Chiefs all-time great Johnny Robinson finally elected to Hall of Fame
At least one former Chiefs player is joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.
On Saturday, at last, defensive back Johnny Robinson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Johnny Robinson has been deserving for almost 50 years. So we’re so glad that he has an opportunity,” team CEO and owner Clark Hunt told the Star.
Robinson received the hallowed hotel room-door knock from Hall of Fame president David Baker Saturday afternoon. He was chosen from an 18-member finalist class by 48 selectors during a tedious deliberation process in Atlanta ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams.
Robinson, 80, was the sole senior finalist and needed 80 percent of the vote to be elected.
He had to wait an inordinate amount of time for this honor.
One of only 20 players to play in all 10 years of the AFL and a member of the Texans’ 1962 AFL championship team and Chiefs’ 1970 Super Bowl-championship team, Robinson was snubbed six times for a Hall of Fame spot in the 1980s.
After beginning his pro career as a running back, Robinson spent 10 years as a safety for the Dallas Texans-turned-Chiefs franchise. Robinson had 57 interceptions over his decade at safety and led the AFL with 10 picks in 1966 and the NFL with another 10 in 1970.
“Johnny Robinson, we’d been hoping for a number of years that the senior committee would recognize him, but didn’t know it was going to be this year,” Hunt said. “And then of course, (the rise of Chiefs quarterback) Patrick (Mahomes), nobody could’ve predicted that.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2019 at 3:59 PM.