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Record: 10-3-1, Finished 1st in AFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 302 points (21.6/g), 8th of 26 in the NFL.
Allowed 208 points (14.9/g), 5th.
Differential of 94 points (6.7/g), 5th.
Expected W-L: 9.9-4.1.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +7 (0.5/g), 8th.
Coached by Hank Stram (10-3-1)
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1971 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Len Dawson* | 36 | 14 | 13 | 167 for 301, 2,504 yards, 15 td, 13 int, & 12 rushes for 24 yards and 0 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 5th pick / 1957 |
| RB | Ed Podolak | 24 | 2 | 0 | 184 rushes for 708 yards, 9 td, & 36 catches for 252 yards and 0 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 48th pick / 1969 |
| FB | Wendell Hayes | 31 | 8 | 0 | 132 rushes for 537 yards, 1 td, & 16 catches for 150 yards and 1 td | |
| WR | Otis Taylor*+ | 29 | 6 | 0 | 57 catches for 1,110 yards, 7 td, & 1 rush for 25 yards and 1 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 4th / 29th pick / 1965 |
| WR | Elmo Wright | 22 | Rook | 0 | 26 catches for 528 yards, 3 td, & 1 rush for -10 yards and 0 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 16th pick / 1971 |
| TE | Morris Stroud | 25 | 2 | 0 | 22 catches for 454 yards, 1 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 3rd / 76th pick / 1969 |
| LT | Jim Tyrer* | 32 | 10 | 0 | 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Texans / 3rd / 22nd pick / 1961 |
| LG | Ed Budde* | 31 | 8 | 0 | Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 4th pick / 1963 |
|
| C | Jack Rudnay | 24 | 1 | 0 | Kansas City Chiefs / 4th / 101st pick / 1969 |
|
| RG | Mo Moorman | 27 | 3 | 0 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 19th pick / 1968 |
|
| RT | Dave Hill | 30 | 8 | 0 | New York Giants / 5th / 62nd pick / 1963 |
|
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Marvin Upshaw | 25 | 3 | 0 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 21st pick / 1968 |
|
| LDT | Curley Culp* | 25 | 3 | 0 | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 31st pick / 1968 |
|
| RDT | Buck Buchanan* | 31 | 8 | 0 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 1st pick / 1963 |
| RDE | Aaron Brown | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 6th pick / 1966 |
| LLB | Bobby Bell* | 31 | 8 | 0 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 16th pick / 1963 |
| MLB | Willie Lanier*+ | 26 | 4 | 0 | 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 50th pick / 1967 |
| RLB | Jim Lynch | 26 | 4 | 0 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 47th pick / 1967 |
| LCB | Jim Marsalis | 26 | 2 | 0 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 23rd pick / 1969 |
| RCB | Emmitt Thomas* | 28 | 5 | 0 | 8 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | |
| SS | Jim Kearney | 28 | 6 | 0 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 11th / 151st pick / 1965 |
| FS | Johnny Robinson | 33 | 11 | 0 | 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 1st / 3rd pick / 1960 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Jan Stenerud* | 29 | 4 | 0 | 26 of 44 field goals & 32 of 32 extra points | |
| P | Jerrel Wilson* | 30 | 8 | 0 | 64 punts for a 44.8 average, 1 blocked | Kansas City Chiefs / 11th / 88th pick / 1963 |
| PR | Ed Podolak | 24 | 2 | 0 | 14 punt returns for a 6.0 average and 0 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 48th pick / 1969 |
| KR | Kerry Reardon | 22 | Rook | 0 | 12 kick returns for a 25.7 average and 0 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 6th / 146th pick / 1971 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Adamle | 22 | RB | 8 | 0 | 197 | 5-9 | Northwestern | 10/4/1949 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 5th / 120th pick / 1971 |
| Nate Allen | 23 | DB | 4 | 0 | 170 | 5-10 | Texas Southern | 5/13/1948 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 11th / 276th pick / 1971 |
| Bobby Bell* | 31 | LB-DE | 14 | 0 | 228 | 6-4 | Minnesota | 6/17/1940 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 16th pick / 1963 |
| Ceasar Belser | 27 | DB | 14 | 0 | 205 | 6-0 | Ark-Pine Bluff | 9/13/1944 | 3 | Washington Redskins / 10th / 145th pick / 1966 |
| Bruce Bergey | 25 | DE | 6 | 0 | 240 | 6-2 | UCLA | 8/8/1946 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 14th / 354th pick / 1971 |
| Aaron Brown | 28 | DE | 13 | 0 | 255 | 6-5 | Minnesota | 11/16/1943 | 5 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 6th pick / 1966 |
| Buck Buchanan* | 31 | DT | 14 | 0 | 270 | 6-7 | Grambling State | 9/10/1940 | 8 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 1st pick / 1963 |
| Ed Budde* | 31 | G | 14 | 0 | 265 | 6-5 | Michigan State | 11/2/1940 | 8 | Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 4th pick / 1963 |
| Curley Culp* | 25 | DT-NT-G | 14 | 0 | 265 | 6-2 | Arizona State | 3/10/1946 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 31st pick / 1968 |
