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The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #21

Kansas City Chiefs running backs Mike Garrett (21) and Curtis McClinton (32) line up during Super Bowl I, a 35-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (via www.hworth.net)

You know you're getting into the nitty gritty of Kansas City Chiefs' history when you find a name misspelling of a cornerback who didn't register any stats with the team. Chiefs web team, it's Tahan Lewis, not Tahuan. No "u" in there you see.

We have 16 players to review this morning, which means that the info on each was a bit light because I'm only getting up at 6 AM to do these posts, not any earlier. I'm working on close to an hour and a half already with this post.

The current #21 is RB Kolby Smith, who does have a good chance to put up similar numbers to say a Mike Garrett in his career. To surpass Garrett though in Chiefs' lore, Kolby would have to snag one of those Super Bowl rings. Maybe Damon Huard showed Kolby his rings when he was a Chief.

  • CB Hise Austin (1975)
  • S Martin Bayless (1992-93, ʼ95-96)
  • RB Clark Gaines (1981-82)
  • RB Mike Garrett (1966-70)
  • WR Dennis Homan (1971-72)
  • CB Garry Lewis (1993)
  • CB Tahuan Lewis (1992)
  • S Odis McKinney (1985)
  • RB Arnold Morgado (1977-80)
  • RB Tommy Reamon (1976)
  • RB James Saxon (1988-91)
  • RB John Stephens (1993)
  • RB Ralph Stockemer (1987)
  • RB Jon Vaughan (1994)
  • DB David Webster (1960-61)
  • S Jerome Woods (1996-04)

Click Continue Reading to learn more about the history of #21...

Star-divide

CB Hise Austin (1975)

A 6'4" cornerback out of Prairie View College, Austin was an 8th round draft pick in 1973 by the Green Bay Packers. He shows up in the Chiefs' stat lines in 1975, when he played in three games and recovered a fumble.

S Martin Bayless (1992-93, ʼ95-96)

Drafted in 1984, Bayless was a Buffalo Bill and a San Diego Charger before coming to KC in 1992. He started 26 games at safety from 1992-1993, snagging three INTs and forcing two fumbles.

Bayless went to the Redskins for a season before coming back to KC in 1995 and 1996. He only started one game in that time.

RB Clark Gaines (1981-82)

After fives seasons in New York playing fullback for the Jets, Gaines came to KC in 1981 and logged one carry and two receptions in two seasons. In New York, he was a fantastic utility player - rushing, blocking and receiving in addition to playing fantastic on special teams.

RB Mike Garrett (1966-70)

Sb01_pitts_garrett_medium

via www.hworth.net

The 1965 Heisman Trophy winner, Garrett was an integral part of the late 1960s Chiefs teams that eventually would win the Super Bowl in 1969. He played four full seasons with the Chiefs before heading to San Diego to finish his career. Here are his career stats as a Chief:

Year   G   GS   Att   Yds   TD   Lng   Rec   Yds   TD  
5 yrs  58 0 736 3246 24 77 141 1231 7

In Super Bowl IV, Garrett had 39 yards rushing and a rushing TD. He also caught two passes for 25 yards and added a kick return of 18 yards.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season and did the same next year, in addition to being named All-Pro.

WR Dennis Homan (1971-72)

Homan played the first three seasons of his NFL career in Dallas, before coming to KC in 1971. He played two seasons for the Chiefs, catching fourteen total passes and one touchdown.

CB Garry Lewis (1993)

Lewis appeared to be a special teams defensive player in his four year NFL career. He played in one game for the Chiefs in 1993 and didn't register any stats.

CB Tahan Lewis (1992)

Not much out there on Lewis whatsoever, which make me think he was an undrafted free agent type in 1992. He played in nine games for the Chiefs, starting none of them.

S Odis McKinney (1985)

A second round pick by the Giants in 1978, McKinney was a Giant and a Raider for most of his career. He played a partial season with the Chiefs in 1985, playing in five games and starting one.

