Former Chiefs DE Dave Lindstrom entering race to become U.S. Senator from Kansas

Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Dave Lindstrom has entered the race to become U.S. Senator from Kansas.

Lindstrom, 64, lives in Overland Park. On Thursday, he opened his campaign to become the 2020 Republican nominee for the seat being vacated by Kansas Senator Pat Roberts.

At his campaign announcement event in Goodland, Kansas, Lindstrom told the Associated Press that supporters have encouraged him to run for Roberts’ seat and that his experience as an NFL player gives him a “unique background.”

Lindstrom could face a crowded field for the nomination. While Kansas state treasurer Jake LaTurner is currently the only active candidate, others could include state representative Roger Marshall, state attorney general Derek Schmidt, state senator Susan Wagle and former state officials like former governor Jeff Colyer and former secretary of state Kris Kobach.

Since his retirement from the NFL, Lindstrom has worked in real estate and currently owns and operates four Burger King restaurants in the Kansas City area. He has served on the Johnson County Commission and is a trustee of Johnson County Community College. He ran unsuccessfully for Kansas lieutenant governor in 2002.

Lindstrom has also served as a Chiefs ambassador.

Drafted out of Boston College by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft, Lindstrom landed with the Chiefs in 1978. He played in Kansas City for eight seasons, playing in 118 games and starting 30 — 14 of them in 1980.