Abner Haynes has passed away. Who was Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer?

Inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1991, it was largely through Haynes’ exploits that the AFL of the 1960s became well-known in American households. Needless to say, he will be missed by the football fraternity and beyond.

Chiefs’ Hall of Famer Abner Haynes has died

There is a cause for sadness this week after reports confirmed on Thursday that Abner Haynes, a Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer, died at age 86. A prolific running back, it was Haynes who is widely credited with popularizing the American Football League at the time. In a statement, Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt wrote that Haynes was still an active member of the Kansas City community, disclosing that he and his family were deeply saddened passing of the running back.

“Abner was one of the first great stars of the Dallas Texans and the American Football League. In the league’s first season in 1960, Abner earned Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors, and more importantly, he earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and fans alike. In addition to his on-the-field prowess, Abner was a man of courage and leadership from a very young age,” Hunt wrote.

Who was Abner Haynes?

Though he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1960, Haynes actually took the decision to go to the then-Dallas Texans for the AFL’s first season instead. It proved to be a sound choice as he would go on to become the first recipient of the fledgling league’s Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. Then, just two years later in 1962, he would become an AFL champion.

Haynes would go on to spend a total of five years with the Texans, including the first two years after the team’s relocation to Kansas City in 1963. Four years later his time in the professional game would come to an end in 1967 following brief runs with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. As fans will know, it was not long after that the AFL merged with the NFL to create the singular league that we all know today.

Worth mentioning is the fact that prior to his time in professional football, Haynes played college football at North Texas State, known today as the University of North Texas. Born in Denton, Texas, Haynes along with his teammate Leon Kin, became the first two Black athletes to play college football in Texas when they attended North Texas in 1956. Such was the legacy of the man who would be inducted into the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame some three decades later in 1991, with his No. 28 jersey becoming one of only 10 in franchise history to be retired.