| George Daney | 25 | G | 14 | 0 | 240 | 6-4 | Detroit Mercy,Texas-El Paso | 2/2/1946 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 22nd pick / 1968 |
| Len Dawson* | 36 | QB | 14 | 13 | 190 | 6-0 | Purdue | 6/20/1935 | 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 5th pick / 1957 |
| Willie Frazier | 29 | TE | 8 | 0 | 245 | 6-4 | Ark-Pine Bluff | 6/19/1942 | 7 | |
| David Hadley | 23 | DB | 14 | 0 | 186 | 5-9 | Alcorn State | 10/8/1948 | 1 | Kansas City Chiefs / 3rd / 78th pick / 1970 |
| Wendell Hayes | 31 | RB | 14 | 0 | 220 | 6-1 | Humboldt State | 8/5/1940 | 8 | |
| Dave Hill | 30 | T | 14 | 0 | 260 | 6-5 | Auburn | 2/1/1941 | 8 | New York Giants / 5th / 62nd pick / 1963 |
| Robert Holmes | 26 | RB | 6 | 0 | 221 | 5-9 | Southern | 10/5/1945 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs / 14th / 375th pick / 1968 |
| Dennis Homan | 25 | WR | 8 | 0 | 181 | 6-1 | Alabama | 1/9/1946 | 3 | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 20th pick / 1968 |
| John Huarte | 27 | QB | 1 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Notre Dame | 4/6/1944 | 5 | New York Jets / 2nd / 12th pick / 1965 |
| Bruce Jankowski | 22 | WR | 5 | 0 | 185 | 5-11 | Ohio State | 8/12/1949 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 10th / 250th pick / 1971 |
| Jim Kearney | 28 | DB | 14 | 0 | 206 | 6-2 | Prairie View | 1/21/1943 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 11th / 151st pick / 1965 |
| Willie Lanier*+ | 26 | LB | 14 | 0 | 245 | 6-1 | Morgan State | 8/21/1945 | 4 | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 50th pick / 1967 |
| Mike Livingston | 26 | QB | 3 | 1 | 212 | 6-4 | SMU | 11/14/1945 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 48th pick / 1968 |
| Ed Lothamer | 29 | DT-DE | 14 | 0 | 270 | 6-5 | Michigan State | 5/20/1942 | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs / 4th / 26th pick / 1964 |
| Jim Lynch | 26 | LB | 14 | 0 | 235 | 6-1 | Notre Dame | 8/28/1945 | 4 | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 47th pick / 1967 |
| Jim Marsalis | 26 | DB | 14 | 0 | 194 | 5-11 | Tennessee State | 10/10/1945 | 2 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 23rd pick / 1969 |
| Warren McVea | 25 | RB-SE-WR | 12 | 0 | 182 | 5-9 | Houston | 7/30/1946 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals / 4th / 109th pick / 1968 |
| Mo Moorman | 27 | G | 9 | 0 | 252 | 6-5 | Kentucky,Texas A&M | 7/24/1944 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 19th pick / 1968 |
| Mike Oriard | 23 | C-G | 14 | 0 | 223 | 6-4 | Notre Dame | 5/26/1948 | 1 | Kansas City Chiefs / 5th / 130th pick / 1970 |
| Jim Otis | 23 | RB | 13 | 0 | 220 | 6-0 | Ohio State | 4/29/1948 | 1 | New Orleans Saints / 9th / 218th pick / 1970 |
| Ed Podolak | 24 | RB | 13 | 0 | 204 | 6-1 | Iowa | 9/1/1947 | 2 | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 48th pick / 1969 |
| Kerry Reardon | 22 | DB | 6 | 0 | 180 | 5-11 | Iowa | 5/6/1949 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 6th / 146th pick / 1971 |
| Johnny Robinson | 33 | DB-FL-HB | 14 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | LSU | 9/9/1938 | 11 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 3rd pick / 1960 |
| Jack Rudnay | 24 | C | 13 | 0 | 240 | 6-3 | Northwestern | 11/20/1947 | 1 | Kansas City Chiefs / 4th / 101st pick / 1969 |
| Mike Sensibaugh | 22 | DB | 7 | 0 | 192 | 5-11 | Ohio State | 1/3/1949 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 8th / 191st pick / 1971 |
| Sid Smith | 23 | C-T | 14 | 0 | 260 | 6-4 | USC | 7/6/1948 | 1 | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 26th pick / 1970 |
| Bob Stein | 23 | LB | 14 | 0 | 235 | 6-3 | Minnesota | 1/22/1948 | 2 | Kansas City Chiefs / 5th / 126th pick / 1969 |
| Jan Stenerud* | 29 | K | 14 | 0 | 187 | 6-2 | Montana State | 11/26/1942 | 4 | |
| Morris Stroud | 25 | TE | 14 | 0 | 255 | 6-10 | Clark (GA) | 5/17/1946 | 2 | Kansas City Chiefs / 3rd / 76th pick / 1969 |
| Otis Taylor*+ | 29 | WR-FL | 14 | 0 | 215 | 6-3 | Prairie View | 8/11/1942 | 6 | Kansas City Chiefs / 4th / 29th pick / 1965 |
| Emmitt Thomas* | 28 | DB | 14 | 0 | 192 | 6-2 | Bishop | 6/3/1943 | 5 | |
| Jim Tyrer* | 32 | T | 14 | 0 | 280 | 6-6 | Ohio State | 2/25/1939 | 10 | Dallas Texans / 3rd / 22nd pick / 1961 |
| Marvin Upshaw | 25 | DE-DT | 14 | 0 | 260 | 6-4 | Trinity (TX) | 11/22/1946 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 21st pick / 1968 |
| Jerrel Wilson* | 30 | RB-P | 14 | 0 | 222 | 6-2 | Southern Miss | 10/4/1941 | 8 | Kansas City Chiefs / 11th / 88th pick / 1963 |
| Elmo Wright | 22 | WR | 14 | 0 | 190 | 6-0 | Houston | 7/3/1949 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 1st / 16th pick / 1971 |
| Wilbur Young | 22 | DE-DT | 13 | 1 | 285 | 6-6 | William Penn | 4/20/1949 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 2nd / 39th pick / 1971 |
| Team Total | 26.4 | 14 | 223.3 | 6-2.0 | 3.9 |