In the first of a very long offseason series, we analyze the best players in Kansas City Chiefs history to wear every single uniform number. Here’s No. 2.
There’s an old Dusty Springfield hit that comes to mind when I peruse the candidates for today’s uniform number called “Wishin’ and Hopin'”. It’s a silly song and thematically it has nothing to do with football. Even after I explain it, you’ll wish you never read this paragraph. But the song bounces along from the beginning as Dusty sings:
“Wishing and hoping and thinking and praying…”
When it comes to the history of players who have worn No. 2 for the Kansas City Chiefs over the years (or when it comes to other single digits), you might be wondering why there’s so little competition for the “best player to ever wear it.” And it comes down to the NFL’s position rules. When it comes to these early numbers, Dusty might sing:
“Punters and kickers and punters and kickers…”
As lame as that is, that’s the first thing that came to my mind when I looked up every Chiefs player to ever wear No. 2. Our honorable mentions are all specialists. Our runner-up is a specialist. Our winner? You guessed it. He’s a specialist.
Still we need to appreciate such players for what they do because when they don’t do it, it’s not pretty. In fact, when they mess up, it ruins us inside for a long, long time. In fact, I’m mentally moving from Dusty Springfield to a player I wish I’d never have to think about again.
Here’s the breakdown of today’s race of the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear No. 2.
The Others
Let’s face down the demon, the kicker-who-shall-not-be-named. He wore No. 2 and there’s no way around it. If you are a younger Chiefs fan, it’s time for you to inherit the misery. First, click here and watch.
This No. 2 wearing kicker-who-shall-not-be-named not only missed that field goal you just watched but he also missed two previous attempts in the same game. In the same game that ended 10-7. In the same playoff game that ended 10-7. In the same, super close, playoff game featuring a completely loaded Chiefs roster, that ended 10-7.
The field goal misses were from 35, 39 and 42 yards. That unnamed kicker never played another game in the NFL.
Oh, yeah. Eddie Murray and Todd Peterson also wore this number at some point.
The Runner-up: Kelly Goodburn
More from Arrowhead Addict
- Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
- Chiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract news
- Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
- Podcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battles
- KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator
Kelly Goodburn is the vanilla runner-up here. He was a nice player who enjoyed a nice career with two teams over a total of seven seasons. He actually won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in the ’91 win over the hapless Buffalo Bills (at least there are teams with even greater levels of losing than the Chiefs in the postseason).
(Important note: I always order vanilla, so we mean this in the most good-yet-straightforward way possible.)
If you want to feel warm and fuzzy about Goodburn, however, you’ll enjoy this quick video as he talks about playing in Arrowhead as a Chiefs player versus being the opponent.
The Winner: Dustin Colquitt
With each passing year, Dustin Colquitt is turning into a nicer story. For such a young team going through a complete overhaul on the defense and making the switch to a new quarterback, it’s nice to still have someone recognizable from a decade ago—of course, as long as that player is still productive.
What makes Colquitt’s story so nice isn’t just the longevity but that he’s aging well at his position, like a fine wine on the roster. He’s made two Pro Bowls but the first didn’t come until seven seasons into his career. He’s the rare specialist who has actually lived up to his early draft status (the Chiefs made Colquitt a third round investment in 2005). Just last season, Colquitt posted his best yards/punt average since 2013.
Given the relative lack of competition, this was an easy victory for Colquitt, who would have likely earned the honor even if he’d retired a few years ago. But the fact that he continues to add new details to his chapter year after year will make this look more impressive over time.
Congratulations to Dustin Colquitt for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 2 on his uniform!