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Al Bundy · 08-12-2022, 03:34 PM

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.

**BigRedChief** · 08-12-2022, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stryker

Absolutely this! I hope and pray for him but, I have to say, I am so very glad he got to see Mahomes, Kelce and Hill get that Super Bowl win 50 years later! That is really, really special! God bless Lenny the Cool!

Lenny the cool was the definition of a cool player back in the day. Sitting on a metal folding chair, Fresca and a smoke at halftime. That’s as cool as it gets back then. It’s an iconic image.

**Baby Lee** · 08-12-2022, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frozenchief

Very sad. Growing up in KC, he was football royalty. The only other player in KC history at the time that could hold a candle to him was George Brett. I’m glad he got to see KC win another ring. He was good to this organization for many, many years.

My wife is getting her master’s degree in nursing and she chose Purdue University. When i heard, I said, “Awesome! You’ll be a BoilerMaker just like Lenny Dawson!” She got a look on her face and started to say something (undoubtedly “who?”) and I just said, “The 2nd best KC QB ever. Lenny the cool. Just nod and say, ‘cool’.” She did. And so now she and Lenny the Cool have something in common, although I don’t think she puts as much weight on it as I do.

She take any engineering or physics there as part of her science curriculum?

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECE/A...westerman.html

One of the 3-5 smartest people I've known in my life . . . He was the son of our HS chemistry teacher.

**TimeForWasp** · 08-12-2022, 07:37 PM

it sucks, The longer I live, the more death I see.

**mlyonsd** · 08-12-2022, 07:38 PM

I've listened to most Chief games on the radio for decades. I really wish I could have listened to Lenny during Pat's SB winning year.

Marcellus · 08-12-2022, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

I've listened to most Chief games on the radio for decades. I really wish I could have listened to Lenny during Pat's SB winning year.

I’m with you. Used to rig up an online audio feed from radio through my home stereo and pause the satellite feed to sync the audio with TV and listen to Lenny and Mitch. It was awesome.

**TribalElder** · 08-12-2022, 07:45 PM

**TimeForWasp** · 08-12-2022, 08:03 PM

This reminds me of , and wondering how the real Steve Deburg is doing now. I became a fan with him and the Nigerian nightmare.

MarkDavis'Haircut · 08-12-2022, 08:04 PM

Sad news, indeed.

Each year, more and more of the AFL legends depart this mortal coil to suit up on the heavenly gridiron. The depth chart up there is deep.

God bless Dawson and his family.

BryanBusby · 08-12-2022, 08:09 PM

He had a good long, cool life.

Got to be on top of the world and see them do it again in his lifetime and was a living legend in the area.

MMXcalibur · 08-12-2022, 08:27 PM

KCFalcon59 · 08-12-2022, 08:33 PM

Very sad news. A life well lived.

FlaChief58 · 08-12-2022, 08:36 PM

God speed. I'm glad he was able to see the trophy brought home one more time

crayzkirk · 08-12-2022, 08:36 PM

Always a class act. Unfortunately, we don't always get to choose when we are pulled from the game. So many good memories of listening to games with my Dad and the Chiefs in the 60s and early 70s.

**ChiTown** · 08-12-2022, 08:39 PM

Prayers to the Chiefs GOAT

tredadda · 08-12-2022, 08:41 PM

A KC legend that not only brought a SB to KC, but respect to the organization and the AFL during it’s early years. Then retired and made KC his permanent home and became a staple in the community. Prayers for a true KC legend.

08-12-2022, 03:34 PM
Al Bundy Damnit Peg Al Bundy's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Overland Park	Len Dawson has passed - RIP 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. Last edited by Dartgod; 08-24-2022 at 11:37 AM..
Posts: 23,316

08-12-2022, 07:37 PM	#63
TimeForWasp Sprinkle in some Mahomes TimeForWasp's Avatar Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Butte Montana	it sucks, The longer I live, the more death I see.
Posts: 8,270

08-12-2022, 07:38 PM	#64
mlyonsd Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Spink, SD	I've listened to most Chief games on the radio for decades. I really wish I could have listened to Lenny during Pat's SB winning year.
Posts: 38,861	1 0

08-12-2022, 07:45 PM	#66
TribalElder Arrowhead Trail of Tears TribalElder's Avatar Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: KansasCity
Posts: 29,156	5 0

08-12-2022, 08:03 PM	#67
TimeForWasp Sprinkle in some Mahomes TimeForWasp's Avatar Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Butte Montana	This reminds me of , and wondering how the real Steve Deburg is doing now. I became a fan with him and the Nigerian nightmare.
Posts: 8,270	2 0

08-12-2022, 08:04 PM	#68
MarkDavis'Haircut MVP MarkDavis'Haircut's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2017	Sad news, indeed. Each year, more and more of the AFL legends depart this mortal coil to suit up on the heavenly gridiron. The depth chart up there is deep. God bless Dawson and his family.
Posts: 13,528	4 0

08-12-2022, 08:09 PM	#69
BryanBusby In Search of a Life BryanBusby's Avatar Join Date: Mar 2006	He had a good long, cool life. Got to be on top of the world and see them do it again in his lifetime and was a living legend in the area.
Posts: 22,207

08-12-2022, 08:27 PM	#70
MMXcalibur Pessimistically optimistic. MMXcalibur's Avatar Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 16,413

08-12-2022, 08:33 PM	#71
KCFalcon59 MVP KCFalcon59's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Topeka, Kansas	Very sad news. A life well lived.
Posts: 6,762

08-12-2022, 08:36 PM	#72
FlaChief58 SuperChiefs FlaChief58's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Florida	God speed. I'm glad he was able to see the trophy brought home one more time
Posts: 18,949

08-12-2022, 08:36 PM	#73
crayzkirk Veteran Join Date: Nov 2016	Always a class act. Unfortunately, we don't always get to choose when we are pulled from the game. So many good memories of listening to games with my Dad and the Chiefs in the 60s and early 70s.
Posts: 4,357

08-12-2022, 08:39 PM	#74
ChiTown Stroking to the SB Champs! ChiTown's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Flatlands of Kansas	Prayers to the Chiefs GOAT
Posts: 39,338

08-12-2022, 08:41 PM	#75
tredadda Three-Pat tredadda's Avatar Join Date: May 2011 Location: Colorado Springs	A KC legend that not only brought a SB to KC, but respect to the organization and the AFL during it’s early years. Then retired and made KC his permanent home and became a staple in the community. Prayers for a true KC legend.
Posts: 17,023