Why Chiefs’ 2019 Super Bowl win was not punter Dustin Colquitt’s favorite moment
For a player who experienced plenty of down years with the Chiefs, a Super Bowl triumph would easily be the singular highlight of an extensive and successful career.
Or so you’d think.
Dustin Colquitt savors having been the punter for the team that ended the franchise’s half-century Super Bowl championship drought in 2019, but he chokes up when thinking about the Chiefs’ previous game.
“The Super Bowl was like an out-of-body experience,” Colquitt said. “But I think my favorite was the AFC Championship.”
Memories came flooding back Wednesday as Colquitt signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Chiefs. He’s been out of football as a player since 2021 after spending 15 of his 17 seasons in the NFL in Kansas City.
The left-footer joined the Chiefs as a third-round draft pick in 2005 and then became their starting punter. His specialty was placing the ball inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
He landed 483 punts inside the 20, ranking second in NFL history in that important statistic. The leader in that category, Jeff Feagles, had 554 ... but Feagles also played in 97 more games than Colquitt.
Colquitt was selected to two Pro Bowls during his career in the league. But the Chiefs reached the playoffs in just two of his first eight seasons. Then came head coach Andy Reid in 2013, and the franchise began its current run of 12 straight winning seasons, with all but one of those teams reaching the playoffs.
Still, the Chiefs had only one postseason victory in Colquitt’s career — 2015, at the Houston Texans — until Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. The Chiefs fell in the AFC Championship Game at home that postseason, losing to the New England Patriots.
The next year, the Chiefs finished the job in that same game, defeating the Tennessee Titans at home to advance to the Super Bowl. Colquitt was overwhelmed when the Lamar Hunt Trophy, the AFC’s top prize named for the Chiefs’ founder, was presented to Clark Hunt for the first time.
“It was just the pinnacle, the most emotional,” Colquitt said. “You look up into the stands, and it’s almost like a religious experience.”
Colquitt watched as members of the Hunt family, people he’d embraced for years on the sidelines for good luck before games, became champions.
Two weeks later, the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in what proved to be Colquitt’s final game with Kansas City.
His 15 years with the Chiefs matches another punter, Jerrel Wilson, for the team’s longevity record. But no one has matched Colquitt’s franchise record for most games (238) in a Chiefs uniform.
Special teams coach Dave Toub helped add it up Wednesday. Colquitt, who also served as the holder on field goals and extra points, played for five Chiefs head coaches and held for nine different kickers.
“It’s unbelievable how long (he played) and how many people turn over in 15 years,” Toub said.
Practice ended Wednesday with Colquitt attempting one last punt. It came to rest at the 5.
“It was an ugly punt, but the result I wanted,” he said.