In this special offseason series, we analyze the best players in Kansas City Chiefs history to wear every single uniform number. Here’s No. 46.
Every roster has their special teams favorites—or at least they should. Based on post-draft descriptions from Brett Veach and others, I’d expect rookie Dorian O’Daniel to fill this slot for the Kansas City Chiefs soon enough.
In the past, No. 46 has been a jersey for a few tough cookies—who says that?—for the Chiefs. As we look over rosters past for the best players to ever wear each number, this particular stop hasn’t featured players who blew up the stat sheet. There are however some players who are hard-nosed and determined to do whatever it takes to win that roster spot.
Here’s our rundown for No. 46.
The Others
Boomer Grigsby! Bennie Thompson! If you are old enough to watch the Chiefs when these players were on the team, then you will remember the special teams toughness that each of them brought to the roster. Somehow other players, even starters, can come and go but the image of their intensity is forever burned in our minds.
Grigsby gave one of my favorite player comments of all time when he said, “I can’t guarantee everybody I’m going to be a Pro Bowler, or even be that great of a player, but I know I’ll be a 250-pound crazy white boy running down the field on kickoffs.”
As for Bennie Thompson, we’ll just let this play do the talking.
The Runner-up: Tim Gray
If you can remember Tim Gray, you deserve a prize of some kind. He started 34 games at safety for the Chiefs in the late seventies over the course of three seasons and came away with 12 interceptions in that time. He also recovered 2 fumbles for a touchdown. The former first round pick of the Arizona Cardinals put up his best numbers with the Chiefs, but even that was short-lived. He retired from the NFL after the 1979 season, his fourth in the league.
The Winner: Jim Kearney
Jim Kearney was another important starter on the Chiefs only Super Bowl winning team in franchise history. A longtime starter at safety, Kearney spent a couple seasons in Detroit before coming to the Chiefs for nine years—from 1967 to 1975. His career ended after another season with New Orleans.
You might remember that Kearney actually lost his Super Bowl ring just a couple years ago, in 2016, and put out a public plea to find it. It was lost at a car wash and, fortunately, a few days later, an unnamed person returned it to Kearney.
During his career, Kearney started 115 games for the Chiefs (for reference, Eric Berry has 85) and finished with 23 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries. He actually led the NFL with four INT returns for a touchdown with four in 1972, tying an NFL record.
Next: The Best to Wear It: No. 45
Congratulations to Jim Kearney for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 46 on his uniform!