It’s officially the end of an era.

The Chiefs touched the turf at Ramer Field for the final time yesterday when the club conducted a walk-through in preparation for tonight’s game. When the team boards its charter busses at approximately 3:00 PM on today for a preseason contest vs. Minnesota at the H.H.H. Metrodome, the club will officially see River Falls in the rearview mirror for the final time.

It’s been a good run.

For 19 summers, the Chiefs have called River Falls, Wisconsin their training camp home. What began with a parade down Main Street in ‘91 – complete with fire engines, blaring sirens and strength coach Dave Redding dropping water balloons from atop a local building – will conclude with one final bus convoy out of town and back across the St. Croix River. What a wild, strange trip it’s been.

While it would be impossible to recount 19 years worth of River Falls memories, here are a few anecdotes, sidebars and random thoughts to commemorate the occasion.

Todd Haley is the fifth different Chiefs coach to have held the distinction of blowing the head coaching whistle in River Falls. Marty Schottenheimer was the first, and enjoyed the longest River Falls tenure, camping here from ‘91-98. The Chiefs made the postseason six times during that eight-year span.

There are plenty of Camp Marty tales to tell. Probably the height of Chiefs mania in River Falls came in ‘93 when then-GM Carl Peterson made the trade for QB Joe Montana and acquired RB Marcus Allen as an unrestricted free agent. Suddenly, River Falls wasn’t merely another Cheese League outpost, it was the hub of the NFL training camp wheel.

National media descended on this bucolic Western Wisconsin hamlet in droves. Those were the days before the internet, blogs and Twitter, you know, when you actually had to pick up a paper or a magazine to read a story. Don’t know how many of those national scribes stopped at Aves Taxidermy and Cheese, but I’d wager that perhaps a couple made a pitstop for some Muenster or perhaps some curds.

But it wasn’t like the Chiefs didn’t already have defensive star power. LB Derrick Thomas routinely held down a corner stool at Bo’s ‘N Mine, where fans could gladly rub elbows with the Chiefs resident sack master and his equally adept running mate, DE Neil Smith. While that pair of Pro Bowlers occasionally shared a libation after meetings and before curfew, Montana and Allen gave River Falls true marquee value.

Family Fun Night became more like survival of the fittest as fans from across the county congregated at Ramer Field to get a glimpse of a trio of future Hall of Famers. Virtually everything but the kitchen sink was fair game for autograph seekers and collectors. Even discarded Gatorade cups and other containers became fair game if they were handled by one of those aforementioned gridiron heroes. That ‘93 squad didn’t disappoint on the field, either, reaching the AFC Championship Game.

Training camp in ‘93 also marked the arrival of a soft-spoken third-round pick from Nebraska named Will Shields. While the spotlight shone brightly on others, it was here that Shields spent every camp of his storied 14-year pro career. He never missed a contest during that span, playing in more games (224) than any other individual in franchise history. Shields was just one of countless Chiefs who toiled day after day on Ramer Field, but it is #68 who owns the unofficial distinction of participating in the most practices of any Chief in River Falls.

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Who could forget the annual visits by Lamar and Norma Hunt? Lamar was the consummate fan and looked forward to taking in the whole “camp experience,” which included spartan accommodations in one of the UW-River Falls residence halls and camp cuisine at Rodli Commons. The unassuming style of Lamar and Norma was a perfect fit for River Falls, a place which undoubtedly harkened back to the humble beginnings of the American Football League, which Hunt founded 50 years ago.

Speaking of accommodations, Chiefs Hall of Fame T John Alt somehow convinced the club to get a special training camp bed. A mountain of a man who often played through excruciating back pain, we still don’t understand how Alt wasn’t comfortable sleeping on two twin mattresses pushed together. Appropriately, Alt may be the only NFL player to announce his retirement in River Falls. It was no posh bash to be sure, as he made the trip from his Twin Cities home during camp in ‘97 to officially close his NFL career.

Up until 2009, much of the Chiefs support staff was housed in aptly-named Grimm Hall. Fortunately, the murals of Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang were painted over a few years ago. But nothing quite brought back those college memories like seeing your co-workers in various states of undress in those communal bathrooms.

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The Sports Illustrated jinx officially hit River Falls in ‘96. After coming off a 13-3 campaign in ‘95, the SI photo crew took a cover shot of QB Steve Bono, Smith and Allen predicting a showdown between Kansas City and Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI. The opposite fold featured a youthful Packers QB Brett Favre along with DE Reggie White and WR Robert Brooks. While the Chiefs would prevail by a 27-20 margin over the Packers at Arrowhead (11/10/96), it would be Favre and company who would hoist the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans.

While Schottenheimer always loved the first full-contact action of camp with the Oklahoma Drill, perhaps the most memorable practice moment on Ramer Field came during Family Fun Night in ‘97. The Chiefs defense was venomous and stoned the offense on four straight plays of live action on the goal line. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham proclaimed that the Chiefs defense had a chance to be pretty good. He was right. Thanks to that defense, Kansas City would rack up a 13-3 record for the second time in three seasons.

While the ‘98 campaign marked Schottenheimer’s final camp in River Falls, there were plenty of lighter moments during his tenure. Home run derbies, golf-chipping contests and the always-popular rookie show. Schottenheimer himself was known to sneak in a round of golf every once in awhile, and it wasn’t uncommon for Thomas, Smith and DT Dan Saleaumua to even sneak in a few holes between two-a-day practice sessions.

In ‘99, Cunningham became head coach and gave the Chiefs plenty of “tough love.” Things got a bit chippy when the New Orleans Saints visited camp that year in what became affectionately known as the “Brawl at the Falls.” The lasting image of “Iron Mike” Ditka sitting on a golf cart watching it all unfold will remain one of those indelible camp images. There were visits to see the Vikings in Mankato, Minnesota and reciprocal trips by Minnesota to practice in River Falls. And who can forget the most famous alias in River Falls history as WR Andre Rison went by the moniker of Brock Middlebrook, at least for one night.

