The Kansas City Chiefs have been fortunate to have great talent at the running back position that has paced the league through different eras.
A vital part in the success of every high-caliber halfback has been great blocking and leadership on the offensive line or a star fullback. Tony Richardson played ten of his seventeen seasons in the NFL with the Chiefs from 1995-to-2005, serving as a halfback and Pro Bowler at fullback.
The Chiefs Hall of Fame fullback was the featured guest on Tuesday night’s Twitter Spaces hosted by The Jets Lounge fielding fan questions spanning several moments in his career. The three-time Pro Bowler spoke candidly about the 2001 season in Kansas City and his impact on the emergence of Priest Holmes as an NFL star with the Chiefs.
“So I was the feature guy and then they brought in Priest (Holmes),” Richardson began. “And all of a sudden, I actually went to Coach (Dick) Vermeil. So, I went to Coach Vermeil, and I said, ‘You know what, we got to get Priest Holmes on the field. I want to go back to fullback. They just paid me like a tailback and I was like the feature running back. But I saw in Priest who came from Baltimore and was like lighting it up. . . I told Priest, ‘Hey, man, let’s talk to Coach Vermeil.’ He’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ So I take them upstairs and say, ‘Hey, Coach, Priest needs to be the feature back,’ and Coach Vermeil was looking at me like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘Listen, Priest needs to be the feature back. I’ll go back to fullback. And Coach Vermeil was looking like, ‘I’ve never had a player ever who was that unselfish? Who would do the best thing for the team?’ So for me, it was like, me, I’m getting 20 carries a game, you know, have my biggest game against the Broncos 120 yards.”
In his first year with the Chiefs, Holmes became the first undrafted player to lead the NFL in rushing with 1,555 yards for the 2001 NFL season. At the time, that number was good for the most in a single season in franchise history, but he’d go on to break that record again (as would Larry Johnson). The Chiefs finished the 2001 season 6-10, but Holmes earned All-Pro honors in Dick Vermeil’s first season as head coach in Kansas City.
“I knew it was gonna be better for the team,” Richardson said. “I went back to fullback, and then all of a sudden, like, we started figuring out ways. Like even if I play tough, as a fullback, we found ways that just you could throw the ball to me, you could run the screen, draw, whatever. But I also knew I was like, ‘We’ve got something special with Priest Holmes.’ We had so much talent on our team from an offensive standpoint, it was insane. But my thing is like, I was able to like reduce myself, which is for the betterment of the team. To this day Priest and I are super close. I told him I said, ‘Priest, you need to be the starting tailback.’ There’s not too many people who know. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but I also knew was gonna be better for the team. Coach Vermeil was like, ‘T-Rich. Are you sure about this?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, and please mention that in my Hall of Fame induction.'”
Richardson’s influence on young running backs carried throughout his career, and his unselfishness sets him apart as one of the greatest fullbacks to ever play.
