KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Memorial services have been announced for the late Kansas City Chiefs legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Len Dawson who died this week at the age of 87.
Services for Dawson will be held at the Country Club Christian Church located at 6101 Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, September 16 at 11 a.m.
Dawson’s wife Linda is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Len’s memory to The University of Kansas Health System in support of nursing scholarships and mailed to Fund Development, or to Kansas City Hospice.
Dawson joined the Dallas Texans in 1962 and followed the franchise to Kansas City, where he led the renamed Chiefs to a championship in Super Bowl IV. He also worked as a TV sportscaster long after his playing days were over.
Lenny The Cool went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1987 and a broadcaster in 2012.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt called Dawson “a part of every major moment in Chiefs history.”
Dawson’s playing career started as a standout quarterback at Purdue before he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a first-round draft pick. He was quickly traded to the Cleveland Browns.
In 1962, Dawson finally signed with the Dallas Texans, reuniting him with Hank Stram, who had been an assistant coach for the Boilermakers before becoming the AFL franchise’s head coach.
Dawson promptly led the Texans to the AFL title and was the league’s MVP, and then moved with the club to Kansas City the following year. He led the Chiefs to two more AFL titles in 1966 and 1969, when he came back from a serious injury to help the Chiefs beat Minnesota 23-7 for their first Super Bowl title.
He ranks among the elite forward passers of all time with an 82.56 rating compiled over 19 seasons.
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