Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs honor Hall of Famer Len Dawson during Kansas City’s final preseason game

Previous to Thursday evening’s preseason sport in opposition to the Packers, Patrick Mahomes took the sphere for pregame warmups donning a hoodie honoring Len Dawson, the Chiefs’ Corridor of Fame quarterback who died earlier this week on the age of 87. Mahomes then took the sphere for one play with a purpose to additional pay homage to the quarterback who led Kansas Metropolis to the franchise’s first Tremendous Bowl win. 

Earlier than the Chiefs’ first offensive snap, Mahomes confronted his teammates within the “choir huddle,” the huddle Dawson used all through his Corridor of Fame profession. Mahomes then left the sphere, waving his arms up and down as Chiefs followers responded to the tribute. 

Every member of the Chiefs wore a decal Thursday evening with Dawson’s quantity 16. Dawson spent 14 of his 19 yr professional profession with Kansas Metropolis. He then loved a prolonged broadcasting profession that included over 40 years at KMBC. 

“Len was such a particular particular person,” Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt mentioned Thursday evening throughout a go to to the Chiefs’ broadcast sales space. “Really, really a Kansas Metropolis icon.” 

One in every of professional soccer’s finest quarterbacks throughout the Sixties, Dawson led the AFL in completion proportion seven occasions over an eight-year span. He additionally paced the league in landing passes 4 occasions over a five-year interval. Dawson’s success translated to wins for Kansas Metropolis, who moved cities after the 1962 season. The Chiefs captured the AFL title in 1966 whereas punching their ticket to the primary Tremendous Bowl. Dawson threw a primary half landing go, however the Chiefs in the end fell to Vince Lombardi’s Packers, who gained 5 NFL titles throughout the decade. An image taken of Dawson smoking a cigarette at halftime grew to become one of the iconic photographs in professional soccer historical past. 

Three years later, the Chiefs made it again to the Tremendous Bowl after defeating the earlier two AFL champions — the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders — within the playoffs. Kansas Metropolis would face the closely favored Vikings within the remaining sport performed earlier than the AFL-NFL merger. Regardless of the Vikings’ formidable protection and a muddy taking part in discipline, Dawson accomplished almost 71% of his passes whereas throwing the game-clinching landing go to Otis Taylor, who caught Dawson’s fast go and ran 40 yards to pay dust. Dawson gained MVP honors following Kansas Metropolis’s 23-7 victory. 

Dawson continued to play at an elite degree following the merger. He was named to his seventh Professional Bowl in 1971 whereas serving to lead the Chiefs to a division title. On Christmas Day, 1971, he quarterbacked within the longest sport in NFL historical past, as Kansas Metropolis fell to Don Shula’s Dolphins in a divisional spherical playoff sport that lasted almost 83 minutes. 

“Len grew up only some miles from the place the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame later was constructed, and followers within the space have all the time taken a particular delight in seeing one of many greats from this area enshrined in Canton,” Corridor of Fame president Jim Porter mentioned in a press release. “Followers linked with Len’s story of perseverance, appreciating how he gave the sport yet another strive after 5 nondescript seasons when many others would have give up.

“The American Soccer League, and Corridor of Fame coach Hank Stram, gave Len a real alternative, and he made probably the most of it, constructing the Chiefs right into a Tremendous Bowl contender, and ultimately a world champion.

“Our ideas and prayers prolong to his spouse, Linda, and to all of Len’s household and associates in Kansas Metropolis and in Alliance, Ohio.”