Kansas City, Missouri (AP) Ed Budde, a 14-year Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman who was instrumental in the team’s 1970 Super Bowl victory against Minnesota, passed away on Tuesday. He was 83 years old.
Through a family statement, the Chiefs made public his passing. The reason of death was not specified.
Budde was born in Highland Park, Michigan, on November 2, 1940. He thrived at Detroit’s Denby High School before going to Michigan State, where he was an All-American in 1962 under Hall of Fame coach Duffy Daugherty.
While employed as a professional, Budde had a reputation as a trustworthy, hard-working lineman. In the AFL Draft, the Chiefs picked him eighth overall, and in the NFL Draft of 1963, the Eagles selected him fourth overall. Ultimately, he decided to play for the inexperienced team coached by Hank Stram in the years preceding the merger of the two professional leagues.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt stated in a statement on Tuesday that “he was a cornerstone of those early Chiefs teams that brought pro football to Kansas City.” “He played in all nine of his seasons without missing a game, and he deservedly won titles as an All-Star, Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl champion.
In actuality, Budde captained a strong Chiefs team that won AFL titles in 1966 and 1969 and went on to upset the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. AFL All-Star five times, he was chosen for two Pro Bowls following the league’s merger with the NFL and made the All-AFL Team before retiring following the 1976 season.
His son Brad Budde was an All-American offensive lineman at Southern California before the Chiefs took him with the 11th overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft. They remain the only father-son duo ever chosen by the same NFL team in the first round.
The elder Budde continued to be active in the Kansas City community after his playing career ended by serving as president of the NFL Alumni chapter in Kansas City for an extended length of time. Rashee Rice, a wide receiver, and his child were there on stage at Kansas City’s Union Station after the Chiefs picked him in the second round of the NFL Draft in April.