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I looked for a photograph of Len Dawson
and George Brett together. I couldn't find one.
This weekend, the Yankees are hosting the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City's Top 10 Athletes
Very Honorable Mention to Kansas City Monarchs in the Baseball Hall of Fame: Leroy "Satchel" Paige, Willard Brown, Hilton Smith and Charles "Bullet Joe" Rogan. Also having played for the Monarchs, but elected to the Hall on the basis of what they did in the major leagues, are Jackie Robinson and Ernie Banks. Not in the Hall, but he should be, is John "Buck" O'Neil.
Honorable Mention to Alex Gordon, the most honored player thus far on the Royals' 2014-15 Pennant winners. The outfielder is a 3-time All-Star and a 5-time Gold Glove.
Honorable Mention to Kansas City Chiefs players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who are not in this Top 10: Emmitt Thomas, Jan Stenerud, Curley Culp, Will Shields and Willie Roaf.
10. Sam Lacey, center, Kansas City Kings, 1972-81, plus 1970-72 with the same franchise as the Cincinnati Royals. He was an NBA All-Star in 1975, and the team, after becoming the Sacramento Kings, retired his Number 44.
9. Marcus Allen, running back, Kansas City Chiefs, 1993-97. He'd rank a lot higher on this list if he'd spent his whole career in Kansas City. While he had his greatest team success with the Raiders in their Los Angeles period, team owner Al Davis went out of his way to belittle Allen, and he got his wish to be traded. The fact that the Chiefs and the Raiders have been division rivals since the AFL's founding in 1960 didn't help, and the personal rivalry between them heated up.
Allen made 6 Pro Bowls, but only 1, 1993, with the Chiefs, a year in which he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns. That season remains the only time the Chiefs have reached the AFC Championship Game after the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Of his 12,243 career rushing yards, 587 receptions, 5,411 receiving yards, and 144 total touchdowns, his totals for the Chiefs were, respectively, 3,698, 141, 1,153, and 47. The 1981 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Southern California eventually said of Al Davis, "He's trying to stop me from going to the Hall of Fame."
It didn't work: Allen is in both the College and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In fact, he and Tony Dorsett are the only 2 players ever to win the Heisman, the National Championship and the Super Bowl, and to be elected to both the College and the Pro Football Halls of Fame. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 72nd. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 85th.
8. Derrick Thomas, linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs, 1989-99. A 9-time Pro Bowler, he is the Chiefs' all-time leader with 126 1/2 sacks. He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1990, and NFL Man of the Year in 1993. On November 11, 1990, he sacked Seattle Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg 7 times, officially an NFL record, and nobody would even get 6 in a game again until Thomas himself in 1998.
(It should be noted that sacks were not an official statistic until 1982, and Norm Willey of the Philadelphia Eagles was cited in a newspaper recap as having tackled Charlie Conerly of the Giants "as he was attempting to pass" 17 times in a 1952 game. It should also be noted that, in spite of the 7 sacks, Krieg avoided an 8th to throw a winning touchdown pass as the clock ran out.)
Thomas died while still an active player. He drove 100 miles per hour in a snowstorm, and crashed. He was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car, and was paralyzed from the chest down. A passenger wasn't wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car, and was killed instantly. Another passenger was wearing a seat belt, and wasn't hurt at all. On February 8, 2000, 16 days after the crash, the effects of Thomas' injuries led to a pulmonary embolism that killed him at age 33.
He should have had at least another 5 seasons, which could have put him in the conversation for the title of greatest linebacker of all time. Even so, he was elected to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team. The Chiefs retired his Number 58.
7. Nate Archibald, guard, Kansas City Kings, 1972-76, plus 1970-72 with the same franchise as the Cincinnati Royals. Known as "Tiny" because he was 6-foot-1 (short for a basketball player), might be better known as a Boston Celtic, with whom he won the 1981 NBA Championship. But he was a 6-time All-Star, 3 times with the Kings. In 1973, he led the NBA in both points and assists, and he remains the only player to lead the league in both in the same season..
