Lamar Hunt, the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and a sports business visionary, died December 13 at the age of 74 after an eight-year battle with prostate cancer.
Widely known for his pioneering accomplishments in the NFL and other professional sports, Hunt’s connection to football spanned his entire life.
Growing up in Dallas, Texas as the scion of renowned oilman H.L. Hunt, Lamar attended the Hill School, a prep school in Pottstown, Pa., where he captained the football team his senior year. He continued his passion for the game at Southern Methodist University as a reserve end for three years, graduating in 1956.
He would maintain his support of the college game throughout his life. He attended the first 65 Cotton Bowl games from 1937 (as a five-year old with his sister) to 2001. Even after 2001, he always watched the game on television and called in his insights afterwards to the staff. He served as a member of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and as a Life Director of the organization. He made major gifts to the SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium and the Paul B. Loyd Jr. All-Sports Center while also serving as a member of SMU’s Board of Trustees and a member of the board of directors for the Doak Walker Award.
"Lamar Hunt set the standard in everything he did," said NFF President Steve Hatchell. "He did so much for football at every level. His legacy is enormous, and his contributions will benefit future generations for many years to come."
Best known as the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt led the efforts of the “The Foolish Club,” a group of eight investors who took on the NFL by forming the AFL in 1960. Hunt would move his AFL franchise, the Dallas Texans, to Kansas City in 1963, renaming them the Chiefs, and in 1966 his “impossible dream” was solidified when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced the AFL-NFL merger in June. Following the ‘66 season, Hunt’s Chiefs participated in the inaugural Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, a game he is credited with naming – taking the name from his children’s toy the “Super Ball.” Three years later, the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings for the title.
"He was a founder. He was the energy, really, that put together half of the league, and then he was the key person in merging the two leagues together," said Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and Hunt's neighbor, in an interview with the Associated Press. "You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody that's made a bigger contribution (to the NFL) than Lamar Hunt."
Nicknamed “Games” during his childhood, Hunt’s love of sports led him to roles in six different professional sports leagues (football, basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer and bowling) and seven sports franchises, including the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the MLS’s Wizards. He has been inducted into eight halls of fame, including the pro football, soccer and tennis as well as the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Outside of sports, Hunt helped build the SubTropolis, the world’s largest underground business complex, located just North of Arrowhead Stadium, and Worlds of Fun, a 165-acre family entertainment complex which opened in ’73. Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc. continues to oversee a diverse range of business interests, including limestone mining and real estate development.
Hunt was born on August 2, 1932 in El Dorado, Arkansas. He is survived by his wife, Norma, their four children, Lamar, Jr., Sharron Munson, Clark, Daniel, and 14 grandchildren.
