KC Chiefs great Dante Hall loved this play most. But it wasn’t one of his TD returns
Quick: First play you think of when you think of the great Chiefs return specialist Dante Hall ...
It’s got to be this one, right?
Multiple change of direction including backwards on punt return against the Denver Broncos in 2003. Hall had a return touchdown in a record fourth straight NFL game.
It has to be Hall’s most memorable. But no.
Hall, who during the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City was announced as the newest addition to the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame, said his favorite play during his seven-year Chiefs career (2000-06) wasn’t a return at all.
It was a pass reception, complete with the sickest juke you’ve seen on a football field, that resulted in a 49-yard touchdown.
“I remember this one the best and it’s my favorite by far,” Hall said. “The catch on the sideline, the spin, step back. Aesthetically, as a football fan, I love it the most, but it was also the most important.”
Important? The reception, on a short pass from Trent Green, cut a 17-point Broncos lead to 10, and Denver went on to a 31-24 triumph.
Let Hall explain:
“At that time I was primarily a return man,” Hall said. “They’d stick me in on gadget plays as a receiver. But I remember after that particular play having so many more plays designed and drawn up just for me. It allowed me to play on offense which allowed me to get in the game and groove more, which I helped sprung my return game.
“It was tough the first two years only being a return man. You’re not playing much on offense. You’re coming in cold, you don’t get the flow and speed of the game. After that, I played in 30, 40 percent of the offense. And the return game became easier at that point.”
Hall’s 11 return touchdowns and his combined punt return and kick return yards top the Chiefs’ career lists.
This story was originally published April 29, 2023 at 4:23 PM.