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KANSAS CITY, Mo.–Hall of Fame quarterback and broadcaster Len Dawson died Wednesday.

Before Dawson started his pro career in the NFL, he played college football at Purdue University. As a sophomore in 1954, he was the NCAA’s leader in pass efficiency while also playing defense and serving as the team’s kicker.

Among the many people mourning Dawson’s death is the chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs Clark Hunt. Hunt said he and his family are “heartbroken.” Hunt said Dawson “came to embody Kansas City and the people that call it home.” Current Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted Dawson’s “legacy and impact” on the city “will live on forever.”

Dawson led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory in 1970 and was a quarterback for the team for 14 years. He spent the next 33 years in the broadcasting booth and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a broadcaster.

Dawson was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991. He began hospice care earlier this month and died this morning.

Dawson was 87.

 

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