The University of Texas at El Paso retired Number 14 for him, and the Kings retired Number 1. As yet, the Celtics have not retired the Number 7 he wore with them. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
6. Junious "Buck" Buchanan, defensive tackle, Kansas city Chiefs, 1963-75. What's 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, wears blood red, and eats ballcarriers? Okay, he didn't quite eat ballcarriers, but Buck was one of the scariest players of the LBJ and Nixon eras. Making it a very good thing that he was a nice guy off the field.
He was an 8-time All-Star, 6 times in the AFL and twice in the NFL. He was a member of the Chiefs' 1966 and 1969 AFL Champions and their Super Bowl IV winners. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the AFL All-Time Team, and the Chiefs retired his Number 86. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 67th. Oddly, when the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was left off the list.
5. Tony Gonzalez, tight end, Kansas City Chiefs, 1997-2008. A 14-time Pro Bowler, including all 10 seasons he played for the Chiefs, he then played 5 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, so he missed the Pro Bowl only once in 15 years.
For most of his tenure, the Chiefs weren't very good, and they made the Playoffs only 3 times, but 2 of those were the 13-3 seasons of 1997 and 2003. He caught 1,325 passes in his career, for 15,127 yards, and, in 15 yards, only lost 1 fumble.
He has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year. He was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 45th.
4. Len Dawson, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-75, plus 1962 in the franchise's last season as the Dallas Texans. As were Johnny Unitas and Jack Kemp before him, Dawson was a quarterback cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Think about that: In a span of 3 seasons, 1955 to 1957, the Steelers had Unitas, Kemp and Dawson in training camp, and still didn't make the Playoffs until 1972. Art Rooney was a wonderful guy and loved football, but he sure didn't know it as much as he thought he did.
Lamar Hunt, founder of the AFL and the Chiefs, knew football. So did his head coach, Hank Stram. And they put Dawson to work for the AFL's signature franchise. Counting the last season in Dallas, he played 14 seasons for them, and led them to 5 Playoff berths, 3 AFL Championships, and victory in Super Bowl IV, in which Dawson was named the Most Valuable Player.
Winning Super Bowl IV is more than the difference between the Chiefs having won a World Championship and not. Coming after the Jets' win in Super Bowl III, it showed that it wasn't just a fluke, and that the AFL teams could and would compete on the same scale as the pre-merger NFL teams. Which was a good thing, because the merger was now complete, and that was the last game any AFL team ever played.
He was named AFL MVP in 1962, and was an All-Star 6 times in the AFL and once in the NFL. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the AFL All-Time Team. The Chiefs retired his Number 16 and elected him to their team Hall of Fame. He became a broadcaster, and he, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf are the only men to be elected to their sports' Hall of Fame as both a player and a broadcaster. The Missouri Department of Transportation recently renamed an overpass on Interstate 435 near Arrowhead Stadium the Len Dawson Bridge.
3. Bobby Bell, linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-74. He was an All-Star 9 times in a row, 6 in the AFL and 3 in the NFL. He was a member of the Chiefs' 1966 and 1969 AFL Champions and their Super Bowl IV winners, and when a combined Defensive Player of the Year was named for both the AFL and the NFL in 1969, Bell received the honor.
Both the University of Minnesota and the Chiefs retired his Number 78. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame (the 1st Chief honored in Canton, outside of team founder Lamar Hunt), the AFL's All-Time Team, and the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 66th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 69th.
2. George Brett, 3rd base, Kansas City Royals, 1973-93. Harmon Killebrew, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry also played for the Royals and reached the Baseball Hall of Fame. but Brett is the only Royal Hall-of-Famer.
His lifetime batting average was .305, and he is the only man to win batting titles, in either League, in 3 different decades: 1976, 1980 and 1990 (at age 37). In 1980, after batting over .400 briefly in September, he finished at .390, which is still the highest batting average in a full 154- or 162-game season since Ted Williams batted .406 in 1941.
