KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former defensive tackle Bill Maas became the 54th member of the Chiefs Hall of Honor Friday evening. Club Chairman/CEO Clark Hunt announced the prize before the start of the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Bill embodied toughness and grit,” Hunt said. “He was a great teammate, and it’s clear since his playing days have been over, that he has remained a great teammate for the city of Kansas City. He’s made remained involved in the game through his broadcasting career, and he’s remained involved in the Kansas City community as a Chiefs ambassador.”
Maas was a first-round pick of the Chiefs in 1984, No. 5 overall from Pittsburgh. Hunt’s father, Lamar, called Maas to inform him the Chiefs were selecting him. He says that moment, along with the phone call he received earlier this month from Clark, were the best phone calls of his life.
“I was driving and I had to pull over,” Maas said of the phone call from Clark earlier this month. “Let’s just say that it was emotional. But I was telling him that when you get news like that, all of a sudden, all those aches and pains, they don’t hurt anymore. They kind of miraculously just go away.”
Maas earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors while picking up five sacks in 1984. He was also named to the All-Rookie team. During his nine seasons with the Chiefs, Maas collected 40 sacks, eight fumbles and two safeties, becoming the centerpiece of Kansas City’s defensive line at nose tackle in Marty Schottenheimer’s ferocious 3-4 front. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 1986 and 1987 and also earned All-Pro status in both seasons.
“When Marty got here, he taught us all more about football, collective football, than any one of us had ever known individually,” Maas said. “We understood why we had to go to this position on this play, what he put everything together and everybody on the team knew what the offense’s responsibility was, what the defense’s responsibilities were, what the special teams responsibilities were. And so we had a global picture of how to win and what we needed to do.”
Maas was quick to say which moments in his career stand out the most.
“I can say the playoff games were the biggest, because we won every when you play the game, you want to play the best, you want to you want a championship, you need to get there and get into those playoff games every year. It was another step, but it was also really disappointed when it ended.”
Maas was also on the field for an infamous NFL moment in 1990. During a game against the Denver Broncos, the referee warned the Arrowhead Stadium crowd a delay of game penalty would be assessed against the Chiefs if the crowd didn’t lower its volume. Broncos quarterback John Elway instigated the request, further fueling the fans.
“People were just hyped up, and the noise was great,” Maas said. “It didn’t go over too well. But when the referee called that, and then they came up the second time, he just said, pointed to John and said, ‘Go. I’m not talking to this crowd again.’ He just pointed and said, ‘Play.’ That was fun.”
Maas spent his final NFL season with Green Bay, closing his 10-year career in 1993. In 1996, he joined Fox Sports as a color analyst and commentator, serving in that role through 2007. He served as a studio anchor from 1998 to 2001. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. Since his retirement, Maas has served as a team ambassador, appearing at countless club, civic and fundraising events.
Since that fateful day in 1984 when Lamar Hunt made that phone call to welcome him to the organization, Kansas City has been home for Maas.
“It’s been home for quite some time,” Maas said. “And the affiliation we’ve had with the Chiefs organization, with the Hunt family, and everything that they allow us to do with the Chiefs ambassadors, the community outreach, it’s just a great fit. I enjoy doing it and being here.”
