The NFL has lost a giant. Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, passed away in a Dallas hospital today, from complications due to prostate cancer. He was 74.
Lamar Hunt was a founder of the American Football League, and was the key figure in its merger with the NFL. He was owner of the Dallas Texans, and moved them to Kansas City after winning the AFL championship in 1962. The Texans and the Cowboys shared the Cotton Bowl, and Hunt chose to move the team for the good of the AFL, rather than continue to fight the Cowboys for status in Dallas. His wisdom paid off later with the merger. A little-known fact is that the Texans outdrew the Cowboys two of the three years they both played in Dallas. The AFC championship trophy is named after him, and he came up with the name "Super Bowl" for the AFL-NFL championship game.
Hunt was also a founder of Major League Soccer, and owned FC Dallas, the Columbus Crew, and the Kansas City Wizards. He was instrumental in the rise of soccer as a spectator sport in the United States.
Another little-known fact is that Hunt was an original investor in the Chicago Bulls, and owned 11 percent of the franchise when he died. He attended games, but is said to have never met Michael Jordan.
The Dallas Morning News has more on this story. It is a sad day in Dallas and in Kansas City.
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