Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Ed Budde dies at 83
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame member Ed Budde has died at the age of 83 of natural causes, family told FOX4 Tuesday.
The former left guard played for Kansas City for 14 years, from 1963-1976. Only one other player has been with the Chiefs for longer.
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Budde’s daughter confirmed her father died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday morning with his wife of 65 years Carolyn by his side.
He’s survived by his daughter Tionne Ellegard, of Raymore; and sons Brad, of California, and John, of Michigan.
“Most people know my dad as a great football player,” Ellegard said. “But he was a really great dad.”
Budde helped the Chiefs win two American Football League Championships in 1966 and 1969 and the team’s first Super Bowl in 1970 with famed quarterback Len Dawson.
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He was selected to the AFL All-Star game or AFC-NFC Pro Bowl seven times (1964 and 1967-72) over his long career. The Pro Football Hall of Fame also named Budde to its AFL all-time team.
Budde retired after the 1976 season and was later inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1984.
He was also one of the 10 founding members of the Kansas City Ambassadors in the 1990s and served as the longtime president of the Kansas City chapter of the NFL Alumni organization.
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Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt released the following statement Tuesday on Budde’s death:
“My family and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Chiefs Hall of Famer Ed Budde,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said.
“Ed spent his entire 14-year career with the Chiefs, and he was a cornerstone of those early Chiefs teams that brought pro football to Kansas City. 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.
“After his playing career, Ed remained connected to the Chiefs organization and was a founding member of the Kansas City Ambassadors. He was well-loved in the Kansas City community, 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.”
Ed’s son, Brad Budde, grew up around the team before becoming an All-American at USC. He was then the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick in 1980, playing with the team through 1987.
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Ed and Brad Budde became the first — and only — father and son in NFL history to be drafted in the first round to the same team. They both also played the same position.
“And top it all off, we are both number 71,” Brad Budde previously told FOX4.
Back in April, when Kansas City hosted the 2023 NFL Draft, the league honored the father-son duo by having them announce a Chiefs pick on Day 2.
