“My family and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Chiefs Hall of Famer Abner Haynes,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Abner was one of the first great stars of the Dallas Texans and the American Football League. In the league’s first season in 1960, Abner earned Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors, and more importantly, he earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and fans alike. In addition to his on-the-field prowess, Abner was a man of courage and leadership from a very young age. He remained involved in the community well after his playing days were over, and his legacy extends far beyond the gridiron. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Guadalupe and his entire family during this difficult time.”
An original Dallas Texan with the team beginning in the inaugural 1960 season, Haynes was an exciting running back and return specialist who owns or shares a number of franchise records, including most touchdowns in a rookie season (12), most points by a non-kicker in a rookie season (72), most points in a game (30), most touchdowns in a game (five) and most rushing touchdowns in a game (four).
With the club across 70 regular season games from 1960-64, he ranks sixth in team history with 8,473 career combined net yards and led the club in rushing four of his five seasons with the team (1960, 1961, 1962 and 1964). He became the franchise’s first 1,000-yard rusher, accumulating 1,049 yards during the club’s 1962 AFL Championship season. With the Texans/Chiefs, he totaled 793 rushes for 3,810 yards with 39 rushing touchdowns and added 199 receptions for 2,739 yards with 17 touchdowns. As a returner, he tallied 52 kickoff returns for 1,326 yards with one touchdown and 55 punt returns for 598 yards.
Under the guidance of PFHOF Head Coach Hank Stram, Haynes was named to the All-AFL squad in three consecutive seasons from 1960-62 and earned the American Football League’s first Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in 1960 when he led the league with 875 rushing yards. Following his five-year stay with the Texans/Chiefs, he went on to play with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.
The Denton, Texas, native attended North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas) where he was a college standout, earning All-Missouri Valley Conference honors twice and was named an All-American by Time magazine as a senior in 1959. In 1956, Haynes and teammate Leon King became the first Black student athletes to play on an integrated college football team in Texas, or anywhere in the South, when they joined the North Texas freshman team. Haynes was passionate about providing access to football for youth and was involved with Heroes of Football, an organization that worked to share stories of the players who shaped professional football as well as connect them to their communities. Haynes was inducted into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 andwas inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1991.
