Owner Lamar Hunt and his son, team chairman Clark Hunt, watched the Chiefs play a preseason game here in 2006.
Kansas City Star archives
As the Kansas City Chiefs enter the playoffs this year, The Star is taking a look back at the team’s history, featuring photos of Lamar Hunt, who founded the team.
With the Chiefs marching toward winning another AFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl, Lamar Hunt’s legacy takes center stage in two ways.
The American Football League was the brainchild of Lamar Hunt, right, in this undated photo with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Kansas City Star archives
The first is the awarding of the AFC Championship trophy, which bears his name. Either the Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills will hoist the Lamar Hunt Trophy high Sunday night after one of them wins the championship game being played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Secondly, Hunt is credited for coining the term “Super Bowl” forever shaping the game and its greatest stage as reported in The Star when he died in 2006.
1977 photo of Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City Chiefs archive
If the Kansas City Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl and win, they would achieve a historic three-peat, accomplishing something no other team has ever done.
That would be quite an accomplishment for Hunt, whose attempts to bring an NFL team to Dallas were rejected in the late 1950s.
Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt arrived at the downtown airport with his wife, Norma, to attend a rally in 1967. At the left is Nat Milgram, son of Lester Milgram. The Kansas City Star archives
So, in 1959, Hunt founded the AFL, later merging it with the NFL in 1966, reshaping the sport’s history. He brought his Dallas Texans to Kansas City in 1963, where they became the Chiefs, a centerpiece of the city’s sports identity. The team won its first Super Bowl in 1970.
Although Hunt never lived in Kansas City, his impact on the region was immense, including pushing for the creation of the Truman Sports Complex and local developments like Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.
Lamar Hunt (left), owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Bill Bidwill, vice president of the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League, sit behind their teams’ helmets at a press conference in 1968. It was announced that the Chiefs and the Cardinals would face off in an exhibition game in Kansas City. Kansas City Star archives
Hunt’s contributions extended beyond football. He revolutionized tennis with World Championship Tennis and helped launch Major League Soccer. His influence spanned multiple sports, solidifying him as one of the most innovative figures in American athletics.
Hunt passed away in 2006 in Dallas at age 74.
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle (left) chats with Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt during a football game at Arrowhead Stadium in 1983. Kansas City Star archives
Lamar Hunt holds the football for Clark, his 5-year-old son to kick in this 1970 photo. His wife, Norma, watches along with Lamar, Jr., 13, and Sharon, 12.
Lamar Hunt, founder of the American Football League and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl champions, received the “Bonehead Trophy of the Year” award in Dallas in 1970. The award was humorously presented to the now-defunct AFL. by the Dallas Bonehead Club, poking fun at the league for paying the NFL $18 million for what was jokingly referred to as the “dubious privilege” of joining a group of so-called losers. Kansas City Star archives
George Halas Jr., president and general manager of the Chicago Bears, is flanked by Kansas City Chiefs officials during a press conference announcing a preseason game in 1967. On his left is Jack Steadman, executive vice president and general manager of the Chiefs, and on his right is Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City Star archives
Jackson County Executive bill Waris, center, and Sports Authority Chairman ***** Condon, right, today signed new leases for the sports complex stadiums. Also at the table were Royals co-owner Ewing M. Kauffman and his wife, Muriel, left, and Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt. Kansas City Star archives
It was a happy moment for the Hunt family in 1966 as Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, his wife Norma, and their son Clark shared a quiet moment in Kansas City. Lamar led the Chiefs for decades before passing the reins to Clark in 2006, the same year he passed away. Kansas City Star archives
Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt (left) and Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle (right, with cane) helped celebrate the opening of Arrowhead Stadium on August 12, 1972. Kansas City Star archives
ABC Sports sideline reporter Lisa Guerrero (right) interviewed Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt in Canton, Ohio, in 2003. Kansas City Star archives
Abner Haynes (top right) joined the Dallas Texans in celebrating the franchise’s first AFL championship in 1962. Also pictured are (clockwise from bottom right) owner Lamar Hunt, quarterback Len Dawson, coach Hank Stram, kicker Tommy Brooker, and offensive tackle Jim Tyrer. Kansas City Star archives
Chiefs linebacker Bobby Bell poured champagne over the head of team owner Lamar Hunt on Jan. 1, 1967, after the Chiefs won the AFL championship game. The Chiefs went on to play in Super Bowl I against the Green Bay Packers but lost. Kansas City Star archives
Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt waves to the crowd at the 1972 Hall of Fame Parade. Kansas City Star archives
Despite limited playing time, Lamar Hunt’s No. 80 jersey was retired at SMU in honor of his contributions as both a player and a generous donor to the university. Kansas City Star archives
Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt (right) spoke with head coach Marty Schottenheimer before the game against the San Diego Chargers on November 22, 1998. Kansas City Star archives
Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, left, and Super Bowl-winning head coach Hank Stram were a formidable duo across pro football 50 years ago. Undated photo Kansas City Star archives
Clark Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, raises the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Before the Chiefs played the Cowboys in Dallas, Lamar Hunt joined his players, including Kris Wilson, for the coin toss in 2005. Kansas City Star archives
Lamar Hunt brought Worlds of Fun to Kansas City. On opening day in 1973, he took a spin on the Flying Dutchman with a girl who had waited in line with him. Kansas City Star archives
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
Monty Davis is a video producer and has been with The Kansas City Star for 20 years. He specializes in telling human interest video stories using mobile gear such as his iPhone 13 Pro. Recently he took up an interest in deltiology which is the study and collection of postcards. From that came a new series for The Star called Past | Present. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with family, his pugs, kayaking and reading historical biographies about the American Revolution and the Civil War.
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