Kansas City Chiefs Throw Back Thursday: Wide Receiver, Stephone Paige

Hash tag TBT (throw back Thursday) has become an internet phenomenon over the past few years and we here at KC Kingdom have started partaking in the popular tradition via the Kansas City Chiefs. Each week, we’ll throw you back to a different Chiefs player, coach, or event that deserves a trip down memory lane.

This week I decided to write about wide receiver, Stephone Paige. People forget about Stephone Paige, mostly because he played for the Chiefs in arguably the worst time period of their franchise, the 80′s.

Paige was un-drafted out of Fresno State when he joined the Chiefs in 1983. He combined a 6-2, 185 lb frame with good speed to become a consistent target for the Chiefs for 9 seasons. He was so consistent that, between 1985 to 1991, Paige had at least one reception in 83 consecutive games. Tony Gonzalez snapped that consecutive streak in 2006.

Courtesy of Google Images

He also had an NFL record, 309 receiving yards, against the Chargers on December 22nd, 1985. Willie “Flipper” Anderson owns the rather obscure NFL record of most receiving yards gained in a single game with 336. In 1989, Anderson set the mark on 15 receptions for the Los Angeles Rams.

However, there is an asterisk next to Anderson‘s record as he broke the record in over time against the New Orleans Saints. Paiges record for most yards receiving in regulation stood all the way until last October when Calvin Johnson broke it with 329 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.

If you wanna get real deep about it, Paige had to deal with two different starting quarterbacks on the day he set the record. Bill Kenny and Todd Blackledge COMBINED for 13 of 23 passes completed and Paige still was able to put up 309 yards and two touchdowns. There is something to be said about that special day he had.

Paiges career numbers with the Chiefs aren’t staggering, but they rank at the top in franchise history.

• 125 games
• 377 receptions
• 6,373 yards from scrimmage
• 49 touchdowns
• (Stats via ProFootballReference.com)

His best season was towards the end of his career in 1990 when he caught 65 passes for 1,021 yards and 5 touchdowns. He  is currently ranked fifth on the Chiefs all-time receiving list for both catches (377) and yards (6341), while placing fourth in career touchdowns (49).

Stephone Paige was certainly worthy of this TBT, and I wish the Chiefs still had him with today’s football team. Do you have any memories of Stephone Paige? If so, please share! I wasn’t alive to watch him play so I love hearing good stories of legends from our old-timers.

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