Throughout the Chiefs' near five-decade existence, there have been twelve starting quarterbacks to lead the team. Among the most prolific include
Hall of FamersLen 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.[1] 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[1] 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.[1]
The Chiefs have also had a repeated history of backup quarterbacks that steal the spotlight.[1][2]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1997 season, but was revoked of the job in favor of Grbac's return for the playoffs.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 championDenver 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 championIndianapolis Colts.[1][2][3]
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.[4]
#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