New Kansas City Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III reaches perfect jersey number decision that will continue a long tradition
The newest member of the Chiefs appears to be keeping his jersey number and nickname that have followed him around since high school.
New Kansas City Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III has a nickname that has followed him around since his playing days at Arlington High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
That nickname is “K9,” and it’s derived from three things. Any of his teammates will tell you that it’s because he’s a “dawg.” Really, it’s a combination of his first-name initial (K for Kenneth) and his jersey number, No. 9, which he has worn throughout his football career. He wore the No. 9 jersey in college at both Wake Forest and Michigan State, and in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. It appears that both the K9 nickname and the No. 9 jersey will follow him around a little bit longer.
New Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III is keeping the No. 9 jersey number in Kansas City
Shortly after announcing that he had agreed to terms, Walker shared a picture of a No. 9 Chiefs jersey with his nameplate on his Instagram story. It suggests that he’s decided to continue wearing No. 9 for the next step of his football-playing career in Kansas City. Few players get to wear the same jersey number for their entire playing career, from high school through college and the NFL, but Walker already has quite an impressive streak going.
Ironically, only nine players have worn the No. 9 jersey number in Kansas City to date. Walker will become the 10th player to wear the jersey number. It was last worn by WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is among the Chiefs’ free agents this year. If Smith-Schuster happens to return later in free agency, I’d wager that Walker will still keep the No. 9. Before Smith-Schuster wore the number, the most notable player to wear the N0. 9 jersey was QB Bill Kenney, who appeared in 106 games and started 77 for the Chiefs from 1980 through 1988.
A first-time occurrence is at play here, too. Walker will become the first running back to wear this jersey number in Chiefs franchise history. The number has been worn by receivers, quarterbacks, kickers, and punters, but never before worn by a running back.
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