Ranking the KC Chiefs Pro Football Hall of Fame members

#10 – Curley Culp, Defensive Tackle – Class of 2013

Thought to be too small for defensive line and too slow for linebacker, Curley Culp is still one of the more famous names in Chiefs Kingdom amongst longtime fans. Even so, the collegiate All American in football and wrestling almost didn’t make this list.

Drafted by the Denver Broncos before being traded in training camp, Culp played 14 seasons in the NFL and only played a shade over six of them for the Kansas City Chiefs. In his seventh season as a Chief, he was traded to the Houston Oilers in one of the blockbuster trades of the era.

You could easily make the argument that while Culp was a force for the Chiefs his true notoriety came playing for the Oilers. Of his six All Star nods, four of them came with the Oilers and all his All Pro seasons came while he was in Houston. In his second season with the Oilers he had his best season with 11.5 sacks, was voted to his only First Team All Pro squad and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Culp deserves to be on this list nonetheless, if a little further down. His impact in Super Bowl IV was tremendous. In switching from left defensive tackle to nose tackle, he created havoc in the Minnesota Vikings backfield on the way to a Chiefs victory.

While his time with the Chiefs was shorter than the rest of the players on this list, he’s still remembered as one of the greatest Chiefs in an era more dominant than any other except maybe the current one.

“I have learned that football is not just a sport, but a life lesson in what it means to be a team player…I have learned how pain can build character and endurance, and believe that life itself is like playing a very long and exciting football game where every play can determine the outcome.” – Curley Culp