Len Dawson, a Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback who spent most of his profession with the Kansas City Chiefs, has died at age 87.
“My family and I are heartbroken,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt mentioned in a press release Wednesday.
“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.”
A explanation for demise was not launched for Dawson, who was confirmed to be in hospice care earlier this month by his spouse, Linda. He had battled well being points together with prostate most cancers and a quadruple coronary heart bypass surgical procedure, in response to ESPN.
Dawson received Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs in 1970 and was named the sport’s Most Valuable Player after passing for 142 yards and a landing. The championship marked the primary Super Bowl title in Chiefs historical past.
He later supplied evaluation as the colour commentator for the Chiefs radio broadcasts from 1985 to 2017, and in addition labored because the sports activities director of the TV station KMBC in Kansas City.
“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,” Hunt mentioned. “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.”
Dawson was a first-round choose by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957, and in addition performed for the Cleveland Browns earlier than becoming a member of the Dallas Texans of the then-American Football League in 1962. The Texans moved to Kansas City and have become the Chiefs the next 12 months.
The AFL merged with the NFL after the 1966 season, however the leagues performed separate schedules for his or her common seasons till 1970. Dawson received three AFL titles with the Chiefs group in 1962, 1966 and 1969.
The six-time AFL All-Star and one-time NFL Pro Bowler handed for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns throughout 19 skilled seasons, 14 of which he spent with the Chiefs.
Dawson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a participant in 1987, then as a broadcaster in 2012. His No. 16 is retired by the Chiefs, who inducted him into the group’s Hall of Fame in 1979.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com