Norma Hunt, wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder, mother of current CEO, dead at 85

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Norma Hunt, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt and the mother of team’s current CEO, Clark Hunt, died Sunday, the team announced. She was 85.

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The Hunt family announced her death in a statement released by the team, WDAF-TV reported. No cause of death was given.

Norma Hunt attended all 57 Super Bowls, the only woman to do so, according to KMBC-TV.

“Kind, generous and unfailingly positive, mom was one of a kind,’’ the Hunt family said. “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.’’

Lamar Hunt died in 2006, ESPN reported. Their son Clark has been chairman of the Chiefs since his father’s death.

Norma Hunt was working as a schoolteacher and hostess for the AFL’s Dallas Texans when she met Lamar Hunt in 1964, WDAF reported. Lamar Hunt moved the franchise and renamed it the Chiefs. The upstart AFL would merge with the NFL, and the Chiefs played in the first Super Bowl in January 1967.

“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,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “I was fortunate to know Norma for nearly 40 years and was always struck by her warmth and grace, her partnership with Lamar, and her pride in their family. Norma’s sense of family extended to the Chiefs’ organization which she greatly adored. Norma was one of the most passionate fans of the Chiefs and the NFL, and understood and enjoyed every aspect of the game. She loved being around the team and referred to the players as ‘real-life superheroes.’”

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted his condolences.

“Mrs. Norma was the best,” Mahomes wrote. “Glad to be a part of this special organization she help build. She will be missed! Prayers to the entire Hunt family.”

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