ChiefsPlanet - Len Dawson has passed

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- - Len Dawson has passed - RIP (https://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=344790)

My grandfather passed yesterday and Lenny was his favorite Chief. Fitting.

RIP Lenny. 87 is a good run.

I think Lenny needs an official appreciation thread where we can post articles, videos, etc about him. One that remembers all of the great things he did for this city and franchise.

Rest in power, King.

this gonna be good

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’ll share a thread later with my fond memories of “Lenny The Cool” �� <a href="https://t.co/7RQQHHoywh">https://t.co/7RQQHHoywh</a></p>— Pete Moris (@PeteMoris) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteMoris/status/1562428471069925377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

RIP to a great Chief and a good man. :(

Please, please, please let Mahomes and the offense huddle up like this on their first offensive possession tomorrow night.

https://cyouinthemajorleagues.org/wp.../08/Dawson.jpg

Sadness beyond words.

87 is a good love life. He was genuinely beloved by many, including me. RIP Lenny the cool. You'll always be remembered.

Rest in peace, Lenny! I look forward to honoring your career and your life tomorrow at Arrowhead and throughout the year! I truly enjoyed listening to your voice on gamedays in the car and I will miss it dearly.

Wish I could've watched you play, but I will take the stories my father and grandfathers would tell me.

My thoughts and prayers are with Lenny and his family

Crying today for the loss of this great Chief.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dartgod (Post 16425939)

Please, please, please let Mahomes and the offense huddle up like this on their first offensive possession tomorrow night.

https://cyouinthemajorleagues.org/wp.../08/Dawson.jpg

I want the Chiefs to line up on the first play of the SB to honor Lenny the cool.

RIP to one of the greatest Chiefs of all time. He truly loved the team and the city.

RIP Lenny.

I wasn’t even born when he was leading the Chiefs to greatness.

But I always enjoyed him on 101 the Fox, and on Channel 9 sports segments.

RIP Lenny thanks for the memories.

RIP Lenny - thank you for the memories.

Became a Chiefs fan back in 1971.

Last football game I ever watched w my dad.

Thought Podolak was going to pull it out..

RIP Lenny.

https://www.chiefs.com/video/remembe...e-ever-6682192

Lenny, much like Marty, was a friend of every Chiefs fan. Gods blessings on his family, his difficult time is past and he is at peace with the Lord.

Thanks for the memories.

RIP Lenny...
One of the greatest to play the game

RIP Lenny! You were a huge reason I became a Chiefs fan when I was 7 years old.

Hugh loss for the city of Kansas City. Thoughts to his loved ones during this time.

Met him once over 50 years ago, cool guy my condolences to his family- he will be missed

I think one thing that Len Dawson never got due credit for was the length of his career. He threw a pass in 19 NFL seasons from 1957 through 1975. He's one of the longest-tenured players in pro football history, and he did it in an era with a lot of contact and less evolved medical treatments and training.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblowfish (Post 16425955)

Sadness beyond words.

Beautiful picture. So fitting right now.

Thanks Lenny. My first sports hero

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC_Lee (Post 16426054)

Hugh loss for the city of Kansas City. Thoughts to his loved ones during this time.

QFT. RIP, Len.

RIP Lenny the Cool !
Great memories Thank You

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Coach: QBs don't sweat. QBs perspire..."<br><br>Len Dawson was so irresistibly cool that Hank Stram was irremediably set to get him the 1st chance he got in the pros, so Dawson'd be the calming ying to his fiery yang to attain the balance he craved for his team.<br><br>And so it began.��#16 <a href="https://t.co/T2O329Op1f">pic.twitter.com/T2O329Op1f</a></p>— Chiefs Throwback (@ChiefsThrowback) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChiefsThrowback/status/1562462475362369536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties (Post 16426183)

Damn, getting dusty in here.

RIP Lenny.

We lost a legend

RIP Lenny

Childhood hero. What a great life you had.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dartgod (Post 16425939)

Please, please, please let Mahomes and the offense huddle up like this on their first offensive possession tomorrow night.

https://cyouinthemajorleagues.org/wp.../08/Dawson.jpg

I'd rather Mahomes does it on either the 1st snap against AZ or the Chargers. I don't want him playing tomorrow night.

My first hero. RIP Len.

RIP - you were, are, and always will be one of my heroes.

I think this should be posted in its entirety instead of just linked.

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.

Love Lenny, RIP my good man.

Great career, great life, long life.

Beloved by millions.

"I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race."

RIP, Lenny.

FAX

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man (Post 16426071)

And a single bar across the facemask. :eek:

One of my greatest moments in life was when I got to tell Ben Davidson to his face that he was the single biggest reason I hated the Raiders when he speared Lenny Dawson. He laughed and said "I got him good and it worked out well."

I have this photo hanging in my office. Have lots of other sports memorabilia in there but its one that gets the most attention.
https://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blo...l-01192014.jpg

my favorite memory of len dawson is him staring a laser through scott pioli during an interview and asking "where do you see yourself in five years?"

scott's answer was "right here in kansas city."

the interview was given in 2012

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">November 2012...my favorite Len Dawson moment. <a href="https://t.co/Uqxa8VtbwF">pic.twitter.com/Uqxa8VtbwF</a></p>— Kali Mahomes (@ClayWendler) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayWendler/status/1562517093912051712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties (Post 16426502)

I can remember a Chiefs receiver (Otis, I think) being asked if Lenny ever chewed him out for dropping a pass and he said no, but if he ever ran the wrong route Lenny would stare a hole right through him in the huddle.

RIP Lenny. Godspeed.

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.

Rest in peace Len, you were awesome.

The first GOAT

Beloved and will be missed. God speed Chiefs Kingdom

A good man, a great Chief, and a tremendous ambassador for Kansas City.

Thanks for the memories Mr. Dawson. RIP

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry (Post 16426497)

I have this photo hanging in my office. Have lots of other sports memorabilia in there but its one that gets the most attention.
https://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blo...l-01192014.jpg

A man's man and a gentleman at the same time. Class guy.

You will be missed...

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.

Rest In Peace Lenny��

Thank you to whomever changed the name of the lounge. A fitting tribute to a man that moved mountains.

RIP Len.

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.

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.

Bon Voyage Lenny. The coolest cat from my youth who wasn't a guitar player.