Len Dawson (born June 20, 1935) was an American college and professional football player from Purdue University. He was another who was called an “NFL reject” by that league’s talent evaluators when they decided some players weren’t good enough to play in the NFL. But in his first year in the American Football League, Dawson led his Dallas Texans to a double-overtime victory over the two-time defending American Football League Champion Houston Oilers. The game was a classic, and Dawson ran a ball-control offense for a 17-14 win. Dawson had a 28-yard touchdown pass to Hall of Fame halfback Abner Haynes.

In his first season, 1962, Dawson had led the league in touchdowns and yards per attempt. He was The Sporting News' selection as the AFL MVP for 1962. A pinpoint passer with four AFL passing titles, Len Dawson went on to be selected an American Football League All-Star six times, and holds the AFL’s number one career passer rating. He quarterbacked his team to three American Football League championships.

Dawson was the MVP in the Fourth AFL-NFL World Championship game (Super Bowl IV), the last game ever played by an American Football League team. He led the league out in glory, with his Kansas City Chiefs defeating the heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings, who, like the Colts of the previous year, had been touted as “the best team in pro football history”. Dawson was named to the second team All-Time All-AFL Team, and is a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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• Other American Football League players