Len Dawson, Chiefs’ Hall of Fame quarterback and Kansas City sports icon, dies at 87
 

Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl championship and was with the organization for six decades as a player and broadcaster, has died, his family announced early Wednesday morning. He was 87.

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nf...#storylink=cpy

Rest in Peace Lenny, you were a part of my childhood and you were great to watch on the NBC/AFC games all those years as a commentator.

Butch

Grew up watching him and Len B. On HBO.

I saw him play in the AFL championship in 1966 at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo.

It was the first NFL game I ever attended. They clobbered my Bills 31-7, and then went on to Superbowl I against the Packers..

Everyone forgets nowadays that the Bills were 1 win away from Superbowl I.

Len was a great quarterback. RIP.

The Chiefs' 1970 win over the Vikings was probably what established once and for all the equality of the leagues.

Shame. One of the all-time greats. My favorite Dawson card:

Dawson takes the snap, drops back...he throws...and there's Otis Taylor, wide open...he could go...all...the...way!

Loved Lenny Dawson. Great quarterback, and a great man. They don't make them like that anymore. RIP.

Priceless.
Super Bowl I.

Love that photo, old school all the way, a smoke and a Fresca sitting on a folding chair at halftime. RIP Badass.

It's very evocative of the era.

I always wondered how the Bills would have fared against Lombardi's Packers in Super Bowl I. The 1964-66 Bills were basically an NFL team playing in the AFL. Strong running game and stout defense with a clutch quarterback (Kemp).

Jerry Kramer reported that the Packers were very confident going against the Chiefs to the point that they were snickering at the films.

RIP Mr Dawson. Super Bowl IV cemented the quality of the AFL.

You are now reunited with Coach Stram. You can again run 65 cross power trap.

I'm not really worthy of saying much about the great Len Dawson. I just remember as a 13-year-old boy watching this new big game called the Super Bowl on TV. I honestly don't remember too much, but I do recall the wonderful announcing of Curt Gowdy. His voice was super. I remember wanting the Chiefs to beat the Packers, since I had wanted the Cowboys to win the NFL championship, since the Colts lost. Most of all, I was impressed with how Len Dawson handled the Chiefs' offense. I had never seen a huddle like the Chiefs used. I thought it was cool. The Chiefs lost with dignity; they were not creamed. They would live to fight, and win, another day.

Ever since Super Bowl I, I always recognized Len Dawson's name and photo, and he connotated in my mind a player who was excellent; a fighter who never gave up. I never knew his nickname of "COOL", but again, with what little I know, I can sure understand why. Ever since that first Super Bowl, whenever I got Len Dawson's card, it was a joy and put a smile on my face.

May God bless and carry Len Dawson's family and his many fans at this brutal time, and keep his legacy positive and strong. --- Brian Powell

Hmm, didn't realize Len was another member of the Pittsburgh Steelers school of QB's who never made it with the Steelers.

In a 3 year span the Steelers had Johnny Unitas, Len Dawson, Jack Kemp and Earl Morrall on their team.

Instead they chose to go with Ted Marchibroda and an aging Bobby Layne.

That's got to be the greatest concentration of QB talent in football history.

Montana and Young.

I'm from 49er country, but I got to take Unitas, Dawson, Layne, Kemp and Morall above the two of them.

What's nuts is how good Steve Young's career ended up being even with him being hampered by spending time in the USFL, and 4 years as Montana's backup with 3 or less starts each year. Still one of the NFL's best ever even losing all that playing time.

I would (not claiming to be the authority) rank Montana a little ahead of Unitas and Young way ahead of any of the others, I am a huge Young fan, thus my vote.

Football statistics are a lot harder than Baseball to relate cross era. Unitas was the best of his, Montana the best of his. My bias is towards Montana and Young. Young's era I'd have to take a deep look into the math, the 90's were really stacked at QB.

I think he's 10th or 11th all time on one of those Football Reference combined metrics, but I'm not sure metrics are as good in football as in other sports there are so many intangibles particularly at that position.

I like football history as much as I do baseball history, but it’s so much harder to break down and quantify statistically. Baseball, hitting and pitching at least, is so well designed for statistical evaluation while the structure of football isn’t. I’m biased to the 49er greats, and YA Tittle in particular who was a local to me. Montana, Young, Tittle is a pretty good trifecta for a teams top 3. I’m not sure there’s a better one.

Unitas Manning and whoever would be pretty good. Bert Jones, Morrall maybe? Or Luck?

Starr, Favre and Rodgers. They would have to be right up there.

Montana, Dawson, Mahomes?

Montana to Young and Favre to Rogers have to also be the two best direct successors in QB history. The Packers have had one of the greats starting since 1992. Montana-Young were 1981-1999 combined.

Bledsoe to Brady wasn't bad either.

I don’t know why, but I liked Drew Bledsoe as a kid. When New England unceremoniously dumped him after an injury for some roomie, I thought it was an outrage. I was very, very wrong.

He was quite good coming out of college in 1992. He developed some really bad habits like throwing off his back foot and forcing too many balls into traffic, and while he remained a very good quarterback, he didn't achieve the level expected of him. Once Brady played a few games it was pretty obvious he had huge upside, I think many supported sticking with him even when Bledsoe became healthy again.

It's certainly the greatest concentration of QB talent on a team that made very little use of them.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...8%20Dawson.jpg

RIP

That 68 Topps Len Dawson is my favorite card of his. Absolutely gorgeous card.

Here is a merge of KNEW audio with several sources of what video exists of the 1969 AFL Championship game, between the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Oakland Raiders. If the Jets of Super Bowl III was a fluke, this Chiefs team that beat a real good Raiders team and then walked the floor with the Vikings in Super Bowl IV convinced even the naysayers of how good the AFL truly was. Len Dawson didn't have his greatest day here, but more than good enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kOLly4kBFE

Dawson was awesome. I was a kid and a Raiders fan in his heyday. He was a tough guy for sure.RIP