Chiefs Honor Len Dawson With Helmet Decal and Iconic Huddle
Legendary former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson passed away this week at the age of 87, and his legacy has been honored multiple times by the organization in the immediate aftermath of the news breaking. Additional examples of that were the club's pregame moment of silence and Patrick Mahomes's Dawson tribute hoodie, and the team shared something else as well. For each and every game this year, Kansas City will wear a No. 16 helmet decal on its helmets:
On Wednesday, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said that the franchise was in discussions with the Dawson family in regards to how to best memorialize the late quarterback. This decal is a tremendous step towards accomplishing that feat, and the Chiefs' offense also had something in mind. Once the unit got the ball in the first quarter of Thursday's game against the Green Bay Packers, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company lined up in the famous "choir huddle" formation that Dawson is pictured in below on the 1969 Chiefs team:
Here's more from Hunt on mourning Dawson's passing and remembering his impact not only on the Chiefs, but also the surrounding Kansas City area:
"My family and I are heartbroken. Len Dawson is synonymous with the Kansas City Chiefs. Len embraced and came to embody Kansas City and the people that call it home. You would be hard-pressed to find a player who had a bigger impact in shaping the organization as we know it today than Len Dawson did," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. "I admired Len my entire life – first as a Hall of Fame player on the field, and later as he transitioned into a successful broadcasting career. Throughout his remarkable career, Len made it a priority to give back to the community that he loved. The franchise has lost a true legend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Linda and his family."
Dawson was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and in his speech, he tipped his cap to his home state while also showing love to Kansas City as well:
"This week has been so special. The treatment that we have received here in Canton, Ohio has been nothing but the very, very best. The people have been tremendous in helping us to do whatever we possibly can to get over the nervous feeling right now. The people from Canton are great, but you know something, I’ve always known that, because this is where I grew up. The people of Kansas City, for those of you who don’t know this place, is some kind of town. The people of Kansas City are tremendous; they have been tremendous to me and my family and to the Kansas City Chiefs. I am very proud, very proud to be here. This has been the greatest week of my life. Thank you very much."
