Looking at Lamar Hunt: Color Blind

It is ‘interesting’ if not necessarily suspect that Haynes was traded by the Chiefs to the Denver Broncos exactly 4 ‘DAYS’ later, after the 1965 AFL All Star Game was played. Was it a coincidence?

Haynes was said by some to have never recovered (emotionally) from the death of teammate Stone Johnson, injured in a 1963 game… others said he was never the same player though in 1964 he bounced back from a subpar ’63 season & averaged 5.0 yards per carry in ’64. Haynes lasted just two seasons in Denver & ended his career in 1967 by playing for two different/other teams that season.

KC also traded another of their black All Stars Dave Grayson to the Raiders in exchange for another black & former All Star CB, Fred Williamson & the Buffalo Bills also traded Cookie Gilchrist to the Broncos after the All Star game as well. So, whether under the guise of ‘football reasons’ or fallout from the All Star Game boycott, some players did end up elsewhere albeit not out of pro football altogether save for two and for reasons not related (death/retirement).

For the record, far as the quote attributing to Haynes the comment [ “Haynes mentioned that, an number of the Black players who were involved in the all star game boycott in 1965, were out of the league by the next year” ], the record says otherwise.

From the West squad: Bell, Buchanan, Grayson, Hill & Haynes (all Chiefs), Ladd, Faison, Buncom, Westmoreland (all Chargers), Daniels & Powell (both Raiders) and Brown (Broncos).

From the East squad: Dubenion, Warlick, Gilchrist & Byrd (all from the Bills), Plunkett, Hill & Snell (all from Jets), Antwine & Garron (all from the Patriots) & Blanks (Oilers).

Of those 22 players, only two players did not return in 1966 (Hill, due his death at the end of 1965) and Warlick, whether due retirement or the ravages of time (he turned 34 in ’66.) Of note, some were traded or became free agents: Ladd & Faison ended up in Houston with the Oilers & Miami with the Dolphins respectively in 1966 due variously to contract / tampering / injury issues, reportedly.

On the other hand, reading between the lines of the trade (link below), the impression left is that it did not come as a complete surprise, for whatever reason(s).

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19650121&id=LABWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-eIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6044,3891722

Too, the guy the Chiefs acquired for Haynes (Jim Fraser) was a backup LB/P in KC. Though he played starting RLB/P for the Broncos he wasn’t going to / didn’t beat out the Chiefs EJ Holub at RLB or KC’s P Jerrell Wilson (despite Fraser leading the AFL in punting x 2, nod the altitude in Denver. He averaged 27.0 yards per punt (he had only 3) in KC, then 37.2 and 35.5 in his final two pro seasons with Boston and New Orleans.

The upshot of all of this: Haynes wasn’t happy in KC it appears, and the boycott by black players probably hastened the Chiefs decision to trade him; ditto for some others who are referenced afore.

Long live the AFL its memories, mostly noble if with a bit of possible rancor, surmised.