Willie Lanier Willie Edward Lanier ( born August 21 , 1945 , in Clover , Virginia ) is a former American football middle - linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977 . He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years , making the American Football League All - Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from 1970 through 1975 . He was inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 . Early life . Lanier was born in Clover and attended Maggie L . Walker High School in Richmond , Virginia . According to a DNA analysis , he descended , mainly , from Jola people of Guinea Bissau . College career . Lanier played college football at Morgan State University under head coach Earl Banks where he was twice selected to the small - college College Football All - America Team and was also chosen MVP of the Tangerine Bowl . Willie Lanier is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington , D . C . National Intercollegiate All - American Football Players Honor Roll . Professional career . On January 15 , 1967 , the Chiefs lost Super Bowl I to Vince Lombardi ' s Green Bay Packers by a 35 - 10 score , forcing head coach Hank Stram to look for defensive players in the upcoming draft . Stram picked Lanier in the second round , after the team had selected another linebacker , Jim Lynch of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . Lynch had been chosen to play in the annual College All - Star game , causing him to miss the first two weeks of " Chiefs " ' practice . By the time Lynch made it to camp , Lanier had already established himself as the team ' s middle linebacker , and the American Football League had another first : the first black middle linebacker in Professional Football history . In the midst of a solid first season , Lanier suffered an injury and missed the last four games of the year The following year , Lanier collected four interceptions , then matched that total in 1969 as he helped the Chiefs capture Super Bowl IV with a 23 - 7 upset of the Minnesota Vikings . Lanier was stellar in the Super Bowl , recording 7 tackles and an interception . Lanier later commented on the increased motivation that Chiefs players felt because of wearing an AFL patch to honor the league ' s final year . There were numerous great moments throughout his career , but none exemplifies his heart and desire as much as the Chiefs ' goal line stand against the New York Jets in the 1969 divisional playoff game . Leading 6 - 3 in the fourth quarter , New York had a first - and - goal at the Chiefs ' one - yard line after a pass interference call on Kansas City . It was then that Lanier made an emotional appeal to the rest of the Chiefs defense . " They ' re not going to score ! " Lanier yelled at this teammates . " They ' re not going to score ! " The Chiefs shut down the Jets on three straight plays and held them to a field goal . When Kansas City scored a touchdown on its next possession , the game was over . The first important step to the Super Bowl was complete . The Chiefs would reach the NFL playoffs only one more time during Lanier ' s career , in 1971 , winning the AFC Western Division title . On Christmas Day , in the final contest at Municipal Stadium , the Chiefs ' season came to an end against the Miami Dolphins in a double overtime classic . The contest was the longest game in NFL history , clocking in at more than 82 minutes . In 1972 , the Chiefs moved to Arrowhead Stadium , but the change would not serve the team well , since by 1974 , the team ' s talent had been depleted by age and injuries . After the conclusion of that season , Stram was fired after 15 years at the helm . The linebacking trio of Lanier , Lynch and fellow Hall of Famer Bobby Bell is recognized as one of the most talented in professional football history , lasting until the arrival of new head coach Paul Wiggin in 1975 . Lanier was traded in April 1978 to the Baltimore Colts , but retired just three months later as training camp was set to get under way . " Contact " . Lanier was known as " Contact " , a name coined by Chiefs ' teammate Jerry Mays in 1967 . As Lanier remembered : " " Since I unfortunately followed the style of tackling that we were taught at that time - that was to use your head first of hitting players in the middle of their body . It was done in a rather aggressive manner " " . But Lanier ' s uncontrolled tackling resulted in Chiefs ' equipment manager Bobby Yarborough outfitting Lanier ' s helmet with extra padding . The padding was not on the inside of the helmet to protect Lanier but rather , as some photos of him in uniform show , on the " outside " of the helmet to protect the player he was tackling . While renowned for his hitting ability , Lanier was also fast , agile and disciplined , finishing his career with 27 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries . Honors . Willie Lanier received " All - Pro " ( " AFL ALL - Star " or " All - AFC " ) mention every year , appearing in all - star games from 1968 to 1975 ( his first two in the " AFL " and his last six in the " AFC " ) . In 1986 he achieved " Pro Football Hall of Fame " status . After the NFL . After Lanier ' s retirement , the Chiefs retired both Lanier ' s and Bell ' s numbers . Lanier returned to school , taking graduate courses at the University of Missouri - Kansas City . He then returned to Virginia as a stockbroker , at First Union Securities , where he served as vice - chairman . He is the former CEO of TDS / US , the minority venture partner of TDS Logistics ( now Syncreon ) . Willie Lanier served as a board member of TDS Automotive , the minority - owned branch of TDS Logistics . In 2006 , Lanier was interviewed for the NFL Network documentary " " chronicling the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs season .