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42-529: The team's general managers were Lee Corso and Dick Beam. In 1991 the team played to a 5–5 record, and in 1992 the team had an outstanding 8–2 record, and made it to the World Bowl II championship game before losing to the Sacramento Surge 21–17. The Thunder's attendance figures fell from over 19,000 per game in its first year to just over 16,000 per game in 1992. The team folded after the 1992 season with

84-671: A ball-control offense in the 20–17 win, and tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to halfback Abner Haynes . The team moved north to Kansas City and was renamed to the Chiefs in 1963 . A pinpoint passer, Dawson's mobility helped him flourish in Stram's "moving pocket" offense. He would win four AFL passing titles and was selected as a league All-Star six times, ending the 10-year run of the league as its highest-rated career passer. From 1962 to 1969, Dawson threw more touchdown passes (182) than any other professional football quarterback. In 1966, Dawson led

126-570: A bench-clearing brawl, offsetting penalties were called, nullifying the first down under the rules in effect at that time. The Chiefs were obliged to punt, and the Raiders tied the game on a George Blanda field goal with eight seconds to play. Taylor's retaliation against Davidson not only cost the Chiefs a win, but Oakland won the AFC West with a season record of 8–4–2, while Kansas City finished 7–5–2 and out of

168-675: A charity that raises money for pediatric cancer research through youth sports teams. Corso was honored with the National College Football Awards Association's Contributions to College Football Award "recognizing exceptional contributions to college football and a lifetime of achievement and integrity" during the Home Depot College Football Awards show at Walt Disney World on December 9, 2010. Growing up in Miami, Corso attended his local Boys' Club and

210-748: A member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity . He was the starting quarterback for the South in the 1956 Blue-Gray Game , though his squad lost to the Len Dawson -led North team, 14–0. Corso graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1957 and a master's degree in administration and supervision in 1958. After college, Corso became the quarterbacks coach at Maryland under his former FSU coach Tommy Nugent . In 1962, Corso followed Nugent's guidance to recruit an academically and athletically qualified black player and convinced Darryl Hill to transfer from

252-515: A quarterback, and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Only his touchdowns records still stand. He also held the single season passing touchdown record from 1964 until it was broken in 2018. He held the single season passing yards record from 1964 until 1983. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. His number 16 was retired by the Chiefs and

294-401: A roommate of football player and actor Burt Reynolds and future University of Miami baseball coach Ron Fraser . While at FSU, Corso earned the nickname "Sunshine Scooter" for his speed on the football field. As a defensive player, he set the school record for most career interceptions (14), a record that stood for more than two decades until it was broken by Monk Bonasorte . Corso was also

336-624: A touchdown early in the second quarter. The entire team huddled together for a photograph with the scoreboard filling the background. It read: Indiana 7, Ohio State 6. It was the first time in 25 years that the Hoosiers had led the Buckeyes in a football game. Ohio State would win the game 47–7. Corso was fired after ten years with an overall record of 41–68–2 at Indiana. Corso was the 16th head football coach at Northern Illinois University . In his lone season as Northern Illinois's head coach, Corso's record

378-501: Is an American sports broadcaster and college football analyst for ESPN and a former coach. He has been an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay program since its inception in 1987. Corso served as the head football coach at the University of Louisville from 1969 to 1972, at Indiana University Bloomington from 1973 to 1982, and at Northern Illinois University in 1984, compiling a career college football coaching record of 73–85–6. He

420-563: Is listed in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame. On May 16, 2009, Corso suffered a stroke at his Florida home, suffering partial paralysis. He spent three days in intensive care and a week in the hospital, followed by a lengthy rehabilitation. He was able to return to his ESPN College GameDay duties for the 2009 season. The stroke left him unable to speak for a month (his speech eventually recovered with few noticeable side effects) and severely slowed his cognitive function; since

