Abner Haynes -- The AFL's Gale Sayers Passes Away at 86

By John Turney 

When a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is discussed, voters sometimes are reminded that "you can't write the history of the game" without that candidate. Former Dallas Texans' and Kansas City Chiefs' star Abner Haynes was never a Hall-of-Fame finalist, but that doesn't diminish his importance to pro football.

Because you can't write the history of the AFL without him.

Haynes died Thursday at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy of greatness on the field and "courage and leadership" off of it, as Chiefs' CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement.

"My family and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Chiefs' Hall-of-Famer Abner Haynes," Hunt said. "Abner was one of the first great stars of the Dallas Texans ... and more importantly, he earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and fans alike."

He should have.

From the moment he appeared in a Dallas Texans' uniform, Haynes identified himself as something ... or someone ... extraordinary. In the AFL's first season of existence, he not only was the 1960 Rookie of the Year but the league's Player of the Year, too. 

As he should have been.

He led the new league in rushing with 875 yards, rushing touchdowns (9), punt return yards (211) and all-purpose yards (2,100). He was also a consensus All-AFL pick. He was an All-AFL choice the next two seasons, too, as he tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns, including 1962 when he scored an AFL-best 19 TDs. 

No AFL player scored more in one season.

Ever.

But then Haynes scored two more touchdowns in a 20-17 double-overtime defeat of the defending AFL-champion Houston Oilers to win the first league championship for the Texans -- a game where Haynes inadvertently played a role in a controversial overtime decision.

After winning the coin toss, he told officials the Texans would "kick to the clock." However, the choice was either to choose the ball or to kick, not to choose both the kick and the direction. When the Oilers objected, officials ruled Dallas had to kick "away from the clock" and into a stiff wind.

As it turned out, it didn't matter. The game lasted two overtimes, with Dallas winning on a 25-yard field goal.

The following season the club moved to Kansas City where the Texans became the Chiefs, and Haynes continued to excel. He was named second-team All-AFL and went to his third AFL All-Star game -- one boycotted by black players, including Haynes, because of racist incidents in New Orleans, the scheduled site of the game.

The boycott was so effective that it forced the game to be moved to Houston.

In 1965 Haynes was traded to the Denver Broncos, where he led the AFL in kick returns in his initial season, before moving on to Miami two years later. He retired in 1967 after three games with the New York Jets.

Though his career was relatively short, Haynes' impact on the new league cannot be overstated. He was its career leader in all-purpose yards with 12,065, and his 69 touchdowns ranked fourth in the AFL's 10-year history. He also led everyone in career rushing touchdowns and was third in rushing yards.

But that's not all. Haynes was so accomplished that he still holds Texans/Chiefs' franchise records, including most touchdowns by a rookie (12), most touchdowns in one game (5) and most rushing TDs in one game (4). And he was so memorable that some historians called him the "AFL Gale Sayers."

A Dallas, TX., native, Haynes played his college ball at North Texas State (now University of North Texas) where. in 1957, he and a teammate became the first black players to play in an integrated collegiate football game in Texas. A two-time all-conference running back, as a senior he led North Texas to the 1959 Sun Bowl and was named an All-American by Time magazine.

Haynes led the Eagles in rushing, receiving and all-purpose yards all three seasons, was their top scorer twice and led the team in interceptions as a junior. In short, he did just about everything.

In November, 1959, he was drafted by the newly formed American Football League's Minneapolis-St. Paul franchise (draft picks were later assigned to the Oakland Raiders), but one month later he signed with his hometown team, the Dallas Texans.

The rest you know.

Haynes is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' Hall of Fame, and his uniform number (28) is one of 10 retired by the club. His alma mater named him to the North Texas University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986, while a year before he was given the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.