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Camp took on a much somber tone in 2000 when the club was mourning the off-season death of Thomas. The Dick Vermeil era began in 2001 and a host of famous NFL coaches made their way to this Wisconsin hamlet. At various points during Vermeil’s five-year run, Chuck Knox, John Ralston and Tom Coughlin all made appearances in River Falls. And who can forget actor Greg Kinnear visiting camp to get some first-hand knowledge of how to play Vermeil in the Disney flick Invincible? Kinnear claiming to prepare for that role in that same fashion of the character he played in As Good as it Gets, will remain a camp highlight.

Politicians? We’ve seen plenty. It was the “Big Boy from Elroy,” former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, who is largely credited with luring NFL teams to the Badger State for summer training. In its heyday, the Cheese League once consisted of six teams: Kansas City (UW-River Falls), Green Bay (St. Norbert’s – DePere, WI), Chicago (UW-Platteville), New Orleans (UW-La Crosse), Minnesota (Minnesota State – Mankato, MN) and Jacksonville (UW-Stevens Point).

Thompson once rode into River Falls on his Harley. We’ve also had visits from his successors, Governors Scott McCallum and Jim Doyle, as well visits from numerous other state and local officials. Thanks to a $2.4 million funding package from the State of Wisconsin, beginning in 2005, the Chiefs began enjoying state-of-the-art locker room and training facilities on the UWRF campus, that certainly made UW-River Falls the envy of many NCAA Division III campuses.

And who can forget the most memorable camp VIP ever to be ushered into River Falls? At approximately 2:10 p.m. on August 8, 2004, six Bush-Cheney campaign buses arrived outside of Hunt Arena, accompanied by countless Secret Service agents and the traveling White House media corps. A military helicopter circled above as off of the second bus stepped the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, arrived. Here’s a tip to remember should you ever get a chance to meet the President. Keep your hands out of your pockets, don’t make any sudden movements, and even if you’re referencing a defensive coordinator by his nickname, don’t use the term “Gun.”

The Vermeil era featured high-octane offense and another exciting 13-3 season that featured the likes of players such as QB Trent Green, RB Priest Holmes and WR Dante Hall. Of course, who can forget the impassioned chant of strength coach Billy Long, who exhorted Vermeil’s troops on a daily basis with his “Gotta Go to Work!” war whoop. The troops needed all the encouragement they could get as Vermeil’s marathon practices became legendary.

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Former Chiefs scout and assistant coach Herm Edwards became the fourth head coach of the River Falls era in 2006. Edwards enjoyed his early-morning workouts and a little latte’ from Lighthouse Coffee. He also owned the distinction of being the only first-year coach in franchise history to guide the Chiefs to the playoffs in his initial season with the club. No matter the weather conditions, Edwards could also be spotted on the practice field wearing a sweatshirt and a KC hat.

In 2007, there was HBO’s Hard Knocks and the omni-present crews from NFL Films chronicling seemingly every movement that occurred by the Chiefs on and off the field. Reality TV meets River Falls was a strange combination to be sure. The 2007 camp also ushered in the arrival of the magnificent University Center on the UWRF campus. This eco-friendly $34 million structure was funded entirely by student fees and serves as the crown jewel of a beautifully-manicured campus.

While some of the haunts have changed over 19 years, there have been many spots frequented by the Chiefs, their staff and fans along the banks of the Kinnickinic River. There’s the The South Fork, The West Wind, The Copper Kettle, Mel’s Midtowner and Steve’s Pizza. Cheese curds, Spotted Cow, bison burgers and hand-cut fries. It’s kind of like the River Falls culinary version of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire.

And for those faithful fans who came from near and far, you never knew just who you might meet. Mitch Holthus and Len Dawson became training camp icons, always willing to share a thought about the Chiefs with the fans. There was the advent of online training camp updates from Chiefs PR correspondent Patrick Herb, who paved the way for today’s multi-media kcchiefs.com star, Josh Looney.

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Ah, but change is inevitable. And the year 2009 has brought sweeping change to the Chiefs organization. Chairman Clark Hunt is forging a new direction for the franchise, which is seeking to return to its proud winning tradition. Four-time NFL Executive of the Year Scott Pioli was named General Manager in January, while Todd Haley was named head coach in February.

The Chiefs are clearly in good hands as the football team assembled by Pioli, Haley and company has begun the process of turning the franchise back in the right direction. Chiefs fans from as far as Maine, Saskatchewan and all parts in between have made one final pilgrimage to show their support for the Red and Gold. New fan favorites have begun to emerge as #7 Cassel jerseys have been spotted lining the practice fields, while old favorites such #16 Dawson and #58 D. Thomas continue to shimmer in the summer sun.

While the Chiefs will return to their Missouri roots for camp in 2010, we would be remiss if we did not say a hearty thank you to all of the wonderful people who have made River Falls such a special place for the Chiefs these past 19 years. To the River Falls community and the UW-River Falls leadership, staff and students who have been such hospitable and accommodating hosts, we appreciate your persistent efforts to unfailing meet the constantly-changing demands of an NFL football team. To all the chancellors, particularly the late Ann Lydecker who passed away in 2004, we also extend our gratitude.

It’s certainly impossible to name all of the names, but it wouldn’t have been possible to do this without the likes of Mary Halada and Larry Testa. Names like Mark Kinders and Jim Thies also come to mind, as well as so many, many others. To the host of other students, faculty and staff who have been so gracious, we also say thanks.

It’s been a wonderful ride.

Au revoir, River Falls.