Legendary Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson dies at 87 in hospice

Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who helped establish the American Football League as a legitimate rival to the NFL while leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl IV victory, has died at 87. The former Purdue star had recently entered hospice care in Kansas City. 

‘With wife Linda at his side, it is with much sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved Len Dawson,’ the family said in a statement to KMBC in Kansas City. ‘He was a wonderful husband, father, brother and friend. Len was always grateful and many times overwhelmed by the countless bonds he made during his football and broadcast careers.

‘He loved Kansas City and no matter where his travels took him, he could not wait to return home.’

The MVP of the Chiefs’ 23-7 Super Bowl victory over Minnesota in January 1970, Dawson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 2012 received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, which was named for the former NFL commissioner.

The Super Bowl IV victory was pivotal, both for Dawson and professional football. 

Following the New York Jets’ upset of the favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, the following year’s AFL-NFL clash helped solidify the upstart league as a legitimate rival Rozelle’s operation. By beating the Minnesota Vikings – a 13.5-point favorite that boasted the notorious defensive line nicknamed the “Purple People Eaters” – the Chiefs secured their place in football history and opened a new era of football that was more reliant on passing than the ground-and-pound offenses of the 1960s. 

From Alliance, Ohio, Dawson starred at Purdue and was selected fifth overall by Pittsburgh in the 1957 NFL draft. After seeing limited time in the NFL in three seasons with the Steelers and two with Cleveland, he joined the Dallas Texans in the American Football League in 1962, reuniting with former Purdue assistant coach Hank Stram.

Dawson moved with the team to Kansas City the following season and remained the Chiefs’ starting quarterback until retiring in 1975.

In addition to his work at KMBC where he was the station’s first sports anchor, Dawson was a game analyst for NBC and the Chiefs’ radio network and hosted HBO’s “Inside the NFL” show.