He collected 3,154 hits, including 317 home runs. It only seemed like most of them were against the Yankees, including one in Game 5 of the 1976 American League Championship Series (which the Yankees won anyway), 3 in Game 3 of the 1978 ALCS (which the Yankees won anyway), a towering drive that clinched Game 3 and a sweep of the 1980 ALCS, and the "Pine Tar" homer of 1983.
In Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS (which the Yankees won anyway), he made the mistake of starting a fight at 3rd base with Graig Nettles. The Yankees and their fans (I can attest to this) hated him enough to wonder if he might have once secretly played for the Boston Red Sox.
He was a 13-time All-Star, and in 1980, his .390 season, was awarded the AL's Most Valuable Player award as he led the Royals to their 1st Pennant. As Terry Cashman sang in "Talkin' Baseball," his tribute to the players he watched in the 1950s, "Well, now, it's the Eighties, and Brett is the greatest." Of course, he might not even have been the greatest 3rd baseman in the 1980 World Series, as Mike Schmidt led the Phillies past the Royals.
Brett finally led the Royals to a World Championship in 1985, and he was named MVP of the ALCS along the way. He also won his only Gold Glove that season. Indeed, from 1976 to 1985, 10 seasons, they were in the Playoffs 7 times. The franchise never reached the postseason without him on the roster until 2014.
The Royals retired his Number 5, and dedicated a statue of him outside Kauffman Stadium. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, Brett was ranked 55th.
1. Willie Lanier, linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs, 1967-77. One of several players from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to play for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs (Morgan State University in Baltimore -- Buck Buchanan of Grambling State in Louisiana was another), Willie was the greatest linebacker in AFL history, and one of the top NFL linebackers in his era.
A 2-time All-AFL player and a 6-time NFL Pro Bowler (that's 8 All-Star Teams), he arrived too late to play for the Chiefs team that won the 1966 AFL Championship and lost Super Bowl I, but he led the defense that won the 1969 AFL Championship and won Super Bowl IV.
He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame,and the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. The Chiefs retired his Number 63. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 42nd. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 53rd, making him the highest-ranked athlete on this list except for Tony Gonzalez, but higher than George Brett.
The University of Texas at El Paso retired Number 14 for him, and the Kings retired Number 1. As yet, the Celtics have not retired the Number 7 he wore with them. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
6. Junious "Buck" Buchanan, defensive tackle, Kansas city Chiefs, 1963-75. What's 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, wears blood red, and eats ballcarriers? Okay, he didn't quite eat ballcarriers, but Buck was one of the scariest players of the LBJ and Nixon eras. Making it a very good thing that he was a nice guy off the field.
He was an 8-time All-Star, 6 times in the AFL and twice in the NFL. He was a member of the Chiefs' 1966 and 1969 AFL Champions and their Super Bowl IV winners. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the AFL All-Time Team, and the Chiefs retired his Number 86. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 67th. Oddly, when the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was left off the list.
5. Tony Gonzalez, tight end, Kansas City Chiefs, 1997-2008. A 14-time Pro Bowler, including all 10 seasons he played for the Chiefs, he then played 5 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, so he missed the Pro Bowl only once in 15 years.
For most of his tenure, the Chiefs weren't very good, and they made the Playoffs only 3 times, but 2 of those were the 13-3 seasons of 1997 and 2003. He caught 1,325 passes in his career, for 15,127 yards, and, in 15 yards, only lost 1 fumble.
He has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year. He was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 45th.
4. Len Dawson, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-75, plus 1962 in the franchise's last season as the Dallas Texans. As were Johnny Unitas and Jack Kemp before him, Dawson was a quarterback cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Think about that: In a span of 3 seasons, 1955 to 1957, the Steelers had Unitas, Kemp and Dawson in training camp, and still didn't make the Playoffs until 1972. Art Rooney was a wonderful guy and loved football, but he sure didn't know it as much as he thought he did.
Lamar Hunt, founder of the AFL and the Chiefs, knew football. So did his head coach, Hank Stram. And they put Dawson to work for the AFL's signature franchise. Counting the last season in Dallas, he played 14 seasons for them, and led them to 5 Playoff berths, 3 AFL Championships, and victory in Super Bowl IV, in which Dawson was named the Most Valuable Player.
