Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs honor the late Len Dawson with decals, hoodie, special huddle
The memory of Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson was on the minds of Chiefs players and the Kansas City organization as a whole during Thursday night’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.
The legendary football and broadcast careers of Dawson, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 87, were highlighted at the start of the game’s coverage on KSHB (Ch. 41).
During pre-game warmups, quarterback Patrick Mahomes paid tribute to Dawson with a new, red hoodie depicting the MVP of Super Bowl IV.
There was a moment of silence before kickoff, and all of the Chiefs players wore a 16 decal on their helmets in honor of Dawson, who wore that number.
After the Chiefs’ defense forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening series, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense huddled up in the “choir” formation that Dawson used when he played for the franchise from 1962-75.
Ryan Petkoff, senior vice president of brand development and communications for the Hunt Sports Group, tweeted that Chiefs team historian Bob Moore came up with the tribute.
“Shoutout to longtime Chiefs PR man Bob Moore for the idea and to Clark, Andy, @PatrickMahomes and the guys on the execution. Great tribute to Lenny,” Petkoff wrote.
That was the only time Mahomes was on the field during the game, and he left for the sideline after the huddle but before the ball was snapped.
Mahomes was asked about the special huddle during a third-quarter interview with Chiefs sideline reporter Kimmi Chex.
“We all wanted to something. I think Clark (Hunt, team owner) and Coach Andy Reid talked about it and came up with the idea,” Mahomes said. “We were praying for his family, but he did so much to impact the Kansas City community and this organization. We wanted to do something, a little token of our appreciation, and I’m glad we got to do it out here at Arrowhead.”
Mahomes also spoke of Dawson’s legacy in Kansas City on and off the field.
“First off as a player, I mean, he was kind of the guy that got the Kansas City Chiefs going,” Mahomes said. “It was the Dallas Texans, they came to Kansas City. joined the NFL and the AFL and he won those games. He was part of a great group that kind of made the Chiefs who we are today.
“And so he started out there and then a broadcaster calling the games. A lot of people grew up listening to him broadcasting those games and then as a person he was one of the best people that I’ve met. And I got to meet him a couple times here. And he always had advice for how to embrace this community because it’s such a great community.”
In the first quarter, Hunt visited with the television commentators in the broadcast booth and sent on-air condolences to Dawson’s family. Hunt also talked about Dawson’s impact on the Chiefs franchise and the Kansas City area.
“I think one of the special things about Len is he chose to live here even though he was originally from Ohio. And not only did he live here, but he invested back into the community,” Hunt said. “That ultimately resulted in him being awarded the NFL Man of the Year Award. He was our second player to win that award. And it was so, so deserving and he really stayed like that his entire life.
“I’ve run into so many people over the last couple of days who’ve wanted to share their Len Dawson story about how he touched their lives.”
The Chiefs beat the Packers 17-10.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 7:39 PM.
