Kansas City, football community remembers Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Following the death of Hall-of-Fame Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson early Wednesday morning, members of the Kansas City and sports community shared messages of support on social media.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted a message along with a widely-circulated image that depicts the two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“RIP to the legend Len Dawson,” Mahomes tweeted. “The legacy and impact you made on Kansas City will live on forever. Prayers to his family.”

“You can’t tell the story of the NFL without Len Dawson,” tweeted the NFL Films account.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the flag at its headquarters in Canton, Ohio, would be flown at half-staff in his honor.

“Len grew up only a few miles from where the Pro Football Hall of Fame later built, and fans in the area have always taken a special pride in seeing one of the greats from this region enshrined in Canton,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said. “Fans connected with Len’s story of perseverance, appreciating how he gave the game one more try after five nondescript seasons when many others would have quit.”

The Kansas City Chiefs released a statement and shared posts honoring the Super Bowl IV-winning quarterback.

“Len Dawson is synonymous with the Kansas City Chiefs,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Len embraced and came to embody Kansas City and the people that call it home.”

Former Kansas City Star columnist Sam Mellinger shared his memory of Dawson on Twitter.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also tweeted his thoughts on the legendary Chiefs quarterback.

“Rest In Peace, Len Dawson. One of Kansas City’s greatest on the field, in broadcasting, and in our community,” Lucas tweeted. “My thoughts are with his wife, Linda, his family, and the many friends he made over a tremendous lifetime.”

810 Sports Radio host Joshua Brisco re-tweeted the famous image of Dawson smoking a cigarette during halftime of the Super Bowl, with the caption “Eternally Cool,” while Kansas City Sports Network host Kent Swanson said Dawson connected generations of Chiefs fans.

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