Winning Super Bowl IV is more than the difference between the Chiefs having won a World Championship and not. Coming after the Jets' win in Super Bowl III, it showed that it wasn't just a fluke, and that the AFL teams could and would compete on the same scale as the pre-merger NFL teams. Which was a good thing, because the merger was now complete, and that was the last game any AFL team ever played.
He was named AFL MVP in 1962, and was an All-Star 6 times in the AFL and once in the NFL. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the AFL All-Time Team. The Chiefs retired his Number 16 and elected him to their team Hall of Fame. He became a broadcaster, and he, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf are the only men to be elected to their sports' Hall of Fame as both a player and a broadcaster. The Missouri Department of Transportation recently renamed an overpass on Interstate 435 near Arrowhead Stadium the Len Dawson Bridge.
3. Bobby Bell, linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-74. He was an All-Star 9 times in a row, 6 in the AFL and 3 in the NFL. He was a member of the Chiefs' 1966 and 1969 AFL Champions and their Super Bowl IV winners, and when a combined Defensive Player of the Year was named for both the AFL and the NFL in 1969, Bell received the honor.
Both the University of Minnesota and the Chiefs retired his Number 78. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame (the 1st Chief honored in Canton, outside of team founder Lamar Hunt), the AFL's All-Time Team, and the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 66th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 69th.
2. George Brett, 3rd base, Kansas City Royals, 1973-93. Harmon Killebrew, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry also played for the Royals and reached the Baseball Hall of Fame. but Brett is the only Royal Hall-of-Famer.
His lifetime batting average was .305, and he is the only man to win batting titles, in either League, in 3 different decades: 1976, 1980 and 1990 (at age 37). In 1980, after batting over .400 briefly in September, he finished at .390, which is still the highest batting average in a full 154- or 162-game season since Ted Williams batted .406 in 1941.
He collected 3,154 hits, including 317 home runs. It only seemed like most of them were against the Yankees, including one in Game 5 of the 1976 American League Championship Series (which the Yankees won anyway), 3 in Game 3 of the 1978 ALCS (which the Yankees won anyway), a towering drive that clinched Game 3 and a sweep of the 1980 ALCS, and the "Pine Tar" homer of 1983.
In Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS (which the Yankees won anyway), he made the mistake of starting a fight at 3rd base with Graig Nettles. The Yankees and their fans (I can attest to this) hated him enough to wonder if he might have once secretly played for the Boston Red Sox.
He was a 13-time All-Star, and in 1980, his .390 season, was awarded the AL's Most Valuable Player award as he led the Royals to their 1st Pennant. As Terry Cashman sang in "Talkin' Baseball," his tribute to the players he watched in the 1950s, "Well, now, it's the Eighties, and Brett is the greatest." Of course, he might not even have been the greatest 3rd baseman in the 1980 World Series, as Mike Schmidt led the Phillies past the Royals.
Brett finally led the Royals to a World Championship in 1985, and he was named MVP of the ALCS along the way. He also won his only Gold Glove that season. Indeed, from 1976 to 1985, 10 seasons, they were in the Playoffs 7 times. The franchise never reached the postseason without him on the roster until 2014.
The Royals retired his Number 5, and dedicated a statue of him outside Kauffman Stadium. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, Brett was ranked 55th.
1. Willie Lanier, linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs, 1967-77. One of several players from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to play for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs (Morgan State University in Baltimore -- Buck Buchanan of Grambling State in Louisiana was another), Willie was the greatest linebacker in AFL history, and one of the top NFL linebackers in his era.
A 2-time All-AFL player and a 6-time NFL Pro Bowler (that's 8 All-Star Teams), he arrived too late to play for the Chiefs team that won the 1966 AFL Championship and lost Super Bowl I, but he led the defense that won the 1969 AFL Championship and won Super Bowl IV.
He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame,and the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. The Chiefs retired his Number 63. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 42nd. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 53rd, making him the highest-ranked athlete on this list except for Tony Gonzalez, but higher than George Brett.
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