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Damnit Peg
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Overland Park
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Len Dawson has passed - RIP
https://kmbc.com/article/len-dawson-...at-87/40943140
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. Last edited by Dartgod; 08-24-2022 at 11:37 AM.. |
Posts: 23,472
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#226 |
Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2016
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RIP Lenny...
Times were so different then; went to school with Lenny Jr. Johnny Robinson lived on my street. These were regular people sacrificing themselves for a sport we all love. I can still see him with Nick on Inside the NFL and hear his words of wisdom discussing how you weren't going to win many football games if you don't score any points. One particular play stands out where Len says 'oh no' as Elvis throws a perfect telegraphed strike to Junior on the Chargers for a pick-6 at least ten seconds before it happened. One of a kind... Rest well, Lenny. Say hello to my dad when you see him. |
Posts: 4,497
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#227 |
Fish are scared of me
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Posts: 40,693
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#228 |
Sleeping on the blacktop
Join Date: Nov 2013
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Sad day RIP len
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Posts: 16,384
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#229 |
(Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Diving
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Rest in peace Len, you were awesome.
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Posts: 118,031
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#230 |
Tip of the hat LIV Champs
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ks
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The first GOAT
Beloved and will be missed. God speed Chiefs Kingdom |
Posts: 55,168
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#231 |
Curmudgeon
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North by Northwest
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A good man, a great Chief, and a tremendous ambassador for Kansas City.
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Posts: 5,319
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#232 |
Supporter
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Spink, SD
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Thanks for the memories Mr. Dawson. RIP
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Posts: 39,036
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#233 |
Mindful Taoist German
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Posts: 74,674
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#234 |
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2001
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RIP
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Posts: 2,609
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#235 |
Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
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Thank you Lenny for all the great memories. Some of my most cherished memories of my Dad and uncle were made watching you play. You carried being the face of this great franchise with the utmost class and style. Rest in Peace Lenny "The Cool" Dawson.
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Posts: 567
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#236 |
Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Little Rock, AR
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Rest In Peace Lenny
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Posts: 86
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#237 |
Everything is Awesome!!!!!
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: The Pitt
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Thank you to whomever changed the name of the lounge. A fitting tribute to a man that moved mountains.
RIP Len. |
Posts: 11,146
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#238 |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2005
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Lenny has been such a big part of my life. This one hurts. Class act through and through.
Chiefs HOFer NFL HOFer- Player NFL HOFer- Broadcaster What an amazing career and work ethic. He was always ahead of his time. He is Number 1 on the Mount Rushmore of KC sports. RIP. |
Posts: 43,200
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#239 |
In Mahomes I trust!
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
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Man I am actually without words. I was 7 years old when the Chiefs won SB 4. I was born in New Orleans and lived there when the event took place in Tulane stadium in NOLA. Luckily, my uncle (my mothers brother) went to that SB and actually gave me the ticket stub many, many years later when he knew I was a die hard Chiefs fan. Lenny "The Cool" was an incredible icon for Kansas City and I personally admire ALL that he has given to your city. He is an absolute LEGEND and will be sorely missed. God rest his soul and may he truly RIP. Thank you Len Dawson for all of the memories and devotion you gave to the town of Kansas City.
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Posts: 6,141
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#240 |
Spooky Action
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Bon Voyage Lenny. The coolest cat from my youth who wasn't a guitar player.
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Posts: 6,357
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