Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced on Saturday that former offensive guard Brian Waters will be the 2019 inductee into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. Waters is the 49th individual and 45th player to earn this coveted honor. The official enshrinement ceremony into the Chiefs Hall of Fame will be held during Chiefs Alumni Weekend at Arrowhead Stadium this fall.
"In his 13 seasons with the Chiefs, Brian Waters was a fixture on some of the best offensive lines in franchise history," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. "Although he was undrafted coming out of college, Brian made the most of his opportunity here in Kansas City, and his work ethic, talent and toughness made him an undisputed leader on the field and in the locker room. Brian also has a tremendous heart of service, and his commitment to the Kansas City community earned him the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2009. We look forward to adding Brian's name to the Ring of Honor at Arrowhead this fall."
Over 13 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (2000-10), the New England Patriots (2011) and the Dallas Cowboys (2013), Waters played in 186 games with 170 starts, earning six Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro recognitions by the Associated Press. He became the first offensive lineman to be named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, which occurred following Kansas City's 56-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons on October 24, 2004 when the team rushed for an NFL record eight touchdowns in the game.
During Waters' time with the Chiefs, he helped pave the way for each of the top four individual single-season rushing performances in franchise history. He was also on the field for three of the top five individual single-game rushing efforts in club annals, including RB Jamaal Charles' franchise-record 259-yard performance at Denver (1/3/10). In 2004, he teamed with Pro Football Hall of Fame G Will Shields to form the first tandem of Pro Bowl guards from the same team since Larry Allen and Nate Newton did it for Dallas following the 1995 season. He and Shields also became the first guard duo from the same team to be named to three-consecutive Pro Bowls (2004-06).
In 2009, the entire National Football League community honored Waters as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner for his on-field accomplishments, as well as his commitment to community outreach. Waters became the fifth member of the Chiefs to receive this honor, tying the Chiefs for the most award winners in the NFL. Since the launch of the "Brian Waters 54 Foundation" in 2004, tens of thousands of children and families in the Greater Kansas City area as well as his home state of Texas have been positively impacted through his back-to-school program where he provided backpacks full of school supplies as well as haircuts and medical check-ups prior to the start of school. At the time of his Man of the Year selection, he had granted more than 80 college scholarships for low-income students. The 54 Foundation partnered with more than 20 different agencies annually.
Waters was signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent and released after training camp in 1999. Following his release from Dallas, he arrived in Kansas City for a free agent workout in March of 2000 when the Chiefs convinced him to make the move to offensive line, a position he had never played. He spent the spring of 2000 playing for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe where he started every game at center. The Waxahachie, Texas, native played in 44 games at North Texas, starting at tight end for three years before switching to defensive end prior to his senior season. Waters hauled in 86 receptions for 975 yards and nine touchdowns in three years as a tight end. As a senior defensive end, he recorded 45 tackles (32 solo) and 5.0 sacks, earning him first-team All-Big West Conference honors. He also caught four passes for 66 yards with one touchdown as a senior.
