The Kansas City Chiefs are saddened to share the passing of Chiefs Hall of Fame offensive lineman and Kansas City Ambassador Ed Budde.
"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."
Football will forever hold a special place in the Budde family's heart, as Ed Budde and his son Brad are the only father-son duo to be drafted in the first round, to the same team, at the same position. Ed Budde was selected in the first round of the 1963 AFL Draft, while Brad was selected in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft, both as a guard. Ed and Brad were guests of the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs at the 2023 NFL Draft announcing the Kansas City Chiefs selection of WR Rashee Rice together on stage at Union Station in Kansas City.
Under the leadership of PFHOF Head Coach Hank Stram, Budde was named to the AFL's All-Time Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and named to play in the AFL All-Star Game also known as the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl nine times (following the 1963 and 1965-72 seasons). Budde was a starter during each of the Chiefs first two Super Bowl appearances (1966 and 1969 seasons), and his 14 seasons with the Chiefs are tied for the third-most in team history. Through 14 seasons, Budde saw action in 177 regular season games. In 1966 and 1969 he was a first-team All-AFL selection. Budde played a key part in the success of the club's "65 Toss Power Trap" play in Super Bowl IV by blocking and creating a hole for RB Mike Garrett to break into the endzone and give the Chiefs their first touchdown of the game and help them win 23-7 in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings.
Budde, an involved member in the community, was one of the 10 founding members of the Kansas City Ambassadors in the early 1990s, and he also served as the longtime president of the Kansas City Chapter of the NFL Alumni organization.
The Highland Park, Michigan, native attended Michigan State University where he was a college standout earning first-team All American honors in 1962. Later on, Budde was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1984, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