462-643: Is the only number in franchise history to be worn by a single player. He was also named to the American Football League All-Time Team in 1970. In 1966, while still playing for the Chiefs, Dawson became sports director at KMBC-TV in Kansas City. On March 16, 2009, Dawson announced he would step down from anchoring on a nightly basis but would still report for KMBC during the Chiefs football season and would fill in when other anchors were on leave. From 1977 to 2001, Dawson hosted HBO's Inside

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504-470: The 1969 Kansas City Chiefs season . Dawson teamed with Depend in 1998 to encourage men to visit their doctors and to be screened for prostate cancer . Dawson was married to his high school sweetheart from 1954 until her death in 1978. He had two children. He later remarried and remained married until his death. In 1991, Dawson was diagnosed with prostate cancer . On August 12, 2022, Dawson's family announced that he had entered hospice care at

546-548: The Naval Academy , making him the first African-American football player in the Atlantic Coast Conference . In 1966, Corso became the defensive backs coach at Navy. In 1969, he was named head coach at Louisville where he coached his ESPN colleague Tom Jackson . After taking Louisville to only its second-ever bowl game in 1970, he was hired by Indiana in 1972. Corso coached at Indiana from 1973 to 1982, leading

588-504: The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas . He died on August 24, at the age of 87. The Chiefs wore a decal with the number 16 on their helmets for the entire 2022 season in honor of Dawson. Before their first offensive play of the preseason game the day after his death, the Chiefs lined up in a huddle popularized by Dawson, where the quarterback stands in front of the other 10 offensive players instead of standing in

630-508: The "Ask Madden" feature in the Madden NFL series. In the off-season, Corso serves as Director of Business Development for Dixon Ticonderoga , a Florida-based manufacturer of writing and arts products, including No. 2 pencils (one of which he can always be seen holding on College GameDay ). In 2001, Corso spearheaded an effort to create a crayon completely out of soybeans . Corso serves as honorary chairman of Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer,

672-630: The AFL's Chiefs (then known as the Dallas Texans), where he spent the last 14 seasons of his career, and rejoined the NFL after the AFL–NFL merger . In the AFL, Dawson led the league in completion percentage seven times, passer rating six times, and passing touchdowns four times. He was named Most Valuable Player in 1962 and selected to six AFL All-Star games. Dawson also guided the Chiefs to three AFL championships and

714-731: The American Football League's Dallas Texans on June 30, 1962. The move reunited him with Stram, who was beginning his third year as the Texans' head coach. In 1962 , Dawson led the league in touchdowns and yards per attempt, and was the Sporting News ' selection as the AFL MVP . He also led Dallas to the first of three league titles in a thrilling double-overtime victory over the two-time defending champion Oilers in Houston. Dawson ran

756-705: The Buffalo, came on September 16, 2023, before the Buffaloes ' game versus the Colorado State Rams in Boulder, Colorado. Corso made a brief cameo in a 2006 Nike commercial featuring the fictional Briscoe High School football team, portrayed by football icons such as Michael Vick , LaDainian Tomlinson , Brian Urlacher , Troy Polamalu , and fellow FSU great Deion Sanders , and by coaches Don Shula , Jimmy Johnson , and Urban Meyer . Corso takes his hawk mascot head off while

798-681: The Chiefs named their broadcast booth at Arrowhead Stadium after Dawson. In 1979, Dawson was enshrined in the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, followed by induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and Purdue 's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2008, he was awarded the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award . In 2006, Dawson was interviewed for the NFL Network documentary America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions chronicling

840-588: The Chiefs to an 11–2–1 record and a 31–7 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFL Championship Game , earning his team the honor of representing the AFL in Super Bowl I , the first championship game between the AFL and their NFL rivals. The NFL champion Green Bay Packers won easily, 35–10, but Dawson performed fairly well, completing 16 of 27 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. Dawson

882-588: The Chiefs to road playoff victories over both the defending Super Bowl champion New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders . He then capped his year with MVP accolades in Super Bowl IV , the last game ever played by an American Football League team. In the game, Dawson paced the Chiefs to a win over the NFL's heavily favored Minnesota Vikings by completing 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, and rushing for 11 yards. The performance

