Len Dawson

Leonard Ray Dawson (June 20, 1935 – August 24, 2022) was born in Alliance, Ohio. A three-sport athlete in high school, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. He attended Purdue University, where he was the NCAA’s leader in pass efficiency as a sophomore in 1954. He led the Big Ten Conference in passing and total offense for three consecutive years from 1954 to 1956, earning All-American honors in 1956. Dawson was a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957. He also played for the Cleveland Browns before joining the Dallas Texans in 1962, reuniting him with his former college coach, Hank Stram. This move marked a turning point in his career.

Dawson’s professional football career spanned 19 seasons. He led the Dallas Texans, who later became the Kansas City Chiefs, to their first AFL championship in 1962. He was instrumental in winning two more AFL titles in 1966 and 1969, leading to appearances in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl IV. In Super Bowl IV, Dawson’s performance earned him the game’s Most Valuable Player award, connecting on 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and leading the Chiefs to a 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his playing career after the 1975 season with impressive statistics, including 28,711 passing yards and 239 touchdowns.

After retiring from professional football, Dawson embarked on a notable broadcasting career. He served as sports director at KMBC-TV in Kansas City starting in 1966, a role he maintained while still playing. From 1977 to 2001, he hosted HBO’s “Inside the NFL” and worked as an analyst for NBC’s AFC coverage from 1977 to 1982. He was also the color analyst for the Chiefs’ radio broadcast team from 1985 to 2017. Dawson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2012 for his contributions to sports broadcasting.