Norma Hunt, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar and mother of owner Clark, dies

Norma Hunt, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder and former owner Lamar Hunt, has died the franchise announced Sunday. 

The cause of death is currently unknown. 

Hunt, the mother of the NFL team’s current owner Clark, was the only woman to attend every Super Bowl and watched her beloved Chiefs hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the third time in February. 

She was by her husband’s side throughout his many sporting adventures from the merger of the AFL and the NFL to the formation of Major League Soccer, World Championship Tennis, the North American Soccer League, and their founding investment in the Chicago Bulls.

In a statement from the Hunt family, released by the NFL franchise, Norma was described as kind, generous and unfailingly positive. 

The statement read: ‘Our family is deeply saddened by the passing of our mother, Norma. She was a wonderful mother and an extraordinary woman who will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Kind, generous and unfailingly positive, mom was one of a kind. Her joy and zeal for life were infectious. She loved caring for others, and she always had an encouraging word. She was a loyal friend, the consummate hostess and she had a rare ability to make everyone she encountered feel valued and at ease.

Mom was steadfastly devoted to her family and fiercely passionate about her family’s sports teams. She was by our father Lamar’s side every step of the way – from the merger of the AFL and the NFL to the formation of Major League Soccer, World Championship Tennis, the North American Soccer League, and their founding investment in the Chicago Bulls. She was the only person we knew who rivaled his love of sports. The two of them found such joy together, whether at home, or in stadium stands around the world.

‘[…] Her quiet yet deep faith sustained her throughout her life, and we take great comfort knowing that she is home with the Lord. She will be greatly missed by our family, the extended Chiefs and FC Dallas families, and by everyone who knew her.’

The NFL also honored the ‘First Lady of Football’ with Commissioner Roger Goodell paying tribute to Norma in a statement released Sunday evening. 

​’The entire NFL family is deeply saddened by the passing of Norma Hunt, who was a significant presence in the NFL for the last seven decades,’ Goodell said.

‘Norma’s role in football was highlighted recently in the documentary appropriately entitled ‘A Lifetime of Sundays.’ Norma’s place in NFL history will forever be remembered by the Chiefs’ organization and the entire league.’

‘We extend our deepest condolences to Clark and the entire Hunt family, and the many people whose lives she impacted during her remarkable life.’

Norma was working as a schoolteacher and hostess for the Dallas Texans when she met Lamar Hunt in 1964, five years after he and other members of ‘The Foolish Club’ founded the AFL.

She and Lamar married later that year and went on to have two children – current Chiefs owner Clark and Daniel.  

Lamar moved the Texans to Kansas City and renamed them the Chiefs and the upstart league eventually merged with the NFL.

Lamar , who died in 2006, also coined the term ‘Super Bowl’ for the league’s championship game and has the AFC Championship trophy named after him. 

More to follow.