In this special offseason series, we analyze the best players in Kansas City Chiefs history to wear every single uniform number. Here’s No. 13.
It’s called triskaidekaphobia.
If I were to guess, the Kansas City Chiefs have been superstitious for most of the franchise’s history. That’s the only way I know to explain away the lack of players using No. 13. It’s a fear or general uneasiness around the number. The Chiefs had triskaidekaphobia.
Rather, any bouts of triskaidekaphobia (from the Greek, literally comprised of the words for “three” and “10” and “fear”) were on the players’ shoulders, not the team. For the entirety of the ’60s, not a single player chose No. 13. During the ’70s, only quarterback Will Clark, who played a single game for the Chiefs in ’75 and never threw a single pass, wore the number. Through the ’80s, no player even touched the number. That’s three decades where the only stat attached to the uniform number is a stat-less game.
Fortunately for the No. 13, if it has feelings, the ’90s redeemed it. Yet even after a brief bit of success as a few players donned the number, the uniform has still largely sat unclaimed even after Y2K.
Maybe that Fear Factor show just needs to show a Chiefs jersey with No. 13 on it to random people to see how they react.
The Others
In 1991, a quarterback named Mark Vlasic played sparingly in six games and put together a nice little stat line, completing 28 of 44 passes (63.6%) for 316 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
In 1999, a rookie punter named Daniel Pope started all 16 games for the Chiefs and led the NFL with two blocked punts.
That’s it. That’s the complete list of players willing to wear No. 13.
The Runner-up: De’Anthony Thomas
DAT!
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The man whose college career was as ALL CAPS as his social media accounts has been a nice find for the Kansas City Chiefs. While many fans might say they expected more from Thomas to this point, Thomas has proven to be a nice all-around player able to stave off competition each year to remain on the roster and to help in a number of ways.
Dave Toub absolutely loves Thomas and called him the toughest player on the team. He’s been a staple for the Chiefs special teams units, not only as a returner, and it’s likely that fans don’t fully appreciate the detailed ways in which Thomas helps the team. As a returner, he remains the Chiefs primary kick returner, although recent rule changes in the NFL could alter that reality moving forward.
Thomas is never going to be the offensive force for the Chiefs that some predicted him to be coming out of Oregon (where he had 26 rushing touchdowns, 15 receiving touchdowns and 5 return touchdowns in 3 seasons). Just last year, Thomas averaged a single target per game for the Chiefs, so clearly he’s not a central part of any offensive plan.
He is, however, a versatile player and hard worker who could step into the line-up in a pinch in the backfield, in the slot or in either return role and look the part. And until he’s needed in higher-profile roles, he’s a man willing to do whatever is asked of him to help those who are in the spotlight.
The Winner: Steve Bono
The 49ers-to-Chiefs quarterback connection has been a fruitful one for the Chiefs over the years: Joe Montana, Steve DeBerg, Alex Smith, Elvis Grbac. We’ve talked about some of them already in this series, but today’s spotlight is on another one: Steve Bono.
Sharing a name with U2’s ubiquitous front man or Cher’s ex-husband could make it that much harder to stand out on the national stage, but the Chiefs gave the former Niners quarterback a chance to make it work and Bono stepped up big time. He even started a charity called Red to help… oh, wait.
In all seriousness, Bono faced a near impossible task to replace the retired Joe Montana. Yet given a chance to finally start, he stepped up and led the Chiefs to a 13-3 record and earned a Pro Bowl nod in the process. He also pulled off this play (my favorite part of which is seeing the beast named Joe Valerio out front blocking):
Bono would go 8-5 the next season as a starter, but the Chiefs weren’t satisfied with a middling stat line that included 12 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, so Bono was ousted after the ’96 season. But what should have been a serious letdown after Montana’s retirement was actually an exciting 13-win regular season for the Chiefs. For that, Bono can hoist this honor as high as he wants.
It also shows the Chiefs have nothing to really be afraid of.
Next: The Best to Wear It: No. 12
Congratulations to Steve Bono for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 13 on his uniform!