Amid the 2024 NFL Draft festivities on Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that Tamba Hali will be the 2024 inductee into the team’s Ring of Honor this season.
For 12 seasons, Tamba Hali wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He ended his career with 89.5 sacks and 460 tackles in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform. He was a force as an outside edge rusher for Kansas City. As a reward for his long career, the team has made him its 2024 Ring of Honor recipient for those on-the-field accomplishments.
The former Penn State superstar came to the Chiefs in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. He immediately impacted the defense and was one of the rare defenders who played with the same fire every snap. Though his job was to sack quarterbacks, he was outstanding against the run.
Hali, from Gbarnga, Liberia, was introduced to football in high school. His story is quite remarkable. He escaped war-torn Liberia when he was ten and ended up in New Jersey, where he was a two-sport star in Basketball and Football.
When he made it to the NFL, he brought his mother to Kansas City, where she saw her son play football for the first time. Hali continues to live in the area after retiring from the NFL in 2017. The same summer after the Chiefs drafted him, he became a U.S. citizen.
On the field, Hali’s best season was 2010, when he recorded 14.5 sacks. Though listed as a defensive end, Hali reminded many Chiefs fans of the late Derrick Thomas. Hali had the same bend coming around the edge as DT, and because he was so strong, he was generally a mismatch for slower tackles.
After his career ended, Hali built a recording studio in his basement, created rap music, and began working as a martial arts instructor in the Kansas City area.
Last year, Hali’s name surfaced again when he began working out former Chiefs 2022 top draft pick George Karlaftis. Hali introduced martial arts into his workouts, and the two worked together for months, increasing hand-eye coordination, footwork, and speed for the young defender.
That work paid off for Karlaftis in 2023. His growth from his rookie to his sophomore season was remarkable. Under Hali’s tutelage, the Chiefs pass rusher saw an increase in tackles, quarterback pressures, and sacks last season.
This spring, Hali has been working with last year’s number-one pick, Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The 2023 season was a struggle for the Kansas State rookie. Injuries kept him down, and opportunities for playing time diminished late in the season.
Regardless, Hali has always appreciated that the Chiefs gave him a chance in the NFL, and he’s continued to be part of the Chiefs Kingdom. His addition to the team’s Ring of Honor is well deserved.
