If you want to make a list of the accolades garnered by Willie Lanier throughout his football career, you’re going to need more than a few pages.
An eight-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Lanier is a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame. The NFL’s Man of the Year in 1972, Lanier was a key member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl champion team in 1970, and is a member of the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame, as well as having his No. 63 jersey retired by the team. You’ll find his name on both the NFL’s 75th Anniversary and 100th Anniversary teams, too.
As successful as he was on the field, Lanier is just as impressive in his off-field endeavors. The Hall of Famer recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his latest cause, waiting 50 years for his Chiefs to win another Super Bowl, and more.
JM: You’re serving as a co-chair of Concordance Academy of Leadership’s recently announced “First Chance” campaign, to help raise $50 million to expand its program nationally to 11 cities across the United States. Why does this program mean so much to you?
WL: I know several of the other co-chairs that are serving alongside me. I’ve spent a lot of time around these people in various other ventures. This is another opportunity for me to work with people who have thoughts on how to improve the lives of other people that may have been disproportionately effected by their background, circumstance or anything in life that was beyond their control. We want to improve the lives of Americans who to no fault of their own, find themselves in unfortunate situations. I’m thankful for the opportunity, and hope we change some lives.
JM: You’re a Hall of Fame player. The greatest moment of your career came in 1970 when you won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Little did you know that the Chiefs wouldn’t win again until last season. As a fan of the team, what was the wait in between championships like for you?
WL: As a fan of the team, I truly didn’t know if God was going to grant me the opportunity to see them win again (laughs). I was just a young man playing for the Chiefs when we won in 1970. I’m 75 years old today. It’s hard to imagine something taking 50 years to occur again unless you lived in those moments as I have.
JM: Do you feel like they have a chance to repeat?
WL: I always say they’re 1 of 32 teams with a chance. They happened to have won the last one. It would be legitimate for me to mark them as the favorites to win the next one. I’ll tell you what, though, when you jump into the statistics of things, repeating is very difficult to do. If you take a look at the history of the Super Bowl, you’d be hard pressed to find many teams that have been able to repeat their success the following year. It’s happened, but sustaining that success can be elusive at times. The numbers prove that.
That’s not necessarily commenting on any projections that I may have. Those are just the facts. My thought on who is going to win is just that, simply a thought and projection. They’re 1 of 32 teams that have an opportunity to win the next Super Bowl.
JM: Did you get a chance to watch their Week 1 victory over the Houston Texans?
WL: I watched a bit of the first half and a bit of the second half, as well. I missed a bit of the game in the middle there. It was great to see them come away with a victory. I speak to a member of the staff two, maybe three times a week. I always root for them. I’ll be watching many of their Sunday games in the coming weeks. Victory Monday is always a good feeling.
JM: If you could vote one player into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that isn’t currently enshrined in Canton, who would it be and why?
WL: That’s a difficult question for me to answer. I say that as somebody who’s been blessed with that honor. It’s a tough class. You have to be very successful in order to get in. You need 80 percent of the votes to fall in your favor.
I speak with many people on the committee. It would be difficult for me to single out anybody. I can’t provide a quote of reference for one person. That would reduce the role of those who are actually on the committee. It is their responsibility to make that decision. There are so many players who are worthy of that honor.
For more on Concordance Academy of Leadership and the “First Chance” campaign visit concordanceacademy.org.
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