Happy BD to Lenny the Cool

[gblowfish]

81 years today.

Just keep matriculating the ball down the field, Leonard....

[KChiefs1]

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[TrebMaxx]

HBD LTC!

[gblowfish]

We ought to go back to using that huddle.

[SAUTO]

We share

[KChiefs1]

Happy 81st Birthday to Len Dawson who was born on this day in 1935 in Alliance, Ohio. Dawson was the ninth of 11 children born to parents James and Annie. Like his father James, Len was the seventh son. The younger Dawson starred in three varsity sports at Alliance High School and was the first athlete in 13 years to be named first-team all-state in both football in basketball in his home state of Ohio.

For college, it seemed all but certain that Len Dawson was going to go to Ohio State. However, two things changed during Dawson’s recruitment. The first was the decision by Ohio State head football coach Woody Hayes to convert to the split-T offense which would negate Dawson’s abilities as a passer. The other was the rapport that Dawson developed with Purdue assistant coach and recruiter Hank Stram that would lead to a lifelong friendship. Dawson ultimately went to Purdue and helped the Boilermakers excel with major upset wins over Missouri and Notre Dame.

In 1957, Len Dawson was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but hardly found the field at quarterback as he languished behind Bobby Lane. After two years in Pittsburgh, Dawson was traded to the Cleveland Browns where he failed to unseat Milt Plum. Five years into his playing career, Dawson had started just two games and completed just 21 of his 45 passes for a total of 204 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Prior to the 1962 season, Len Dawson was waived by the Cleveland Browns and found a new home in the American Football League with the Dallas Texans where he was reunited with Hank Stram who had become the Texans head coach in 1960. Persistent doubt cast by Paul Brown as well as Texans owner Lamar Hunt was dispelled in large part due to the extra time that Stram spent with Dawson to help him rediscover his proper mechanics of quarterback play. The result was an 11-3 record for the Texans and winning the championship of the AFL in double overtime against the Houston Oilers. Dawson would share league MVP honors in 1962 with Buffalo Bills running back Cookie Gilchrist.

After winning the 1962 AFL Championship, Lamar Hunt made the decision to move the Dallas Texans to Kansas City where they would be renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. While in Kansas City, Dawson became a sportscaster for KMBC-TV in 1966 while playing for the team. Meanwhile, Dawson would appear in six AFL All-Star Games and be named first-team All-AFL in 1962 and 1966.

The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs would reclaim their place atop the American Football League winning the league title over the Buffalo Bills. Len Dawson was showcased in Hank Stram’s revolutionary offense that set franchise records for scoring and yards gained. However, the Chiefs would fall victim to the Green Bay Packers in the first Super Bowl played on January 15, 1967 by the final score of 35-10. Dawson threw an interception early in the third quarter with the Chiefs trailing 14-10 and the Packers ran off 21 consecutive points to finish off the win for the NFL champions.

Over the next three years, Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs worked like crazy to return to the Super Bowl for their chance at redemption. It would come in 1969, but it would not be easy. A knee sprain suffered in the second week of the season against the Boston Patriots, the death of Dawson’s father, and alleged ties to a Detroit gambler at the center of a federal raid would haunt Dawson throughout the season. The Chiefs became the first wild card team in either the AFL or the NFL to reach the Super Bowl thanks to playoff wins on the road against the previous two AFL championship teams, the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. Super Bowl IV would prove to be the crowning moment in Len Dawson’s playing career as he was named Super Bowl MVP. Dawson completed 12 of his 17 passes for 142 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Upon the completion of the ten years of the American Football League, Len Dawson finished as the league’s all-time leading passer and was a second-team all-time All-AFL selection behind Joe Namath who led the New York Jets and the AFL to victory in Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts. It was also during that time that Len Dawson became known as “Lenny the Cool” for his ability to come off as being unfazed by the pressure of the moment whether it was on the football field facing a fierce rush or in front of the camera on the nightly news.

After winning Super Bowl IV, Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs attempted to recapture the magic, but came up short. The 1970 season may best be remembered for a 17-17 tie against the Oakland Raiders when Dawson had seemingly gained a game-clinching first down, but offsetting personal foul penalties were called on Ben Davidson for spearing Dawson in the back while he was on the ground and on Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor for going after Davidson for the hit. The game ultimately ended in a tie when George Blanda made a 46-yard field goal for the tie, one that would be the deciding factor between the Chiefs missing the playoffs that year.

The 1971 Kansas City Chiefs would win the AFC Western Division and Len Dawson would be named to his only NFL Pro Bowl of his career. However, the Chiefs would come up short in a double overtime loss on Christmas Day to the Miami Dolphins 27-24. It would be the last playoff game for the Chiefs until 1986. Following the 1975 season, Dawson retired and became a full-time broadcaster doing games for NBC and hosting HBO’s Inside the NFL. The 1975 season, which was Dawson’s last, was played under first-year head coach Paul Wiggin who replaced Hank Stram after Stram was fired.

However, life after football would turn tragic for the man known as “Lenny the Cool”. In 1978, Len Dawson’s wife Jackie died at the age of 42 after suffering from a series of strokes. A widower with daughter Lisa Anne and son Len, Jr., Dawson made the best of the tough circumstances and ultimately married his current wife Linda. The Dawsons continue to live in Kansas City to this day.

A true legend in Kansas City sports, Len Dawson made a career change to stay closer to home in 1985. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs radio broadcasting team as a color analyst and has worked alongside play-by-play announcers Kevin Harlan and Mitch Holthus. He also returned to KMBC-TV as the sports director and continues to appear on the station’s broadcasts to discuss all things Kansas City Chiefs.

From his playing career, Len Dawson was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1979 and had his number 16 retired by the organization. In 1987, Dawson would be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, just 21 miles from his hometown of Alliance, Ohio. Dawson’s presenter was his head coach Hank Stram for whom he returned the favor when Stram was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Len Dawson would also receive the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and became the third Hall of Fame player to receive the honor. The other two individuals are Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf.


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