Kansas City Chiefs logo (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are mourning the passing of a former player who won a Super Bowl with them.

The team has confirmed that ex-safety Jim Kearney died on Tuesday, relaying the unfortunate news last night.

The former 11th-round pick was 81 years old.

Kearney, who played his college football at Prairie View A&M, was selected by the Detroit Lions in 1965 and left for a one-year stint with the Chiefs after playing two seasons for the team that drafted him.

He ended his career with the New Orleans Saints, playing 14 games in 1976, having remained with the Chiefs from 1967-75.

The two-time defending champions tweeted the following:

“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of former safety, Jim Kearney. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

“During his nine-year career in Kansas City, Jim was part of an AFL Championship team and helped lead the Chiefs defense to a 23-7 victory in Super Bowl IV,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said.

“Jim first appeared in a Chiefs uniform in 1967, and for the next eight years, he never missed a game. And yet, the most impressive parts of Jim’s life happened off the field. After his playing days, he became a high school teacher and coach. He mentored hundreds of children in the Kansas City area, and he will be remembered as a great player, a great teacher and a great man. 

“My family and I send our deepest condolences to Shirley and the entire Kearney family.”

Jim Kearney Held An Impressive Long-Standing NFL Record Until 2023

Jim Kearney was a starter for the Chiefs in every regular season game over the last eight years of his career with the team and helped them to a championship in 1961. He made 23 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries over the course of his Chiefs spell.

The former defensive star set a record in 1972, returning four INTs for four touchdowns. The single-season accomplishment stood for over 50 years until Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland broke it by registering five pick sixes last season.