Kansas City Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt announced on Saturday that former DT Curley Culp will be the 2008 inductee into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. The 38th member of this prestigious group, Culp will be enshrined into the Chiefs Hall of Fame at halftime of the Chiefs Alumni Game this fall. Culp played a total of 13 seasons in the AFL/NFL with Kansas City, Houston and Detroit and was selected to a total of six AFL All-Star Games or Pro Bowls.

“Curly Culp was a tremendous athlete,” Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson said. “He had such strength and quickness. I remember Jack Rudnay used to say that every center in the league should have to go against Curly in order to know what it’s like to go against the very best.”

Culp helped anchor the Kansas City defensive line during one of the greatest eras of Chiefs football. Heralded as one of the quickest defensive linemen in the league, Culp spent seven seasons in Kansas City (1968-74). He was a starting defensive tackle on the Chiefs Super Bowl IV squad and appeared in 82 games with Kansas City. A member of the Chiefs 25-Year All-Time Team, Culp played in the 1969 AFL All-Star Game and the 1971 Pro Bowl. He was twice honored as the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Week and claimed the Chiefs unofficial sack crown in ‘73 with 9.0 QB takedowns. Culp also registered five fumble recoveries in his Kansas City career.

A native of Yuma, Arizona, Culp originally entered the AFL as a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in ‘68 before being traded to the Chiefs that season. After seven campaigns in Kansas City, Culp was traded to Houston in ‘74 where he went on to earn four Pro Bowl berths, following the ‘75-78 campaigns. He was named by the Newspaper Enterprise Association as the NFL’s Outstanding Defensive Player in ‘75 when he led the Oilers with 11.5 sacks. He spent six seasons with Houston (’74-80) before concluding his career in Detroit (’80-81). Culp earned All-America honors from both The Sporting News and Time as a collegiate standout at Arizona State. Culp was an NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion in ‘68 and was named to the ‘68 U.S. Olympic wrestling team.