The Kansas City Chiefs received some heavy news that another member of their Super Bowl IV team passed away on Tuesday.
Legendary safety Jim Kearney played 12 seasons of professional football from 1965 to 1976. He played the longest in Kansas City from 1967 to 1975 and was part of the club’s first-ever Super Bowl championship in 1969. He was 81.
Kearney is remembered for being part of Hank Stram’s ferocious defenses of the late 60s and early 70s. He also played for the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints. In 2004, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
After his passing, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt gave the following statement:
“During his nine-year career in Kansas City, Jim was part of an AFL Championship team and helped lead the Chiefs defense to a 23-7 victory in Super Bowl IV. Jim first appeared in a Chiefs uniform in 1967, and for the next eight years, he never missed a game. And yet, the most impressive parts of Jim’s life happened off the field. After his playing days, he became a high school teacher and coach. He mentored hundreds of children in the Kansas City area, and he will be remembered as a great player, a great teacher, and a great man. My family and I send our deepest condolences to Shirley and the entire Kearney family.”
