Before he was a Kansas City Chief, the late Len Dawson was a star with the Dallas Texans
Did you know Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson had a professional connection to Dallas-Fort Worth?
The legendary Hall of Fame Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, who died at the age of 87 this week, was a star for the 1962 Dallas Texans who won the American Football League championship.
Dawson led the Texans to an 11-3 record, completing a league-high 61 percent of his passes (189 of 310) for a league-high 29 touchdowns.
The Texans beat the Houston Oilers 20-17 in double overtime in the AFL title game. Dawson completed 9 of 14 passes for 88 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Abner Haynes.
After the season, owner Lamar Hunt moved the Texans to Kansas City where they became a power as the AFL merged into the NFL.
He led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl championship then went on to become a broadcaster. He later hosted the HBO show “Inside the NFL.”
“Len Dawson is synonymous with the Kansas City Chiefs,” team owner Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Len embraced and came to embody Kansas City and the people that call it home.”
Dawson’s family announced his death Wednesday. Although no cause was given, Dawson had had prostate cancer and quadruple heart bypass surgery over the years. He had been in hospice care since Aug. 12.
“Looking back on my career, I’ve been blessed for what I had the opportunity to do,” Dawson said told The Associated Press in 2017. “I could not have accomplished so much without my teammates and colleagues, and I’m grateful for each of them.”
Dawson’s professional career spanned 211 games over 19 seasons. He played the last 13 with Kansas City. Prior to coming to Dallas in 1962, he was a reserve in Pittsburgh for three seasons and in Pittsburgh for two.
However, after deciding to sign with the Texans, Stram gave him a chance to start.
That decision paid off big.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 2:09 PM.