Gary Spani (born January 9, 1956) is a former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

who played for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

from 1978–1986. He has worked for the Chiefs' front office since 1989, and is currently the Director of Special Events for the Chiefs. Spani was born in

Satanta, Kansas Satanta is a city in Haskell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,092. Every year there is a celebration of Satanta's Indian heritage called Satanta Day. History The town is named after Kiowa ...

, but raised in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, and graduated from

Manhattan High School Manhattan High School is a public high school in Manhattan, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Manhattan–Ogden USD 383. For the 2013–2014 school year, Manhattan High had an enrollment of 1,920 students. ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. At

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

, he was a three-time All

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

selection, was conference defensive player of the year in 1977, and was named the school's first consensus

All America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in 1977. He still holds the all-time tackles record for Kansas State University. Following graduation, Spani was named MVP of the

East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

. The Chiefs selected Spani in the third round of the

1978 NFL Draft The 1978 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hote ...

. As a professional, Spani was a hardnosed and tenacious player. He was a

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

for the Chiefs in 1983. He formerly held the all-time tackles record for the Kansas City Chiefs, where he registered 999 career stops. His single-season record of 157 tackles with the Chiefs, set in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, stood until

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

when it was broken by

Mike Maslowski Michael John Maslowski (born July 11, 1974) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs. He attended the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Amateur career The Wisconsin–La Crosse ...

. He also recorded 9.5 sacks, recovered 9 fumbles and scored 2 touchdowns during his Chiefs career. Spani was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 2002 and the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2003. Daughter Shalin Spani played college basketball for the Kansas State University Wildcats from 2007–2010. She later married K-State star quarterback and

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

finalist

Collin Klein Collin Klein (born September 19, 1989) is an American college football coach and former quarterback who played for the Kansas State Wildcats. He appeared as a wide receiver for Kansas State during the 2009 season, and made his first career start ...

. Daughter Taber Spani plays college basketball for the Tennessee Lady Vols. His third daughter, Tanis Spani, is a member of the Southwest Baptist University Lady Bearcat basketball team.
SBU Women's Basketball. Retrieved April 2, 2012.

References

1956 births Living people People from Haskell County, Kansas Sportspeople from Manhattan, Kansas All-American college football players American football linebackers Kansas State Wildcats football players Kansas City Chiefs players College Football Hall of Fame inductees {{linebacker-1950s-stub