KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Whether it was in the huddle during the early days of the AFL or behind the microphone as the NFL grew into the behemoth it is today, Len Dawson carried himself with an unmistakable swagger and self-assurance that earned him the well-worn nickname “Lenny the Cool.”
He was a Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl championship and a Hall of Fame broadcaster who brought football into the homes of millions on the iconic HBO show “Inside the NFL.”
“He was so far advanced in his time,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes once said. “One of the best to ever do it.”
Dawson’s family announced his death Wednesday at the age of 87. No cause was given, though Dawson had had prostate cancer and quadruple heart bypass surgery over the years. He had been in hospice care since Aug. 12.