These Chiefs players wore No. 15 before Patrick Mahomes. Can you name them?
On Red Fridays, No. 15 Chiefs jerseys can be seen all around Kansas City. Game days at Arrowhead Stadium bring out many fans in No. 15 to watch quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose jersey is among the best sellers in the NFL.
These days, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Mahomes wearing No. 15 for the Chiefs. But the Chiefs’ media guide lists more than a dozen players who were given the number, and nine of those players not named Mahomes appeared in a regular season game.
Let’s meet those nine (plus learn about the other 15s):
Randy Duncan, 1961
While Duncan was the first player in Chiefs franchise history to wear No. 15, he did so as a member of the Dallas Texans. That’s where the team began play in the AFL a year earlier. Duncan played in nine games, completing 25 of 67 passes for 361 yards, three interceptions and a touchdown. The scoring pass came in a 42-35 win at Oakland. While at Iowa, Duncan finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1958 and was drafted first overall the following year by the Packers. Duncan, who died in 2016, declined to play for Green Bay and joined a team in Canada because it had offered more money, the Province reported.
Mike Mercer, 1966
A kicker, Mercer was well-traveled, playing in both the AFL and NFL in his 10-year career. His time wearing No. 15 was short. In 1966, he played 10 games with the Chiefs, making 20 of 26 field-goal attempts and 33 of 35 extra-point tries. He joined the Chiefs after starting the season with the Raiders and appearing in two games. Mercer was the Chiefs’ kicker in Super Bowl I, and has the distinction of having made the first field goal, from 31 yards out, in the history of the big game. He kicked an extra-point attempt but also missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt in the Packers’ 35-10 victory.
Jacky Lee, 1967-69
Lee, a quarterback, finished his 10-year career as a Super Bowl champion. Unfortunately, he was injured well before the Chiefs beat the Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV. Lee had taken over for the injured Len Dawson and started the third game of the 1969 season. After completing 11 of 18 passes for 78 yards, Lee injured his ankle and missed the rest of the season. Lee was a member of the Chiefs from 1967-69 and had 597 passing yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions in that time. Lee also played for the Oilers and Broncos during his career.
Kerry Reardon, 1971-76
A defensive back, Reardon had 14 interceptions over his final four seasons, including five in the 1976 season. Reardon, who graduated from Rockhurst High School, attended the University of Iowa and was drafted by the Chiefs in the sixth round in 1971. Reardon also had 16 punt returns and 16 kickoff returns during his career.
Todd Collins, 1998-05
Collins, a quarterback, played 16 seasons in the NFL with four teams. The Chiefs signed him ahead of the 1998 season, and he would be in No. 15 for eight seasons, but he didn’t play in a game during the first three years. He was a backup to Elvis Grbac, Trent Green and Rich Gannon. In 12 relief appearances for the Chiefs, he completed 18 of 27 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown. After leaving the Chiefs, Collins played for Washington and Chicago.
Matt Gutierrez, 2009
Most Chiefs fans can quickly tell you which quarterback former general manager Scott Pioli brought from New England to Kansas City. Although Matt Cassel’s time with the Chiefs didn’t work out as fans (or Pioli) would have liked, another former New England quarterback also came to KC under Pioli: Matt Gutierrez. With all due respect to the current No. 15, Gutierrez’s career completion percentage with the Chiefs won’t be topped. Gutierrez threw just one pass with the Chiefs: a 3-yard completion to Terrance Cooper late in the Chiefs’ 37-7 loss to the Chargers on Oct. 25, 2009.
Verran Tucker, 2010
The 2010 Chiefs won the AFC West title with a 10-6 record, and Tucker led the team in yards per reception (19.0). However, Tucker, who played at Cal, only had 19 catches, mostly from Cassel. Tucker’s only touchdown came on an 11-yard reception at Oakland in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Raiders. In the Chiefs’ 30-7 loss to the Ravens in an AFC Wild Card game, Tucker had one reception for 5 yards.
Steve Breaston, 2011-12
In his second year in the NFL, Breaston had a 1,000-yard season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2008. He signed a five-year, $9.5 million contract with the Chiefs in 2011, and caught 61 passes for 785 yards and two touchdowns that first year. But the following season, Breaston had a mere seven catches total for 74 yards. He was released shortly after Andy Reid took over as the Chiefs head coach in 2013.
A.J. Jenkins, 2013-2014
A first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2012 (30th overall), Jenkins signed with the Chiefs in 2013. Over the course of two seasons, Jenkins had 17 receptions for 223 yards with the Chiefs. In the 2013 playoffs, Jenkins caught a 27-yard pass from Alex Smith on a third-and-7 play in the fourth quarter of a 45-44 loss to the Colts.
Others given No. 15
Here is a trivia nugget: Wide receiver Mike Williams in 2016 is the last player before Mahomes to wear jersey No. 15, but he never appeared in a game for the Chiefs. A starter for three seasons with the Buccaneers (2010-12), Williams left Tampa Bay after the 2013 season and was with the Buffalo Bills for a season. Williams was out of the league for a year before he signed with the Chiefs, which hoped to find a receiver who could pair well with Jeremy Maclin. That obviously didn’t happen.
Sam Longmire (DB, 1967-68), David Whitehurst (QB, 1984), Steve Matthews (QB, 1994-96), Ingle Martin (QB, 2008) are also listed in the Chiefs’ media guide as having worn No. 15 but never appeared in a regular-season game.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "These Chiefs players wore No. 15 before Patrick Mahomes. Can you name them?."
