Len Dawson

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Dawson was born in Alliance, Ohio, the son of Annie and James Dawson. He was the seventh son of a seventh son and 9th of 11 children overall. He attended Alliance High School, where he was MVP of the football team and named outstanding Ohio back of the year by the International News Service. A three-sport athlete, Dawson set school records in football and basketball, and was the first athlete in 13 years to be named first-team all-state in both sports during the same year. During the recruiting process, Dawson had to choose between Ohio State University and Purdue University. While he was reluctant to take over Woody Hayes' split-T offense with the Buckeyes, the true reason he selected Purdue stemmed from the rapport he had established with assistant coach Hank Stram, beginning a friendship that would last for more than a half-century. As a sophomore in 1954, Dawson's first as the Boilermakers' quarterback, he was the NCAA's leader in pass efficiency, while also playing defense and serving as the team's kicker. He threw four touchdown passes in a 31–0 victory over Missouri, and later engineered a huge upset of Notre Dame, which had entered the contest on a 13-game winning streak. During three seasons (1954–1956) with the Boilermakers, Dawson threw for 3,325 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the Big Ten Conference in that category during each year. He was named third-team All-American in 1956. He was an All-Big Ten quarterback during the 1955 and 1956 seasons. While at Purdue, Dawson was initiated into the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

In Their Own Story

The 1969 season defined Dawson's career through resilience and dramatic recovery. In the second game, he suffered a knee injury that was initially feared to be season-ending. After missing five games, he returned to lead the Chiefs on road playoff victories over both the defending Super Bowl champion New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders. His performance there was so efficient that it silenced doubts about the AFL's quality against the established NFL. However, his tenure also witnessed a costly turning point on November 1, 1970. Facing third and long against the Oakland Raiders with the Chiefs leading 17–14 late in the fourth quarter, Dawson made a run to seal victory. As he lay on the ground, Raiders' defensive end Ben Davidson speared him with his helmet. This provoked receiver Otis Taylor into attacking Davidson, sparking a bench-clearing brawl. Offsetting penalties nullified the first down, forcing the Chiefs to punt. The Raiders tied the game on a George Blanda field goal with eight seconds left, eventually winning the AFC West while Kansas City finished 7–5–2 and missed the playoffs.

Reader's Guide

Dawson was the fifth overall selection in the 1957 NFL draft, taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he was unable to make an impact. Following his rookie season in 1957, his status became more tenuous when the Steelers acquired future Hall of Famer Bobby Layne early in the 1958 season. Dawson was traded to the Cleveland Browns on December 31, 1959. However, after encountering similar problems in battling Browns quarterback Milt Plum, Dawson was released after the 1961 season, having completed only 21 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns in his five seasons of NFL play. Dawson signed with the American Football League's Dallas Texans on June 30, 1962. The move reunited him with Stram, who was beginning his third year as the Texans' head coach. In 1962, Dawson led the league in touchdowns and yards per attempt, and was the Sporting News' selection as the AFL MVP. He also led Dallas to the first of three league titles in a thrilling double-overtime victory over the two-time defending champion Oilers in Houston. Dawson ran a ball-control offense in the 20–17 win, and tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to halfback Abner Haynes. The team moved north to Kansas City and was renamed to the Chiefs in 1963. A pinpoint passer, Dawson's mobility helped him flourish in Stram's "moving pocket" offense. He would win four AFL passing titles and was selected as a league All-Star six times, ending the 10-year run of the league as its highest-rated career passer. From 1962 to 1969, Dawson threw more touchdown passes (182) than any other professional football quarterback. In 1966, Dawson led the Chiefs to an 11–2–1 record and a 31–7 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFL Championship Game, earning his team the honor of representing the AFL in Super Bowl I. The NFL champion Green Bay Packers won easily, 35–10, but Dawson performed fairly well, completing 16 of 27 passes for 210 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Dawson was selected by his peers as a Sporting News 1966 AFL All-League player. Though he threw for more than 2,000 yards in each of the previous seven campaigns, Dawson's 1969 season with Kansas City would be his most memorable because of his dramatic comeback from a knee injury suffered in the season's second game. The injury was at first feared to be season-ending, but after missing five games, Dawson went on to lead the Chiefs to road playoff victories over both t

Did You Know?

• Dawson led the AFL in completion percentage seven times, not six.
• He held the single-season passing touchdown record from 1964 until it was broken in 2018.
• He was mistakenly linked to a gambling scandal by an unrelated man named Donald Dawson.
• Dawson signed with the Dallas Texans on June 30, 1962.
• The final score of Super Bowl IV was 23–7, with the Chiefs defeating the Minnesota Vikings.