In honor of the scariest day of the year, Halloween, we are going to rank the 15 scariest Kansas City Chiefs of all-time.
This list is not to be confused with the 15 greatest Chiefs of all-time. There are going to be some obvious snubs if you look at the list this way. The Kansas City Chiefs have had some great offensive linemen in the past for example, but sticking strictly to our fear theme, defenders and skills position players hog the rankings on this list.
In the words of Sheriff Brackett from Halloween, “It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare.”
So without further ado, let’s get into it!
SCARIEST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OF ALL-TIME
NUMBER 15 – JUSTIN HOUSTON, OLB (2011-2018)
Justin Houston was an incredible player for the Chiefs early on in his career. The only thing holding him back from being higher on this list as well as the all-time Chiefs list was injuries.
Let me take you back to December 28, 2014, to tell you a scary story.
It was a chilly afternoon in Kansas City and a man possessed wearing the number 50 (with a “29” on his undershirt) for the Chiefs went on a rampage terrorizing the Chargers offensive line and ripping Philip Rivers to the ground for four sacks and a forced fumble on the day.
This was the last game of the 2014 season and not only did Houston’s four sacks bring him within half of a sack of the all-time single-season record, but just imagine the terror in Rivers’ eye as he watched Houston destroy him time after time basically single-handedly eliminating the Chargers from the playoffs.
The 2014 NFL Defensive Player of the Year went to J.J. Watt, but we all know who the real defensive player of the year was that year. Houston’s 22 sacks in 2014 are still the most for any current NFL players in a season.
If injuries hadn’t slowed him down, you can only dream (or have nightmares of) how great he could’ve been for the Kansas City Chiefs.
SCARIEST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OF ALL-TIME
NUMBER 14 – PRIEST HOLMES, RB (2001-2007)
If you ever found yourself on defense against Priest Holmes at the goal line, you would understand how scary he was as a player. Holmes came to Kansas City in 2001 and amassed 4,500+ yards and over 55 touchdowns in his first three seasons.
These first three seasons included a league rushing yards title in 2001 and then a top finish in rushing touchdowns in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, Holmes scored 27 touchdowns. TWENTY-SEVEN! That is ten more than the league leader in rushing touchdowns in 2018, Todd Gurley.
Holmes was a tremendous talent who terrorized opposing defenses and was another guy, like Houston, who probably could’ve been haunting defenses for many more years had injuries not gotten the best of him.
NUMBER 13 – ERIC BERRY, S (2010-2018)
Eric Berry was scary good at football. He struggled with injuries throughout his career but was still able to garner best safety in the league conversations and was known as a ball hawk who opposing quarterbacks had to be aware of.
Berry led the league in interception return touchdowns twice, in 2017 was ranked as the NFL’s 13th best player, was a first-team All-Pro three times, and was selected as a Pro Bowler 5 times in his nine-year career.
He also played in less than two games in three of those seasons and just six games in another season. In other words, he was pretty much five for five at Pro Bowl seasons and three for five as a first-team All-Pro. Oh yeah, and he came back from beating Cancer in 2015 and earned comeback player of the years honors.
This man could not be stopped by anything and was feared across the league by opposing quarterbacks as the anchor of the Kansas City Chiefs secondary.
SCARIEST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OF ALL-TIME
NUMBER 12 – DERRICK JOHNSON, LB (2005-2017)
Derrick Johnson is one of the Chiefs all-time greats and will be on various Chiefs statistical leader boards probably forever, but what makes him such a scary player was his tackling.
Johnson laid down some of the hardest hits Chiefs Kingdom has ever witnessed. If this were a rankings list for heaviest hitters in Chiefs history, he would have to be in the conversation for the top spot.
He laid out many bone-crushing hits in his day that left players thinking about him for weeks and maybe even still to this day. If an opposing offensive player saw Johnson coming down the field at him in a one on one situation, you better believe he was terrified of the hit that was coming his way.
NUMBER 11 – JAMAAL CHARLES, RB (2008-2016)
It is pretty unlikely that Chiefs fans ever see another player as electrifying as Jamaal Charles, but where Chiefs Kingdom saw electricity, the opposing team saw fear. Charles isn’t just one of the most difficult Chiefs players to tackle, but one of the hardest players in the history of the league to tackle.
This is evidenced in his career yards per carrying (5.4), which ranks second in NFL history and in his highlight film. Charles was always finding holes that no human should be able to see and juking great defenders into looking like fools.
Charles had single-game highs of five touchdowns, four receiving touchdowns, 254 yards rushing, and 30 individual points scored all of which are Chiefs single-game all-time records. With stat lines like that, it’s very apparent why opposing defenses feared him.
NUMBER 10 – BUCK BUCHANAN, DT (1963-1975)
Although not a lot is available stats wise (sacks weren’t an official stat until the mid 80s) to evaluate Buck Buchanan, he was a tough guy to leave off of this list. In his Pro Football Hall of Fame bio, he is said to have been “intimidating.”
At his 6’7″ 270-pound frame, it’s pretty apparent how he could’ve been considered intimidating back in the 60s and 70s. Buchanan also was said to have batted down 16 passes in 1967. For reference, that is J.J. Watt’s career-high for passes deflected… and we all know how scary Watt has been in the past 9 years.
He was also voted to the Pro Football Reference first team All-1960s Team. That shows just how dominant he was in the 60s. Buchanan was a relentless pass rusher who made a career of putting fear into opponents’ eyes making him a very impactful player.
SCARIEST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OF ALL-TIME
NUMBER 9 – TAMBA HALI, DE (2006-2017)
Tamba Hali made this list by being a consistently relentless pass rusher for years in Kansas City. He might not have been as feared at his peak as someone like Justin Houston was, but he was consistently on opposing quarterbacks’ minds throughout his career in Kansas City.
