What is the ‘choir huddle’? Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs pay tribute to Len Dawson with it vs. Packers

Abraham Smith

The NFL lost a legend this week when former Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl 4 MVP Len Dawson died at the age of 87. As fate would have it, Kansas City played their Super Bowl 1 opponents, the Packers, in Thursday’s preseason finale.

The classic feel was reinforced by the Chiefs, who decided to honor Dawson in an interesting way.

When the team first took the field, Patrick Mahomes placed himself in front of his offense and dubbed the game “Chor Huddle” in a formation popularized by Dawson’s Chiefs.

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It was an extremely cool tribute and the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium loved it.

After the huddle up, the Chiefs took the game clock all the way down and Mahomes left the field to encourage the KC loyalists.

What is the “Choir Round”?

The choir huddle is a huddle formation that has largely gone out of style in today’s game. In it, the quarterback names the game with his offense, which hides him from the defense.

While NFL teams today opt for a circular formation, the choir huddle is a continuation of the Chiefs’ breaking tradition of 1969. According to this interesting article by Bleacher Report, coach Hank Stram introduced the formation to break the almost militaristic style of the overdoing teams.

The result is an image synonymous with the legendary Chiefs teams of yore, as perfectly embodied by the Chiefs’ social media account.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game that the huddle tributes were team CEO Clark Hunt’s idea and the players were “completely committed.”

What is Len Dawson’s place in Chiefs history?

It’s fair to say that Dawson is the first Chiefs icon. A short list of his achievements:

  • He led Kansas City to their first Super Bowl win of the 1969 season and was named the game’s MVP.
  • He won three AFL championships with the franchise. The 1966 title sent KC to Super Bowl 1 against Green Bay.
  • In 1962, he was named The Sporting News’ AFL Player of the Year.
  • In 1987 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  • His #16 jersey is retired by the Chiefs.

To see Mahomes, a player who didn’t even have to dress for the game, pay tribute to him in this way shows how important Dawson is to the organization. Mahomes also wore a hoodie depicting Dawson during the pregame warm-up, and the Chiefs debuted the No. 16 decals, which they will wear on their helmets this season.

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