The following lists provide an overview of notable groupings of Kansas City Chiefs players.
All-time roster
Main article: Kansas City Chiefs all-time rosterCurrent roster
Chiefs quarterbacks
Main article: History of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacksThroughout the Chiefs' near five-decade existence, there have been twelve starting quarterbacks to lead the team. Among the most prolific include Hall of Famers Len Dawson and Joe Montana, as well as superb quarterbacks of their era like Trent Green.
In the past few decades, the Chiefs have relied on veteran quarterbacks to lead their team. The last quarterback to be drafted by Kansas City that later went on to claim the starting position was Bill Kenney in 1980. Since Kenney's retirement in 1988. the Chiefs never drafted their own quarterback to develop until Brodie Croyle was drafted in 2006. When head coach Herman Edwards arrived in 2006, he stated that he was looking towards implementing younger players into his gameplan, and he was arguably looking to start at the quarterback position.
The Chiefs have also had a repeated history of backup quarterbacks that steal the spotlight. Mike Livingston led the Chiefs to the playoffs in their 1969 season after starting quarterback Len Dawson was injured for the majority of the year. Most recently, Rich Gannon took over for the injured Elvis Grbac in the 1997 season, but was revoked of the job in favor of Grbac's return for the playoffs. The Chiefs lost in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. A similar incident occurred in the 2006 season and playoffs when Trent Green and the Chiefs' offense failed to get a first down in the first forty-two minutes of the game. Backup quarterback Damon Huard, whom led the Chiefs on a 5-2 record in Green's absence, never played a down in the playoff loss to—coincidentally—the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
Super Bowl IV (1969) champions
Honored players
Pro Football Hall of Famers
| Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame enshrinees | ||||
| Players | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| 78 | Bobby Bell | LB | 1963–1974 | 1983 |
| 63 | Willie Lanier | LB | 1967–1977 | 1986 |
| 16 | Len Dawson | QB | 1963–1975 | 1987 |
| 86 | Buck Buchanan | DT | 1963–1975 | 1990 |
| 3 | Jan Stenerud | K | 1967–1979 | 1991 |
| 53 | Mike Webster | C | 1989–1990 | 1997 |
| 19 | Joe Montana | QB | 1993–1994 | 2000 |
| 32 | Marcus Allen | RB | 1993–1997 | 2003 |
| 1 | Warren Moon | QB | 1999–2000 | 2006 |
| 18 | Emmitt Thomas | CB | 1966–1978 | 2008 |
| 58 | Derrick Thomas | LB | 1989–1999 | 2009 |
| 77 | Willie Roaf | T | 2002–2005 | 2012 |
| 61 | Curley Culp | DT | 1968–1974 | 2013 |
| 68 | Will Shields | G | 1993–2006 | 2015 |
| 8 | Morten Andersen | K | 2002–2003 | 2017 |
| 88 | Tony Gonzalez | TE | 1997–2008 | 2019 |
| 24 | Ty Law | CB | 2006–2007 | 2019 |
| 42 | Johnny Robinson | S | 1960–1971 | 2019 |
| 24 | Darrelle Revis | CB | 2017 | 2023 |
| Coaches and contributors | ||||
| Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | |
| Lamar Hunt | Founder of franchise and American Football League | 1960–2006 | 1972 | |
| Marv Levy | Head coach | 1978–1982 | 2001 | |
| Hank Stram | Head coach | 1960–1974 | 2003 | |
| Bill Polian | Contributor | 1978–1982 | 2015 | |
| Bobby Beathard | Contributor | 1963, 1966–1967 | 2018 | |
| Dick Vermeil | Head coach | 2001–2005 | 2022 | |
| Began career in the American Football League. Member of 1969 Super Bowl championship team. Spent majority of their career with the Chiefs (names in bold). | ||||
Chiefs Hall of Fame
The Kansas City Chiefs feature forty-four former players and franchise contributors in their team hall of fame. Several of the team's names are featured at Arrowhead Stadium in a "ring of honor." A new member has been inducted in an annual ceremony, with the exception of the 1983 season.
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1970s |
1980s |
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1990s |
2000s |
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2010s |
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
- Lamar Hunt, team Founder and Owner
- Marty Schottenheimer, Coach
- Hank Stram, Coach
- Dick Vermeil, Coach
- #32 Marcus Allen, Running Back
- #84 Fred Arbanas, Tight End
- #78 Bobby Bell, Linebacker
- #71 Ed Budde, Guard
- #20 Deron Cherry, Safety
- #16 Len Dawson, Quarterback
- #31 Priest Holmes, Running Back
- #46 Jim Kearney, Safety
- #63 Willie Lanier, Linebacker
- #32 Curtis McClinton, Halfback
- #54 Curt Merz, Guard
- #76 Mo Moorman, Guard
- #35 Christian Okoye, Running Back
- #14 Ed Podolak, Running Back
- #49 Tony Richardson, Fullback
- #42 Johnny Robinson, Safety
- #70 Jerome Sally, Nose Tackle
- #68 Will Shields, Guard
- #90 Neil Smith, Defensive End
- #59 Gary Spani, Linebacker
- #3 Jan Stenerud, Kicker
- #67 Art Still, Defensive End
- #89 Otis Taylor, Wide Receiver
- #18 Emmitt Thomas, Cornerback
Other notable alumni
- #26 Gary Barbaro, DB
- #4 Steve Fuller, QB
- #24 Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, DB
- Bobby Hunt (1962 Dallas Texans - 1967 Kansas City Chiefs; Defensive Back, and a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame.)
- #9 Bill Kenney, QB
- #99 Ernie Ladd (Defensive tackle; 1967-1968. Also played for the San Diego Chargers and the Houston Oilers, and a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame.)
- #61 Curley Culp, DT
- #8 Nick Lowery, K
- #63 Bill Maas, DT
- #32 Curtis McClinton (scored a touchdown in Super Bowl I)
- #32 Tony Reed, RB
- #86 J. T. Smith, WR
- #83 Stephone Paige, WR
- #17 Elmo Wright and the Elmo Wright Touchdown Dance
- #10 Mike Livingston, QB (Led the Chiefs in their championship 1969 season while Len Dawson was injured)
- #31 Kevin Ross, DB
- #61 Tim Grunhard, C
- #38 Kimble Anders, RB
- #17 Steve DeBerg, QB
- #40 James Hasty, CB
- #49 Tony Richardson, FB (1995–2005, a major factor in the Chiefs' offensive success)
- #77 Willie Roaf, T (2002–2005, dubbed the "heart and soul" of Kansas City's offense by fans during the Dick Vermeil era)
- #12 Rich Gannon, QB (1995–1998, backup quarterback under Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac)
- #88 Morris Stroud, TE (1970–1974), second tallest person to ever play in the NFL.
- #68 Will Shields, G (1993–2006), never missed a game in his entire 14-year career all with the Chiefs and a major part of the Chiefs' offensive successes in the 1990s and early 2000s
- #88 Tony Gonzalez, TE, finished his career with the Atlanta Falcons
References
- ^ Gretz, Bob. The quarterback myth Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine KCChiefs.com, April 27, 2006.
- ^ Gretz, Bob. Huard performing a tough act to follow Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine KCChiefs.com, October 26, 2006.
- Gretz, Bob. Quarterbacks and controversy Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine KCChiefs.com, November 1, 2006
- Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame Archived June 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, KCChiefs.com, Accessed June 22, 2008.
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