Hali wasn’t as physically scary as a lot of pass rushers, but he excelled at hand fighting and backed those skills up with a motor that never ran out of gas. Hali terrorized AFC West offensive linemen and quarterbacks for years and earned the second-most career sacks in Chiefs history at 89.5.
NUMBER 8 – LEN DAWSON, QB (1962-1975)
Len Dawson, in his time, was one of the best quarterbacks in the league and will always be listed as one of the top few Chiefs players ever. He didn’t put up eye-popping numbers as compared to today’s quarterback stats, but once again, in his day, you better believe he was a scary dude for opponents.
Dawson led the league in passing touchdowns four times, adjusted yards per attempt five times, passer rating six times, and completion percentage eight times. He was also the MVP of Super Bowl IV and was the AFL MVP in 1962.
The story of Dawson battling through a knee injury in 1969 to lead the Chiefs to a victory in Super Bowl IV has been floating around a lot lately. This story only adds to his legacy.
NUMBER 7 – DANTE HALL, WR (2000-2006)
Dante Hall was a scary dude.
Looking back on it, there were a lot of punters and kickers who were much braver than they should’ve been. You know most punters and kickers were scared of him, but why would you ever give a guy with the nickname “Human Joystick” a chance to return the football… ever?
He did get some opportunities and he made the most of them. He led the league in punt return touchdowns twice and in the 2003 season, he led the league in both punts and kick return touchdowns with two each. He also led the league in all-purpose yards twice.
He had at least one punt or kick return touchdown for the Chiefs in five straight seasons. That’s a guy I would’ve been scared to death to kick to if I were an NFL punter/kicker, and Hall almost always made them pay.
SCARIEST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OF ALL-TIME
NUMBER 6 – CHRISTIAN OKOYE, FB/RB (1987-1992)
Christian Okoye was a monster. How would you like to tackle a 6’1″ 253 pounder coming down full at you head-on? Sheesh, that’s a scary thought.
Okoye led the league in rushing attempts and yards in 1989 and was a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro. Plus, how could a guy with the nickname “Nigerian Nightmare” not make this list?
NUMBER 5 – TONY GONZALEZ, TE (1997-2008)
Specifically looking at the safety and linebackers who had to be matched up with him, Tony Gonzalez might be the most feared player the ever had to face. He was a match-up nightmare. It was just unfair to the guy unfortunate enough to be matched up with him.
He is not only the greatest Chiefs tight end of all time, but probably the greatest tight end in league history. He is top six in career receiving yards and number one amongst tight ends and is number eight in career receiving touchdowns (number two amongst tight ends).
We could go on and on about Gonzalez’s career achievements like we haven’t even mentioned his 14 Pro Bowls (including ten straight in KC) and his six All-Pro selections (five with KC), but why he is so scary comes down to matchups. Nine times out of ten he was the better player and that is what made him so terrifying to his opponent.
NUMBER 4 -EMMITT THOMAS, CB (1966-1978)
Emmitt Thomas was a ball hawk. One in which likely haunted opposing quarterbacks nightmares. He was a two-time season interception leader.
In the 1974 season, Thomas had 12 interceptions and two touchdowns, which both led the league that year. Those 12 interceptions place him in a tie for fifth-most interceptions in a single season ever.
He was assuredly a cornerback that quarterbacks avoided throwing at if at all possible. Thomas was a bad dude and was feared by quarterbacks league-wide in the 60s and 70s.
SCARIEST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OF ALL-TIME
NUMBER 3 – BOBBY BELL, LB (1963-1974)
Bobby Bell was a scary dude because not only could he rush the passer, but he also excelled in coverage. He was a true all-around outside linebacker. He played in the last six AFL All-Star games and the first three post-merger Pro Bowls.
Bell was extremely tough as well, not missing a single game in his 12-year career. His Pro Football Hall of Fame bio pegs his presentation as “fearsome.” It also talks about his ability to give out punishing blows as a defender.
Bell looked scary and played scary in his 12-year career in Kansas City.
NUMBER 2 – WILLIE LANIER, LB (1967-1977)
Betsided
If it weren’t for Derrick Thomas being far and away the greatest Chief of all-time, Willie Lanier would’ve easily been number one on this list. There isn’t a player on this list with a crazier story than Lanier.
He was nicknamed “Contact” because of the vicious hits he would hand out to opponents. He would hit opponents so hard that he had to wear a modified helmet with extra padding on the outside to help absorb some of the contact delivered during his hits.
He had a great career in Kansas City and had many of the accolades that many of the others on this list had, but we don’t even have to mention accolades to explain why he’s on this list. Imagine having to play against a guy nicknamed “Contact” who has to wear extra helmet padding because he hits so hard.
That is terrifying and Lanier most definitely belongs on this list.
NUMBER 1 – DERRICK THOMAS, OLB (1989-1999)
Everyone knew who number one would be and that is, without question, Derrick Thomas. He is the greatest Chief of all-time and a very scary defender.
Thomas had a 20 sack season, which was a franchise record for years until Justin Houston, number 15 on this list, broke the record in 2014. He also had the most total sacks of any player during the 90s and his most crazy stat is an NFL record seven sacks in a single game.
Thomas was one of the most terrifying defenders of the 90s and is definitely the scariest Kansas City Chief of all time.
Wrap-Up
The Chiefs franchise is littered with some pretty scary dudes all of whom are vital parts of this organization’s history. There are definitely some pretty scary current guys worth consideration for this list as well, but we thought we’d leave the current players off for now.
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed this list and have a happy Halloween, Chiefs Kingdom!