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924-519: The Hoosiers to two winning seasons in 1979 and 1980. The 1979 regular season ended with 7–4 record and earned a trip to the 1979 Holiday Bowl . There the Hoosiers would beat the previously unbeaten BYU Cougars . Indiana's victory over the Cougars propelled the team to 16th in the UPI poll, the Hoosiers' first top-20 ranking since 1967. During one game in the 1976 season, Corso called a time out after his team scored

966-547: The NFL . He also worked as an analyst for NBC 's AFC coverage from 1977 to 1982. From 1985 to 2017, Dawson was the color analyst for the Chiefs' radio broadcast team. In 2012, Dawson was honored with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award presented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his longtime contributions as a sports broadcaster. At the beginning of his final season as the Chiefs radio analyst,

1008-520: The Steelers acquired future Hall of Famer Bobby Layne early in the 1958 season . Dawson was traded to the Cleveland Browns on December 31, 1959. However, after encountering similar problems in battling Browns quarterback Milt Plum , Dawson was released after the 1961 season , having completed only 21 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns in his five seasons of NFL play. Dawson signed with

1050-659: The franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl IV , of which he was named MVP . He retired from professional football after the 1975 season and later served as the sports director at KMBC-TV in Kansas City and color analyst for the Chiefs Radio Network. His demeanor and style earned him the nickname " Lenny the Cool " from his teammates. Dawson was the seventh son of a seventh son and 9th of 11 children overall. He attended Alliance High School in Alliance, Ohio . He

1092-654: The game at GameDay 's site by donning the headpiece of the school's mascot. It started on October 5, 1996, prior to the Ohio State - Penn State game at Columbus, Ohio , when he got the idea to don the OSU " Brutus Buckeye " mascot head to show his pick to win the game. Corso made his 250th headgear pick, TCU 's Super Frog , before the TCU - WVU game in Morgantown, West Virginia, on November 1, 2014. His 400th headgear pick, Colorado's Chip

1134-551: The game's deciding play unfolds in slow-motion . Corso appeared annually in EA Sports ' NCAA Football titles along with Herbstreit and play-by-play man Brad Nessler until NCAA Football 11 , in which he does not do play-by-play. The 2006 edition of the game begins with Corso making his mascot headgear prediction. If the team Corso chooses does not have a mascot, he wears the helmet instead like on College GameDay . During play selection, players can opt for "Ask Corso", replicating

1176-479: The playoffs. Dawson announced his retirement in May 1976, shortly before turning 41. Dawson ended his career in 1975, having completed 2,136 of 3,741 passes for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns, with 181 interceptions. He also gained 1,293 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in his career. Dawson retired as the Chiefs all-time career leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, attempts, rushing yards by

1218-646: The rest of the WLAF's North American operations. The league would later use the team's name (but not its colors or history) for the Berlin Thunder . Notable players include Kerwin Bell and Scott Mitchell , a left-handed quarterback who went on to play in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions and Dan Sileo , who went on to become a famous sports talk radio host. In 2006, readers of ESPN 's Uni Watch column voted

1260-480: The site of one of the day's big games. He often plays the role of comic foil to co-hosts Desmond Howard , Rece Davis , and Kirk Herbstreit . Corso's catchphrase , "Not so fast, my friend!", with pencil always in hand, is usually directed at Herbstreit, in disagreement with Herbstreit's predictions. Corso also calls nearly everyone "sweetheart." Corso is also known for ending every weekly show with his mascot headgear prediction, when he chooses who he thinks will win

1302-577: The stroke, Corso has had to script and rehearse his appearances on College GameDay and is no longer able to effectively ad lib . While at Florida State, Corso was roommates and teammates with actor Burt Reynolds . The two remained close friends until Reynolds's death in 2018. Corso has been married to his wife, Betsy, since 1957. They have four children and 10 grandchildren. # denotes interim/acting head coach # denotes interim head coach # denotes interim head coach Len Dawson Leonard Ray Dawson (June 20, 1935 – August 24, 2022)

