The best Kansas City Chiefs to ever wear the uniform: No. 3
By Matt Conner
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. 3.
Retiring the number of a player is a beautiful thing for a sports franchise and its fan base. From the ability to honor a player for exhibiting greatness over a prolonged period to the sense of history and connection it provides the fans and community, it’s important for a team to make sure that its finest players are never forgotten and always embraced.
One of my favorite aspects of visiting a new stadium or arena is spending significant time exploring the outside and inside for such treasures. I love to look at the plaques, the statues, the banners, the displays. Each of these players were the community favorites of their day—childhood heroes for so many, the major draw for spectators in their prime.
In fact the only real downside to retiring a number is for an exercise just like this one. As we count down the greatest Kansas City Chiefs players to wear each number, we will encounter this issue from time to time—the lack of candidates. This time, we blame Jan Stenerud.
In our countdown (count up, really), we’re now at No. 3. Only two men have ever worn this number for the Chiefs. Two. Both were kickers. And since we’re highlighting a winner and runner-up for each number… this is the easiest entry yet.
But just know this: today’s runner-up is a sadly forgotten story of a truly rare player.
The Others
None. There are none. There are two. This is easy.
The Runner-up: Ben Agajanian
I feel sorry for ole Benny. He deserves better than to sit forever in Jan Stenerud’s shadow, forever marginalized as a passing anecdote in NFL history. Let’s give this dude his due:
- First of all, his last name is Agajanian. What’s yours? Yeah I thought so. We’d all sound cooler if our last name was Agajanian. In fact, if my wife is up for it, I just might fill out some forms here.
- Agajanian’s nickname was even cooler/crazier than his last name: The Toeless Wonder.
- I’ll say it again: THE TOELESS WONDER. FOR A KICKER. He was a kicker named The Toeless Wonder!
- Agajanian had four toes amputated on his kicking foot in college and then went on to kick for 10 different teams in three different leagues over the course of 20 years. That’s incredible! He was the second kicking specialist ever, so we’re talking a real pioneer here, except he’s doing it without toes. Because he’s THE TOELESS WONDER!
- He played until he was 45
- He coached until he was 65 (for the Dallas Cowboys).
- He lived until he was 98.
- He even served in WWII.
He made his weakness into a strength. He worked hard and achieved a ton. No one asked me, but I call that a life well-lived. May Agajanian live on in our hearts and minds.
The Winner: Jan Stenerud
I don’t know what a cakewalk is in real life, but I know when to use the term. This is such a time.
Do I even need to explain why Jan Stenerud is the winner here (besides the fact that he’s the only other guy to wear the number)? First of all, he has all of his toes. Secondly, he was amazing.
Not only has Stenerud been immortalized by the Chiefs in their own Hall of Fame, but he also has his bust in Canton, Ohio in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the first Norwegian ever enshrined. He was the first dedicated placekicker ever enshrined. Really you could consider Stenerud the first truly elite kicker in NFL history.
For 19 seasons (13 for the Chiefs), Stenerud kicked 373 career field goals and made 6 Pro Bowls in the process. He retired as the second-highest scorer in NFL history (behind George Blanda) with a resume that includes a Super Bowl for the Chiefs in which he scored the first 9 points.
Fun fact: you can also rearrange his last name to spell “dentures.”
Congratulations to Jan Stenerud for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 3 on his uniform!