RB Arnold Morgado (1977-80)

Coming out of the University of Hawaii, Morgado was a very solid running back for the Chiefs in the late 1970s. He played in 52 games over four seasons in KC, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and fifteen touchdowns.

RB Tommy Reamon (1976)

Coming out of the University of Missouri in 1974, Reamon was drafted by the Steelers but opted instead to play for the World Football League. Well, the league folded and Reamon was a Steeler in 1975. He was traded to the Chiefs in the 1976 pre-season and ended up playing pretty well for the Chiefs that year.

In his one season in KC, Reamon had 103 rushing attempts for 314 yards and four touchdowns. He started four of the eleven games he appeared in for the Chiefs.

Currently, Reamon is a high school football coach in the Newport News, VA, school system. And here is your Michael Vick tie-in:

In his tenure with Newport News Public Schools, Coach Reamon was noted for helping develop future NFL quarterbacks Aaron Brooks and Michael Vick. He also coached Marcus Vick, Michael's younger brother. Reamon assisted Brooks with his transition to the University of Virginia, and later, each of the Vick brothers at Virginia Tech, where each they received full scholarships.

Reamon also appeared in the movie North Dallas Forty and on several episodes of Charlies' Angels.

RB James Saxon (1988-91)

Saxon was a decent running back for the Chiefs who later came back to the franchise as the runningbacks coach in the early 2000s. In four seasons with the Chiefs, Saxon played in 54 games; started six of them; rushed for 497 yards on 127 carries; and scored five touchdowns.

Saxon was also the Chiefs' runningbacks coach for some of the best Chiefs of all-time:

In Saxon’s seven-year stint with the Chiefs, three different backs earned Pro Bowl status, including running backs Priest Holmes (2001-03) and Larry Johnson (2005-06), as well as fullback Tony Richardson (2003-04). Holmes and Johnson combined for five 1,000-yard rushing seasons over that stretch, while each of the top four and five of the top six single-season rushing performances in Chiefs history were accounted for in Saxon’s tenure with the team.

Not too shabby. That o-line helped just a tad though.

RB John Stephens (1993)

A Patriot for most of his career, Stephens played 7 games for the Chiefs in 1993, only rushing the ball six times that season. Stephens was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1988.

RB Ralph Stockemer (1987)

I'm guessing because Stockemer doesn't have any draft history that he was an undrafted free agent for the Chiefs in 1987. He caught one pass and made one rushing attempt, which made up the stats for his entire NFL career.

RB Jon Vaughan (1994)

After being a Patriot and Seahawk for three seasons, Vaughan quietly ended his NFL career in KC. He registered no stats with the Chiefs.

DB David Webster (1960-61)

Webster had an extremely promising career cut short by a broken leg in a pre-season game in 1962. As a rookie in '61 for the Dallas Texans, had six interceptions and two touchdowns. He followed that next season by catching five more INTs.

Wikipedia has more on his story:

In 1960, "Can Head", as he came to be known by close friends and teammates, was drafted to play football for the Dallas Texans under Pro Football Hall of Fame owner Lamar Hunt and coach Hank Stram. The Dallas Texans later became the Kansas City Chiefs in 1962 when the franchise moved from Texas to Missouri. Even though David was an All-American quarterback in college, he played defensive back because blacks were not allowed to play the quarterback position in the professional football ranks at that time. He paved the way by overcoming racial injustice and adversity as one of the first blacks to play professional football for the American Football League and he was one of two black players on the Texans/Chiefs (in those days, there was a "two blacks per team" quota in effect). Despite the circumstances, he led the team in interceptions and became an AFL All-Pro defensive back in 1962; same year that the Texans won the AFL National Championship. His career came to an abrupt end when his leg was broken in a pre-season game in 1962-1963.

Webster definitely deserves consideration of your vote.

