The Missouri Department of Transportation dedicated the bridge on East Stadium Drive crossing over Interstate 435 in Jackson County as the “Len Dawson Bridge” in honor of the Super Bowl winning, Hall of Fame quarterback. This ceremony will officially honor Dawson’s bridge dedication. The dedication will take place on Friday, September 26, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.

In 1962 Dawson joined the Dallas Texans, who became the Kansas City Chiefs the next year, and led the franchise to its first AFL Championship in a double overtime victory over the Houston Oilers. Under his guidance, the Chiefs were perennial contenders and won the AFL Championship in 1962, 1966 and 1969. Dawson was the MVP of Super Bowl IV when he directed Kansas City to a 23-7 victory over the heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings.

Dawson was selected to play in six AFL All-Star games and the 1972 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl. An All-AFL selection in both 1962 and 1966, he was named the AFL Player of the Year in 1962. During his career, he completed 2,136 of 3,741 passes for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,293 yards before retiring after the 1975 season.

Dawson’s storied playing career was preserved by Kansas City in 1979 when he was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. In 1987, his legacy was then immortalized with his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After his playing career, Dawson became a nationally known sportscaster. He was a host of the groundbreaking show “Inside the NFL” on HBO during 1978-2001; a game analyst for NBC for several years; served as sports director at KMBC-TV (Channel 9), starting in his playing days from 1966 to 2011; and has been the analyst for Chiefs radio broadcasts since 1984.

In 2012, Dawson was awarded the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Award for Radio-Television, joining Dan Dierdorf and Frank Gifford as the only individuals in the Hall of Fame as both players and broadcasters.

This memorial designation became effective August 28th, 2014.