Len Dawson 1957 MVP Award

Lore & Background

Dawson was the fifth overall selection in the 1957 NFL draft, taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns on December 31, 1959, and released after the 1961 season. He signed with the AFL's Dallas Texans on June 30, 1962, reuniting with coach Hank Stram.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed over Cleveland Stadium in 1957 as Jim Brown took the field, a force of nature that no defense could contain. Fans cheered for their own legend, unaware that a rookie named Len Dawson was just beginning his journey thousands of miles away with the Dallas Texans. Decades later, history books would separate these two titans: one immortalized in Cleveland's orange and brown, the other forever etched into the red and gold of Kansas City.

Reader's Guide

Dawson led the AFL in completion percentage seven times, passer rating six times, and passing touchdowns four times. He was named AFL MVP in 1962, selected to six AFL All-Star games, and guided the Chiefs to three AFL championships and a Super Bowl IV victory, where he was MVP.

Did You Know?

• Dawson was the seventh son of a seventh son and the 9th of 11 children.
• He was the first athlete in 13 years to be named first-team all-state in both football and basketball during the same year at Alliance High School.
• Dawson chose Purdue over Ohio State due to his rapport with assistant coach Hank Stram.
• He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.