S Jerome Woods (1996-2005)

Woods was the #28 pick by the Chiefs in the 1996 NFL Draft. Woods played his entire career in KC, playing in 128 games and starting 105 of them. He had 15 INTs and two TDs.

Woods was released by the Chiefs in 2006 but couldn't catch on anywhere else. He was re-signed, only for a day, in June 2007 so that he could retire as a Chief.

#1 - QB Warren Moon

#2 - K *** ****** 

#3 - K Jan Stenerud

#4 - P Nick Murphy

#5 - P Louie Aguiar

#6 - RB Warren McVea

#7 - QB Ron Jaworski

#8 - K Nick Lowery

#9 - QB Bill Kenney

#10 - QB Trent Green

#11 - QB Elvis Grbac

#12 - QB Rich Gannon

#13 - QB Steve Bono

#14 - RB Ed Podolak

#15 - QB Todd Collins

#16 - QB Len Dawson

#17 - QB Steve Deberg

#18 - CB Emmitt Thomas

#19 - QB Joe Montana

#20 - S Deron Cherry

Poll
Who is the greatest Chief to wear #21?
CB Hise Austin
1 votes
S Martin Bayless
12 votes
RB Clark Gaines
1 votes
S Jerome Woods
236 votes
RB Mike Garrett
233 votes
WR Dennis Homan
1 votes
CB Garry Lewis
0 votes
CB Tahan Lewis
1 votes
S Odis McKinney
3 votes
RB Arnold Morgan
1 votes
RB Tommy Reamon
0 votes
RB James Saxon
14 votes
RB John Stephens
0 votes
RB Ralph Stockemer
0 votes
RB Jon Vaughan
0 votes
Somebody Chris forgot
18 votes

521 votes | Poll has closed

Comment 15 comments  |  0 recs  | 

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Garrett gets it via accolades, and a ring...

But speaking from a stats perspective, I’d have to go with Woods. He was always one of those guys I thought got overlooked a lot. If I remember right he even filled in at CB when we got hit with injuries one year. He never complained, just went out and did his job…and that’s a rare thing, especially today.

Inifinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations

by carthagechief on Jul 21, 2009 7:46 AM CDT reply actions  

I Voted for Woods

This was a tough one, and from the looks of things the first one where I will not vote for the winner. Garrett was a nice back, but he was just a single cog in a very good Chiefs offense that included Lenny the Cool, Robert Holmes, Otis Taylor, Fred Arbanas, and Curtis McClinton – plus an excellent offensive line. However, switch him with a running back from our dark ages – say Tony Reed – and let’s see if he is as well regarded and Reed is the BMOC.
Woods play would have gotten him on the field with any Chiefs defensive team from any era. He was fast, instictive, and could a big hit AND make the sure tackle (right Bernard?) His career could have been even better if not for the broken leg he suffered. It is also no coincidence that the Chief’s defense, particularly pass defense, dropped significantly when Woods went down with his injury.
It was a close call, but if I was putting together an all time Chiefs team and it came down to a choice between these two, I would take Woods.

There are only 10 types of people in this world. Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

by Frahnkensteen on Jul 21, 2009 8:16 AM CDT reply actions  

So if you have voted for every winner?

Then you are one of the ones that voted for the kicker that shall not be named. Shame on you!

Herm is gone things are better with that one move!!

by bringbacktheglory on Jul 21, 2009 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions  

I Fess Up

Yeah, I voted for him. I couldn’t vote for nobody, and I really think he did more for the team than Tom Clements who I thought was second best.
How about a compromise? We could take the team pictures that contain Mike Garrett and color the “1” red and we could have both Garrett and Woods on the team!!

There are only 10 types of people in this world. Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

by Frahnkensteen on Jul 21, 2009 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions  

actually we already did swap out Garrett

he got over 1000 yards rushing in 1972 for a pretty bad San Diego Chargers team, pretty late in his career. If his stats suffer in KC, its only because others needed the ball.