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1344-608: The team's jersey 2nd worst football jersey of all time. Head coaches Offensive coaches Strength and conditioning Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends Defensive Linemen Defensive Backs Special Teams Rookies in italics Head coaches Offensive coaches Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Offensive linemen Defensive linemen Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams Rookies in italics Lee Corso Lee Richard Corso (born August 7, 1935)

1386-525: The team's kicker. Behind a strong offensive line, he threw four touchdown passes in a 31–0 victory over Missouri , then later engineered a huge upset of Notre Dame , which had entered the contest on a 13-game winning streak. During three seasons (1954–1956) with the Boilermakers, Dawson threw for 3,325 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the Big Ten Conference in that category during each year. He

1428-620: Was 4–6–1. After the stint at Northern Illinois, Corso made his professional football coaching debut for the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985 . Corso was slated to return to the Renegades in fall 1986 , but the league suspended operations before the season began. In 1987, Corso was hired by ESPN as an analyst for its Saturday College GameDay program that, since 1993, had originated from

1470-681: Was MVP of the football team and was named outstanding Ohio back of the year by the International News Service . A three-sport athlete, Dawson set school records in football and basketball, and was the first athlete in 13 years to be named first-team all-state in both sports during the same year. During the recruiting process, Dawson had to choose between the Ohio State University in Columbus and Purdue University in Indiana . While he

1512-606: Was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. After playing college football at Purdue , Dawson began his NFL career in 1957, spending three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two with the Cleveland Browns . He left the NFL in 1962 to sign with

1554-505: Was born in Cicero, Illinois , on August 7, 1935. At age 10, he moved with his family to Miami and later attended Miami Jackson Senior High School , where he played quarterback . A baseball prospect, he was offered a $ 5,000 bonus to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a shortstop . However, he chose college, playing football and baseball at Florida State University (FSU), where he was

1596-609: Was especially notable given that Dawson had been mistakenly linked to a gambling scandal (by an unrelated gentleman who was named Donald Dawson) in the days leading up to the game. On November 1, 1970, the Chiefs led the Oakland Raiders 17–14 late in the fourth quarter. Facing third and long, a run by Dawson apparently sealed victory for the Chiefs, but as Dawson lay on the ground, he was speared by Raiders' defensive end Ben Davidson , who dove into Dawson with his helmet, provoking Chiefs' receiver Otis Taylor to attack Davidson. After

1638-409: Was named third-team All-American in 1956 . He was an All-Big Ten quarterback during the 1955 and 1956 seasons. While at Purdue, Dawson was initiated into the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity . Dawson was the fifth overall selection in the 1957 NFL draft , taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers , but he was unable to make an impact. Following his rookie season in 1957 , his status became more tenuous when

1680-529: Was reluctant to take over Woody Hayes ' split-T offense with the Buckeyes, the true reason he selected Purdue stemmed from the rapport he had established with assistant coach Hank Stram , beginning a friendship that would last for more than a half-century. As a sophomore in 1954 , Dawson's first as the Boilermakers ' quarterback, he was the NCAA 's leader in pass efficiency, while also playing defense and serving as

1722-426: Was selected by his peers as a Sporting News 1966 AFL All-League player. Though he threw for more than 2,000 yards in each of the previous seven campaigns, Dawson's 1969 season with Kansas City would be his most memorable because of his dramatic comeback from a knee injury suffered in the season's second game. The injury was at first feared to be season-ending, but after missing five games, Dawson went on to lead

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1764-442: Was the head coach for the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League in 1985, tallying a mark of 5–13. Corso's parents, Alessandro and Irma, were Italian immigrants. His father fled Italy during World War I at age 15. Alessandro, who had a second-grade education, was a lifelong laborer who laid terrazzo flooring, and Irma, who had a fifth-grade education, worked in school cafeterias and boarding schools. Corso

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