Len Dawson has passed - RIP

[Al Bundy]

https://kmbc.com/article/len-dawson-...at-87/40943140

"He loved Kansas City and no matter where his travels took him, he could not wait to return home."

Rest well, Len. ❤️

Len Dawson has died at the age of 87: https://t.co/rRdEugmMD9 pic.twitter.com/cJfMwKtpon

— KMBC (@kmbc) August 24, 2022

https://www.chiefs.com/news/chiefs-m...4l3P21ZulRpgwc

Chiefs Mourn the Passing of Franchise Legend Len Dawson
Aug 24, 2022 at 07:47 AM

The Kansas City Chiefs are saddened to share the passing of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Chiefs legend and Kansas City icon, Len Dawson.

"My family and I are heartbroken. Len Dawson is synonymous with the Kansas City Chiefs. Len embraced and came to embody Kansas City and the people that call it home. You would be hard-pressed to find a player who had a bigger impact in shaping the organization as we know it today than Len Dawson did," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. "I admired Len my entire life – first as a Hall of Fame player on the field, and later as he transitioned into a successful broadcasting career. Throughout his remarkable career, Len made it a priority to give back to the community that he loved. The franchise has lost a true legend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Linda and his family."

Dawson was the heart and soul of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs franchise during his illustrious14-year Chiefs career, helping make the franchise one of professional football's premier teams while becoming one of the game's elite passers.

Under the leadership of PFHOF Head Coach Hank Stram, who brought Dawson to the Texans/Chiefs franchise in 1962, Dawson's Chiefs were perennial contenders and won American Football League Championships in 1962, 1966 and 1969. He earned the Most Valuable Player award for Super Bowl IV when he directed Kansas City to a 23-7 win over the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings. Dawson won the AFL passing title four times and still holds the franchise's career records for pass attempts (3,696), completions (2,115), passing yards (28,507) and touchdowns (237).

He was named to six AFL All-Star teams and one Pro Bowl squad, and also earned AFL Player of the Year honors for the 1962 season. Dawson started 158 regular season games for Kansas City, the most of any quarterback in franchise history. He led the AFL in passing four different seasons (1962, 1964, 1966 and 1968), pacing the AFL in completion percentage eight times, including a string of six-straight seasons from 1964-69.

Dawson was recognized as the 1973 NFL Man of the Year, one of five Chiefs players to ever earn the honor. He retired from professional football on May 1, 1976. He was enshrined into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1979 and was immortalized at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1987. He was also enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.

Dawson enjoyed an equally legendary broadcasting career that began during his playing days. In 1966 he served as a sports anchor with KMBC Radio and as sports director for KMBC-TV while serving as the club's signal caller. Following his retirement from professional football after the 1975 season, Dawson joined NBC and served as a color analyst on NFL games until 1982. He then joined the Chiefs Radio Network as a color commentator in 1984, serving on the team's radio crew for 35 years. While working NFL games for NBC, Dawson embarked on what would become a 24-year run that spanned four decades (1977-2001) as the host of HBO's popular "Inside the NFL," cable television's longest-running series and the first NFL-related program to air on cable.

For his contributions to broadcasting, Dawson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Hall's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2012. He became just the third individual in professional football history to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a broadcaster, joining Dan Dierdorf and Frank Gifford.

In 2014, Dawson was honored with the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football at the 44th Annual NFL 101 Awards, recognizing his contributions both on and off the field that helped shape the National Football League into the preeminent professional sports league in America. In 2017, the club renamed the television broadcast booth inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium the Len Dawson Broadcast Booth in honor of Dawson's accomplishments both on the field and as a broadcaster.

Dawson began his professional career as a first-round draft pick of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957. He went on to land with Cleveland in 1960 but was cut by the Browns prior to the 1962 season, at which point he was signed by the Dallas Texans as a free agent on July 2, 1962. In total he spent 19 years as a quarterback in the NFL/AFL.

The Alliance, Ohio, native attended Purdue University where he was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Boilermakers (1954-56) and ended his career as the university's leader in career passing yards and touchdown passes.

[SuperBowl4]

#16

[Oxford]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Loved Inside The NFL as a kid. I’d have my helmet sticker book open figuring out what teams he was talking about. Back then it was the only source of highlights around the league, local news never covered it and PrimeTime wasn’t on yet

I'd like to see the Chiefs recreate the choir huddle photo with this years players wearing the jersey numbers as they are in the photo. Mahomes in #16 etc. Have it signed by all of them and sent to the family When Arnold Palmer passed away I had the same feelngs, I thought a part of me was gone.

God speed Lenny and family.

[Saleenman607]

Met the legend in 92’/93’ at the Cow Palace. Asked him to sign Chiefs flag and an authentic KC one bar QB helmet. Totally CLASS act! Not many people there in the morning and I got to ask him about the Ben Davidson fight. He told me Davidson was barking at him all game and told him he was gonna blast him no matter what. Lenny said he was a prick 😆. Always loved how Stram would call him Leonard when something went sideways 🤣.
The football world and World in general will surely miss this great man.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seve..._a_seventh_son
Pro Football Hall of Famer Len Dawson is the seventh son of a seventh son, born the ninth of 11 children overall.

According to folklore, the seventh son of a seventh son has special powers.

[Dartgod]

Every time I see a new post in this thread I fear the worst.

[threebag]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

Every time I see a new post in this thread I fear the worst.

Yeah, I reluctantly check in. It’s great to read the contacts and stories everyone has had with Lenny the Cool. It’s sad for sure. Godspeed Len

[bringbackmarty]

I was lucky enough to work at Meiners Grocery store in Brookside during Len's Inside the nfl run. He still lived on Ward Parkway then. I would always pepper him with questions about who he thought would win such and such game. Chiefs were in the middle of the marty years but he wasn't a homer. Dallas was doing their thing and before that Washington had won with Doug Williams. He basically said until K.C. drafted a legit quarterback in the first round it was always going to be someone else. Even when Montana showed up. He'd always say the NFC is going to take it. He was always super nice and honest. Never let me carry his groceries out, even if he had a lot. Probably talked to him a dozen or more times in three years. Even then you could sense the physical impact that era of football left on him. Physically and mentally. That was 30 years ago.

[TripleThreat]

His story should teach us all how precious time is. 5 years ago he was living like every bad ass grandpa… it’s scary to think how quickly time can shift. God bless. Love you god

[ROYC75]

Summer of 1966, I met Lenny at a Capital Federal in KCK.

Very friendly to all, especially to the kids!

[Pul2eject]

Sad News. My first 2 posters ever were Len Dawson and Willie Lanier. My best friend was from Missouri and he gave me the posters for my birthday. I always enjoyed Len on Inside The NFL on HBO Thursday Night. GodSpeed

[UPYRS]

I Grew Up Watching Len Play, Anchor The Sports For KMBZ And The HBO Series. Honestly, I Will Not Take His Passing Well. He Is An KC Institution.

[Rasputin]

Win a Super Bowl "Bragging Rights for Life"



We love to brag about Lenny the Cool


Prayers God Speed Chiefs Kingdom

[Willie Lanier]

Love you Len; keep fighting

[BigOlChiefsfan]

Thank you Lenny for all the memories. Be well.

[CanadaKC]

Derrick Thomas made me a Chiefs fan…then once I started my fandom…Len has always been right up there. God bless you LD