Gonzalez sets NFL record for yards receiving by tight end
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez broke the NFL's career record for yards receiving by a tight end Sunday.
Tony Gonzalez
Gonzalez
Gonzalez entered the Chiefs' game at Carolina 3 yards shy of Shannon Sharpe's 5-year-old record of 10,060 yards. He surpassed the mark on Kansas City's second offensive series by catching a 6-yard pass from Damon Huard late in the first quarter.
The 12th-year pro and nine-time Pro Bowler has at least one reception in 120 straight games.
The yardage record was greeted by polite applause from the crowd in Charlotte -- a far different scene than Gonzalez originally expected.
He wanted to set the mark in front of the home fans against Denver last week, and a dozen family members were at Arrowhead Stadium hoping to see history. Gonzalez even lobbied his coaches to ask for the ball upon learning he was 3 yards from Sharpe's mark.
But the Chiefs kept the ball on the ground in the final minutes of that 33-19 victory, leading a disappointed Gonzalez to discuss the issue with coach Herm Edwards, who said he didn't want to risk a throw that late in the game.