Chiefs Hall of Famer Abner Haynes Dies at Age 86

Abner Haynes, a Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer and the first AFL Player of the Year, has died at the age of 86.

Jan 16, 1965; Houston, TX, USA; FILE PHOTO; Kansas City Chiefs running back Abner Haynes (28) in action during the 1965 AFL All Star Game at Jeppesen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports / Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Abner Haynes has died at the age of 86.

Haynes was a member of the inaugural 1960 Dallas Texans team that would later become the Kansas City Chiefs. Haynes, a running back and return specialist, was named to the AFL's All-AFL team three consecutive years from 1960-62 and was the young league's first AFL Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

In a statement from the team, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt remembered Haynes and expressed the Hunt family's condolences after losing one of the organization's first and most excellent players.

"My family and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Chiefs Hall of Famer Abner Haynes," Hunt said. "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. He remained involved in the community well after his playing days were over, and his legacy extends far beyond the gridiron. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Guadalupe and his entire family during this difficult time."

RIP Abner Haynes🙏🏻
Dallas Texans/#Chiefs Halfback

• 1962 AFL Champion🏆
• AFL All-Time Team
• 1960 AFL Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year
• AFL All-Time Ranks
· #1 - All-purpose yards
· #1 - Rushing TD
· #1 - Points (and TD) in a game
· #1 - Total TD & rush TD… pic.twitter.com/E97jZZQaS1

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) July 18, 2024

The Chiefs' press release also detailed Haynes's path to the AFL, including how Haynes and a teammate made history by being the first Black players on an integrated college football team in the South.

"The Denton, Texas, native attended North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas) where he was a college standout, earning All-Missouri Valley Conference honors twice and was named an All-American by Time magazine as a senior in 1959," the Chiefs' release reads. "In 1956, Haynes and teammate Leon King became the first Black student athletes to play on an integrated college football team in Texas, or anywhere in the South, when they joined the North Texas freshman team. Haynes was passionate about providing access to football for youth and was involved with Heroes of Football, an organization that worked to share stories of the players who shaped professional football as well as connect them to their communities. Haynes was inducted into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 and was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1991."