during their quest. Enquist was coaching the UCLA softball team, which was in the midst of its own three-peat, winning the NCAA title from 1988 to 1990. Until 2023, when Oklahoma captured its third of four straight titles, no NCAA softball team had won three consecutive Women’s College World Series championships since the Bruins.
Enquist, now a consultant and UCLA professor, understands that only a select few athletes experience the pressure and honor of chasing a three-peat at any level.
“It’s like sprinting on a tightrope, right?” Enquist explained. “Zero margin for error.”
Only nine NFL teams have managed to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and three of those teams—the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1989 San Francisco 49ers, and 1993 Dallas Cowboys—failed to achieve a three-peat, with their bids ending in the conference championship games. The Chiefs are the first team to reach a third consecutive Super Bowl after winning back-to-back titles.
“It’ll be something I’ll look back at the end of my career, if we’re able to go out there and get that three-peat,” Mahomes said after the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory. “But at the same time, you just treat it as one season and one Super Bowl run, which is always hard to do.”
A solid culture and unwavering belief are key to a successful three-peat, more than just talent or tactics.
“There is such a fanaticism around remaining disciplined, not getting too high, not getting too low,” Enquist said. “And a humility. We have an optimism that we’re going to do this, but not a cockiness that we can mail it in.”
At USC, Marko Pintaric was motivated by the challenge of defending titles during the Trojans’ six consecutive NCAA men’s water polo championships from 2008 to 2013. Pintaric, who transitioned from assistant coach to head coach in 2019, understands how hard it is to keep winning after the target is on your back.
“When you win the first time, you put the target on your back,” Pintaric said. “Second time, it’s even harder to defend. Third time becomes that much harder, because every time you keep winning, that target becomes bigger.”
Six years after their last NCAA title, Pintaric’s respect for the program’s dynasty has only grown. Despite losses in the final four since their last championship, the emotions from winning still carry deep meaning for him.
The joy of victory felt by Pintaric after each championship is akin to his personal happiness in life’s most significant moments, including the births of his children.
For Enquist, the celebration of each championship title was always followed by a deep breath and a sense of relief. As the first person to win NCAA softball titles both as a player and coach, Enquist learned to take pride in the journey while quickly turning her focus to the next season.
“Whether you did it or not, you give yourself grace,” Enquist said with a smile. “And say, ‘Wow guys, that was a great journey.’”
