Kansas City fans have cheered on their Chiefs for nearly half a century now. The team had its origins in Dallas where it was first called the Texans, but that three year tenure ended when it moved to its present location in 1963. Although they were one of the original teams in the old AFL, they are now a proud member of the American Football Conference in the NFL, and are located in the Leagues AFC West. Fans of the Chiefs know that their team has seen its share of superstar players since it first arrived in the city. They also know that Lenny Dawson will always be remembered as one of the absolute greatest of all.
As a collegiate star
Len Dawson played quarterback for the Purdue Boilermakers before going on to the professional level. When he was being recruited he had his choice of schools to attend, and both were attractive options. He ultimately settled on Purdue University rather than Ohio State because he had misgivings about being a part of the Buckeyes’ split-T system of offense. As it turned out, the Boilermakers were the perfect fit for Dawson. He went on to compile a three-year career of more than three thousand passing yards, and was the Conference’s top passer in each of his seasons in the Big Ten.
Slow start in the NFL
Though he was a much anticipated rookie, Dawson failed to really find a home in either Pittsburgh or Cleveland. At the time, both had star quarterbacks, and Lenny was of little use to either team. When he was released in 1962, it provided him the opportunity to rejoin his old college coach who was then coaching the Dallas Texans. His initial campaign as the Texans starter resulted in winning the season touchdown titles, while also snaring the most yards per attempted pass. He was the AFL’s MVP that year, and cheerily followed the team as it moved the next year to its Kansas City home.
Chief of Chiefs
With a rocket arm that honed in on targets like a laser, Dawson’s presence within the team’s “moving pocket” system enabled him to quickly become the AFL’s perennial passing leader. In 1966, he and his team performed so well that they became the first AFL representative to the inaugural Super Bowl. Facing the Green Bay Packers in that game – and the now legendary Vince Lombardi and quarterback Bart Starr – nobody gave the Chiefs much of a chance to win. It turned out those odds were correct as the Packers won the game going away. The game was not a total loss, however – Dawson at least played a competent game, GIVING Chiefs fans hope of great things to come.
Super Bowl IV
Three years later, Dawson once again took his team all the way to the AFL title and into Super Bowl IV. This time, there was no Bart Starr or Green Bay Packers to stop him and he instead led the Chiefs to a victory over the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. It would be the Chiefs’ one and only Super Bowl trophy. Dawson retired from the game in 1975, and was formally inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1987. To Chiefs fans everywhere, he will always be remembered as one of the first men to show the world that the AFL could compete on the same stage with the NFL and win.
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