Curley Culp voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

Months, and more realistically years, of waiting couldn't have ended better for Curley Culp.

The Yuma High standout of the early 1960s is a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Culp, who played in the NFL mostly with the Kansas City Chiefs, was among seven players elected to the hall on Saturday. He did not return emails by the Yuma Sun seeking comment.

He was named a finalist late last summer. At that time, Culp said he was glad to hear he was even nominated.

“I was ecstatic,” Culp said in an interview with the Sun in September, laughing as he recalled the day he found out. “It's a great privilege and I'm very excited, exuberated –what kind of adjectives do I need to say that I'm very pleased that I'm one of the finalists they're considering moving into the hall of fame this coming year.”

At Yuma High, Culp played along both the offensive and defensive lines. He was a two-time state champion wrestler as well. He won a wrestling title with Arizona State while playing football for the Sun Devils.

Culp played for the Super Bowl IV champion Chiefs and played on Bum Phillips' defenses in Houston. He briefly played with the Broncos and Lions as well and currently resides in Austin, Texas, where he runs a transportation business.

“Curley was a dominating force on the defensive line for the Super Bowl IV championship team and one of many great players that helped build the tradition and foundation of the Kansas City Chiefs,” the team's chairman and CEO, Clark Hunt, said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing him take his rightful place in Canton.”