‘While Kemp said he always saw himself as an activist when it came to sports (he was the founder and president of the AFL Players Association during his playing days), he didn’t necessarily know a life in politics would have been so successful. But with two years remaining on his football contract in 1970, Kemp decided to forgo his final days on the field to represent western New York in Congress. “I told people in Buffalo if they didn’t elect me to Congress, I’d come back and play quarterback again,” Kemp joked, recalling his final two seasons as a struggle for on-field success. “So they sent me to Washington.”‘