Funeral held for Kansas City Chiefs legend Len Dawson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The life of Kansas City icon and legendary Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson is being commemorated on Friday at his funeral beginning at 11 a.m.
You can watch a livestream of the services on this page. Click here if you aren't seeing a video player.
A number of speakers will remember Dawson during the service, including: Chiefs teammate Bobby Bell, owner Clark Hunt, broadcaster Kevin Harlan, Chiefs broadcast teammate Dan Israel, Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver II, Adrian Allison, Dino Dinovitz, Sarah Smith and John Crumley.
Dawson passed away at the age of 87 on August 24. He had entered hospice care a couple of weeks before his passing, his son provided this statement from family:
With wife Linda at his side, it is with much sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved Len Dawson. He was a wonderful husband, father, brother and friend. Len was always grateful and many times overwhelmed by the countless bonds he made during his football and broadcast careers.
Dawson Family
After playing college football at Purdue University, Dawson first played professionally in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns before joining the American Football League's Dallas Texans in 1962. He followed the franchise when Lamar Hunt moved it to Kansas City in 1963, where he'd play 13 of his 19 professional seasons.
He led the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings, earning MVP honors in the franchise's first Super Bowl triumph. Dawson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1987 and a broadcaster in 2012.
Dawson’s wife Linda is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Len’s memory to The University of Kansas Health System in support of nursing scholarships and mailed to Fund Development, or to Kansas City Hospice.
The services are being held at Country Club Christian Church at 61st and Ward Parkway, KCPD announced the following street closures beginning at 9:30 a.m.:
- Northbound Ward Parkway at West 63rd Street
- Eastbound 62nd Street on the west side of Ward Parkway
- Westbound 61st Street at Belleview Avenue (access only to residents & funeral attendees)
- Westbound 61st Terrace at Summit Street (access only to residents & funeral attendees)
- Westbound 62nd Street at Summit Street (access to residents only)
Emergency No Parking areas will also be in place to make sure emergency vehicles can reach neighborhoods near the church, if necessary. The areas are as follows:
- North side, westbound curb of West 61st Street from Belleview Avenue to Ward Parkway
- North side, westbound curb of West 61st Terrace from Summit Street to Ward Parkway
Police are also asking drivers and people living in the area to use alternative routes if at all possible beginning around 9:30 a.m. Officers expect traffic to be back to normal by 1:30 p.m.
FOX4 will have complete coverage of Dawson's services online and in midday and evening newscasts.