The Kansas City Chiefs are grieving this week after late Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson passed away. In honor of the former pro, the Chiefs took a penalty as a tribute to him on a Thursday game against the Green Bay Packers.
Dawson passed away earlier this week at the age of 87. He spent most of his NFL career with the franchise from 1962 to 1975.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led most of the team’s starting offense and gathered in the middle of the field to form a “choir huddle,” a style favored by Dawson. Kansas City took a penalty over delaying the game, and a public address followed shortly, announcing Dawson’s No. 16.
The “poignant penalty” was among the many tributes made in honor of “Lenny the Cool” that night.
Kansas City won over Green Bay with a margin-wide score of 17-10. The matchup was also the preseason finale for both teams.
Chiefs’ tribute to late Hall of Fame Dawson
Mahomes was replaced by Chad Henne after the penalty. He told the NFL Network that the team wanted to give something to honor Dawson. The 26-year-old added that Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt and coach Andy Reid had discussed the idea.
”We all wanted to do something,” Mahomes said. ”Obviously, we’re praying for his family, but he did so much to impact the Kansas City community and this organization. We wanted to do something, a little token to show our appreciation and I’m glad we got to do it.”
Reid said that Mahomes volunteered to lead the huddle even though he was not supposed to play in the preseason finale. Mahomes was sidelined alongside tight end Travis Kelce and other players.
“He wanted to jump in there,” Reid said. “Kelce, who wasn’t going to play, he wanted to jump in there. The players clearly bought into it, wanted to do it.”
Dawson’s career
Retiring as one of the most decorated players in the NFL, Dawson won a Super Bowl ring, was named NFL Man of the Year in 1973, and achieved many more feats. His performance also made him a seven-time AFL completion percentage leader and six-time AFL passer rating leader.
He made his NFL debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957 after the team drafted him fifth overall. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1959. Many attributed his release to the signing of veteran player Bobby Layne early in the 1958 season. Layne was also a fellow Hall of Famer.
The young Dawson would remain in Cleveland until his signing with the Chiefs in mid-1962. The franchise was known as the Dallas Texans before it moved north to Kansas City and changed its name in 1963.
Dawson contributed to the team’s success. The most notable milestone was leading the team to their first-ever Super Bowl title in 1970. He retired from the NFL four years later. Life after pro football for him was working as a sports director, a line of work he had delved into since 1966.