Former Chiefs tight end and Kansas City Ambassador Walter White has died

Former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Walter White — perhaps better known to modern Chiefs fans as a Kansas City Ambassador — has died at the age of 67.

A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, White played his college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1975 NFL draft. He was picked up by the Chiefs on waivers before the season began.

White played in 63 games during his five-year Chiefs career, recording 2,396 yards and 16 touchdowns on 163 receptions. He was named the club’s Mack Lee Hill Award winner as the team’s top rookie after the 1975 season.

Ten years after his playing career ended, White — along with other former Chiefs players and executives — became a founding member of the Kansas City Ambassadors, the only group of its kind in the NFL. The Ambassadors participate in community outreach events for the team. White was the inaugural President of the organization, and served in that capacity through 1998.

Marty Denzer/Key photo

White also spent decades helping raise millions of dollars for charities across the country, with an emphasis on those for cancer patients and research

He was employed at Commerce Bank in Kansas City for 22 years, and most recently served as Vice President of Commerce Bank’s Investment Group. He was also well-known in the Kansas City area as a blues musician.

“My family and I are saddened by the passing of Walter,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement on Thursday. “The Ambassadors are an integral part of the Chiefs family and the Kansas City community, and Walter was a vital part of the group’s development. It would be hard to find someone who embraced the values and work of the Ambassadors more than Walter did. We will never be able to thank him enough for everything that he did for the organization both on the field and in the community after his playing days concluded. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family during this difficult time.”

White is survived by his wife Jeri and three children: Jason, Adam and Whitney.