The only measure of true success in the NFL is the Vince Lombardi trophy. Anything less is a rationalization.

by sm7600 on Jul 21, 2009 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions  

My Choice of Reed is Ironic

Because the example you chose was basically the Tony Reed example. SD’s coach at the time was Harland Svare who came out of the same mold with Chuck Knox of Ground Chuck fame. Reed’s coach Marv Levy installed the Wing T to keep the defense off the field. Both offenses had massive offensive lines (Sad Diego’s had three first round picks.) In both cases, multiple running backs including both Reed and Garrett, carrying at a clip better than 3.5 ypc. Good catch.

BTW… One of the O-linemen that was NOT a first round pick on San Diego is none other than center Carl Mauck former Chief’s and Bronco’s offensive lineman coach. The same one that popularized the zone / cut blocking sceme dispised by defensive linemen’s knees everywhere.

There are only 10 types of people in this world. Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

by Frahnkensteen on Jul 21, 2009 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions   1 recs

Some serious knowledge my man :) Rec

August 14th Baby! Can't wait! 4 Fridays away!
Rule 49. " Think and talk positive football off the field." Hank Stram
Let's Kick some ASS in 09 or Die trying

by Steve_Chiefs on Jul 21, 2009 7:35 PM CDT up reply actions  

Gotta be Garrett

I remember it was a real big deal that the Chiefs snagged the Heisman winner away from the NFL. Although he never put up awesome numbers, he was a real important part of the team. I can only hope that we can once again have a team so balanced that someone like Garrett doesn’t have to be the focal point but instead just a cog in the wheel.

Chiefs go 9-7. LJ makes 1400 yards. DBowe makes 1200 yards. Defense #18.

by Zodeman on Jul 21, 2009 8:17 AM CDT reply actions  

This one needs a TBD option.

New Stiga table?!?! Return of the Brookside Pongers???

by HIV 2 Elway on Jul 21, 2009 8:20 AM CDT reply actions  

Gotta be Garrett.

Woods is a very close, nose to the wire, second.

by G.L. on Jul 21, 2009 8:50 AM CDT reply actions  

Woods may not have been a super star

But if you had a team full of guys like him you would have a very good team. He was there to play.

Herm is gone things are better with that one move!!

by bringbacktheglory on Jul 21, 2009 9:19 AM CDT reply actions  

i love this
Webster definitely deserves consideration of your vote.

yet he’s not even on the list of selections :p

i voted for Some one Chris forgot because i agree Webster deserved some respect. in my opinion it came down between Garrett and Webster with Garrett actually with the better career because it was longer. Woods was a good player but he was hardly one of the greatest. Webster played for 2 years while Woods played for us for 10 and yet he only had 4 more INTs then Webster. the only thing Woods has on Webster is influance because of his recentness and longevity. unfortuantely for Webster he was just a flash in the pan. he could have been really great had he had a full career.

by Leaf on Jul 21, 2009 11:20 AM CDT reply actions  

Didnt/doesnt

Kolby Smith wear 21?

Herm Edwards: "There's FOUR quarters in football?!"

by IISaiNtII on Jul 21, 2009 11:45 AM CDT reply actions  

But don't forget Arnold

Wow, as soon as I saw Arnold Morgado’s name (it was spelled Morgan in the poll) it was a real blast from the past. Morgado’s specialty was picking up tough 3rd and 4th down yardage. In fact, I think he led the league at least once in successful 4th down carries. He was so good at it commentators used to wonder why Marv wouldn’t let him run on 1st and 2nd down as well. But back in those ultra-conservative Marv Levy offenses, 3rd and short and 4th and short were incredibly common.

But I had to vote for Woods. Garrett was solid, and I really appreciate the history on Webster, but no one on this list did more for the Chiefs than Woods.

by Big Chief on Jul 25, 2009 12:00 PM CDT reply actions  

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