Longtime Chiefs offensive lineman Ed Budde dies at the age of 83

Updated Dec. 19, 2023 9:08 p.m. ET

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ed Budde, who spent 14 years playing along the offensive line of the Kansas City Chiefs and helped the franchise win its first Super Bowl with a victory over Minnesota in 1970, died Tuesday. He was 83.

The family announced his death through a statement issued by the Chiefs. No cause of death was provided.

Budde was born on Nov. 2, 1940, in Highland Park, Michigan. He was a standout at Denby High School in Detroit before heading to Michigan State, where he was an All-American in 1962 under Hall of Fame coach Duffy Daugherty.

It was as a professional that Budde earned his reputation for being a reliable, hard-nosed lineman. He was the fourth overall pick of the Eagles in the 1963 NFL Draft and the eighth overall pick of the Chiefs in the AFL Draft, and ultimately chose to play for the upstart team coached by Hank Stram in the years before the two professional leagues would merge.

“He was a cornerstone of those early Chiefs teams that brought pro football to Kansas City,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement Tuesday. “He never missed a game in the first nine seasons of his career, and he rightfully earned recognition as an All-Star, a Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion.”

Indeed, Budde was one of the leaders of fearsome Chiefs teams that won AFL titles in 1966 and 1969, then beat the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. He was a five-time AFL All-Star and was chosen to two Pro Bowls once the league merged with the NFL, and he was chosen as a member of the All-AFL Team before his retirement following the 1976 season.

Budde's son, Brad Budde, was an All-American offensive lineman at Southern California before he was drafted by the Chiefs with the 11th overall pick in 1980. They remain the only father-son duo to be first-round picks by the same NFL franchise.

The elder Budde remained active in the Kansas City area after his playing career, serving as the longtime president of the Kansas City chapter of the NFL Alumni organization. He was joined by his son on stage at Kansas City's Union Station for the NFL Draft in April, where they announced the Chiefs' second-round selection of wide receiver Rashee Rice.

“He was well-loved in the Kansas City community,” Hunt said, “and he was a great father to Brad, Tionne and John. My family and the entire Chiefs organization extend our sincere condolences to Carolyn and the Budde family.”

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