No one has ever truly claimed No. 43 in Kansas City. There's no franchise cornerstone here; instead, just a loose chain of role players passing the jersey along. There’s the seventh-round back in an impossible situation, a former Browns star in the last chapter of his career, a long-tenured snapper, and the special-teamer wearing it now. As we document the full history of the Kansas City Chiefs through their jersey numbers, from 1 to 99, we’ve landed on a spot where the idea of “best players” or “most memorable stories” arrives with a collective shrug.
The complete history of Chiefs players to wear No. 43
The Best (We Guess): Billy Jackson
To be fair to Billy Jackson, he performed much better than anyone could have expected from a seventh-round choice in the first place, especially one in such a precarious position.
After winning two national championships under Bear Bryant's tutelage at Alabama, Jackson entered the NFL as the final draft choice in the Chiefs' '81 rookie class. The great Joe Delaney was a part of the same draft haul, which made it tough for Jackson to generate much in the way of production. Then after Delaney's tragic death, Jackson stepped in as next man up. The totals are respectable enough—399 carries for 1,365 yards, 58 catches for 416 yards and 18 touchdowns across four Kansas City seasons—but the context frames them properly. His 10 rushing scores in his rookie campaign as a short-yardage back are also a nice feather in his cap.
Even then, Jackson's ability to claim "best" here shows how thin this position has historically been.
The Browns Great: Mike Pruitt
Mike Pruitt is the most accomplished player to ever wear No. 43 for the Chiefs, but unfortunately, none of it occurred in Kansas City. Pruitt ranks fourth on the Cleveland Browns' all-time leaderboard in rushing yards (6,540) and rushing touchdowns (47). Two Pro Bowl campaigns across nine total seasons in Cleveland vaulted him up franchise lists before he landed in K.C. over his last two seasons following a short stint with the Buffalo Bills. Pruitt had 448 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns as the starting fullback for the Chiefs in '86.
The Current Wearer: Jack Cochrane
Surprisingly, Cochrane isn't that far off from being the "best" here. He's already played in 14 more games than Jackson (71 to 57), and the production threshold isn't all that great. Still, Cochrane lands here instead given his lack of starts (2) after four seasons in K.C. To Cochrane's credit, he's been able to find a long-term home in Kansas City as a core performer on special teams, with approximately 80 percent of snaps played for Dave Toub's units in each of the last three seasons. He's coming into his fifth year in Kansas City, which is quite an accomplishment for a former undrafted signing out of South Dakota.
Et Cetera
- Thomas Gafford, LS - Before James Winchester, the Chiefs had another tenured long snapper in Gafford, who held down the role for seven seasons (2008-14).
- Bill Jones, RB - A reserve back who wore No. 43 from 1990-92, mostly on special teams and in short-yardage packages.
- John Brockington, RB - Three-time Packers Pro Bowl RB who washed out with the Chiefs at the end of his career in '77.
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