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Legendary Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson recently passed away. He was honored during a preseason game in one of the most fitting ways possible. In addition to the traditional moment of silence accompanied by a tribute on the stadium screen, the Chiefs went above and beyond to put a personal touch on it.
The team lined up in a choir huddle prior to the first play of the preseason fixture against the Green Bay Packers. They remained there, taking a delay of game penalty in the process.
Len Dawson is credited with popularizing the choir huddle formation during the early days of the NFL. It differs from the common modern huddle where ten players form a circle around the quarterback. Instead, the choir huddle features two rows of five players each, with just the quarterback facing them.
The Chiefs were reportedly set to rest most of their starters for their final preseason game ahead of the 2022 NFL season. Peter King of Football Morning In America, spoke to head coach Andy Reid via text:
“Clark Hunt asked me if we could do the choir huddle, and then we put a little juice on it.”
King wrote that "Mahomes wanted in. Tight end Travis Kelce wanted in." So they were all involved in the choir huddle. They recreated Dawson's huddle with the exact details. They lined up their five offensive linemen standing in the back row with their five skill-position players in front of them.
They even had their middle three players in the front row hunch over, as the Chiefs did when Dawson ran the choir huddle. Reid had a picture on his phone of the exact choir huddle, but his players were already familiar with it. Owner Clark Hunt gives all of his new players a history lesson every year. The Chiefs' history can't be told without mentioning Len Dawson, and the idea of honoring him in this way was apparently Hunt's idea.
As Mahomes left the field, official Craig Wrolstad announced:
“Delay of game, Kansas City, number 16. Five yards, penalty declined.”
Patrick Mahomes is number 15. Wrolstad is a fan of NFL history and as a nice touch he didn’t tell the teams his idea. He announced 16 in reference to Len Dawson's number 16.
Len Dawson's legendary career with the Kansas City Chiefs
Len Dawson spent 14 years with the Kansas City organization. He established himself as one of the greatest players in franchise history and one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls and chosen to four All-Pro teams while winning two conference championships and a Super Bowl ring on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1966, Dawson became sports director at KMBC-TV in Kansas City. This was while still playing for the franchise. Dawson anchored on a nightly basis for KMBC-TV until March 2009. He still reported during the football season, but on a less regular basis.
Dawson was enshrined in the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1979. This was followed by his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Dawson touched a lot of lives with his skills on the field and his personality off it.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Football Morning In America and H/T Sportskeeda.
