It's hard to find a number without any competition whatsoever for the best player to wear it in Kansas City Chiefs history. But it's not as if Abner Haynes would face any real question as to whether or not he was the hero as we arrive at No. 28 in our series. The path from No. 1 to 99 continues with this legendary stop, retired for the first-ever franchise face in team history.
The complete history of Chiefs players to wear No. 28
The Best (and Only): Abner Haynes
The American Football League (AFL) needed a star upon which to hang its hat. The nascent league found one in Abner Haynes.
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1960, Haynes spurned the NFL to stay close to home with the Dallas Texans. He was an immediate sensation after earning the AFL’s first rushing title with 875 yards while also leading the Texans (Chiefs) in receiving, punt returns, and kick returns. The production made him the AFL’s first Player of the Year as well as Rookie of the Year with a league-high 2,100 all-purpose yards. all he did in the new league's first seasonwas win its first rushing title with 875 yards while also leading the Texans in receiving, punt returns, and kickoff returns — production that made him the AFL's first Player of the Year and first Rookie of the Year in the same season, with a league-high 2,100 all-purpose yards thrown in for good measure.
“He was a franchise player before they talked about franchise players. He did it all: rushing, receiving, kickoff returns, punt returns. He gave us the dimension we needed to be a good team in Dallas,” said head coach Hank Stram to the Kansas City Star.
Haynes found his peak in 1962, the franchise's last year in Dallas and its first as a champion. He became the first 1,000-yard rusher in franchise history with 1,049 yards and a league-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. Haynes also tacked on 39 catches for 573 yards and 6 scores in the passing game before going on to score both of the franchise’s touchdowns in its 20-17 AFL Championship win over the Houston Oilers. Haynes would go on to set AFL records with 5 touchdowns in a single game, 19 in a single season, and 46 career rushing touchdowns—and his 12,065 combined career yards will always be the gold standard of the AFL.
The Chiefs would ultimately retire his number, as did his alma mater at North Texas, making No. 28 a number that will forever belong to the first franchise player in team history.
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