Former Chiefs star operating again and soccer icon Abner Haynes died on Thursday in Dallas.
He was 86.
Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt despatched his condolences to the Haynes household, calling the star a “man of braveness and management.”
“My household and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Chiefs Corridor of Famer Abner Haynes,” Hunt mentioned. “Abner was one of many first nice stars of the Dallas Texans and the American Soccer League.”
Born in Dallas, Haynes performed his school ball at North Texas State (now College of North Texas), the place he and teammate Leon King grew to become the primary black gamers to go well with up for an built-in school soccer staff within the state.
“My dad saved telling me, ‘Man, use your mind as a substitute of your anger,’” Haynes instructed CBS 19 in Texas in 2019. “It labored. … My older brother got here and instructed my mother and father that North Texas was speaking about integrating,” Haynes mentioned. “Subsequent factor I do know, I gotta letter from North Texas telling me when to return to observe and the place to return.”
Director of athletics Jared Mosley shared a heartfelt assertion on X following Haynes’ passing.
“Unhappy day to listen to of the passing of @MeanGreenFB legend and pioneer Abner Haynes,” Mosley wrote on his social media web page. “His influence at UNT won’t ever be forgotten. Ideas and prayers are with the Haynes household.”
Haynes grew to become a professional with the then-Dallas Texans, spurning the NFL’s Steelers for the brand new AFL.
He burst onto the scene instantly, main the fledgling league in dashing (875 yards, 62.5 yards per recreation) and scoring 12 complete touchdowns throughout its inaugural season, which stays a Chiefs franchise rookie file.
Haynes took dwelling the AFL’s Rookie of the Yr and Participant of the Yr honors.
In 1962, he additionally led the AFL in complete yards from scrimmage with 1,622, serving to the staff win the league championship.
He performed 5 years with the group, three in Dallas and two as soon as it moved to Kansas Metropolis.
He nonetheless holds a number of franchise information, together with most touchdowns in a recreation with 5 and most dashing touchdowns in a recreation with 4.
A Chiefs Corridor of Fame member, Haynes can also be certainly one of 10 gamers to have their quantity retired by the staff.
In 1965 as a member of the Broncos, he was a part of a motion to maneuver the AFL’s All-Star Recreation from New Orleans to Houston after he and different black gamers skilled bother getting resort and taxi lodging.
“We approached the coaches. I approached the overall supervisor and instructed him what was happening. They didn’t prefer it. We determined we weren’t going to play in a metropolis that handled us like that,” Haynes instructed CBS 19. “We determined we have been going to go to Houston to play the sport.”
Haynes performed two seasons in Denver earlier than splitting the 1967 season with the Dolphins and Jets, ending his professional profession.
He completed his AFL tenure with 4,630 dashing yards and 66 complete touchdowns.
