Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt Sr. was born on the 2nd of August 1932 in El Dorado, Arkansas. He grew up as the son of H. L. Hunt, a massive oil tycoon who built an empire from Texas crude. The family wealth allowed Lamar to attend Culver Military Academy and later The Hill School in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1956 with a degree in geology. This scientific background did not stop him from becoming one of the most influential figures in American sports history. While at SMU, he joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity and played college football, though mostly riding the bench. His childhood passion for sports never faded despite his academic focus. By 1972, the fraternity honored him as Man of the Year.
Hunt applied for an NFL expansion franchise in 1959 but received a rejection letter. NFL executives feared market saturation and refused to expand quickly. He then tried to buy the Chicago Cardinals to move them to Dallas, only to be turned down again. In response, Hunt approached Bud Adams of Houston and other businessmen who had also failed to get NFL teams. They formed the American Football League in August 1959. This group became known as the Foolish Club. Hunt owned the Dallas Texans and hired Hank Stram as head coach. The team began play in 1960 alongside eight other franchises. The NFL responded by placing the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas that same year. The Texans struggled to draw crowds against the Cowboys until 1963 when they moved to Kansas City. Mayor H. Roe Bartle promised 25,000 fans per game to secure the deal. Average attendance eventually reached 51,000 by 1969.
A letter dated the 25th of July 1966 from Lamar Hunt to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle contained a playful suggestion. Hunt wrote that he had kiddingly called the upcoming championship game the Super Bowl. His children were playing with a toy called a Super Ball at the time. The league owners officially named it the AFL-NFL Championship Game instead. Media outlets quickly adopted Hunt's nickname for the event. The name Super Bowl became official starting with the third annual game in 1969. That first official Super Bowl saw the New York Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts. Hunt insisted on being listed as founder rather than owner in media guides. He also publicly listed his telephone number in the phone book for decades. This transparency reflected his unique approach to ownership and public engagement.
Hunt attended a Shamrock Rovers game in Dublin, Ireland in 1962 with his future wife Norma. This experience sparked a lifelong interest in soccer. He viewed the FIFA World Cup in England in 1966 and attended nine of the next eleven tournaments. In 1967, he founded the Dallas Tornado as part of the United Soccer Association. The team won the NASL championship in 1971 and finished second in 1973. NFL owners tried to block multi-sport ownership through legal means but lost an anti-trust case. Hunt returned to soccer in 1996 as a founding investor in Major League Soccer. He financed Historic Crew Stadium in 1999, which opened as the second large soccer-specific stadium since 1913. By 2003, he purchased the Dallas Burn and planned another dedicated venue. On the 31st of August 2006, he sold the Kansas City Wizards to investors led by Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig.
In 1968, Lamar Hunt co-founded the World Championship Tennis circuit. This organization launched what is now known as the Open Era of professional tennis. Before this movement, top players could not compete against each other for prize money. Hunt's initiative allowed professionals to enter major tournaments alongside amateurs. His contribution earned him induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. The circuit changed how tennis was played and marketed globally. It paved the way for modern player earnings and tournament structures. Hunt's involvement demonstrated his willingness to challenge established sports hierarchies across multiple disciplines.
During the early 1970s, Hunt and his brothers Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt began buying silver aggressively. They aimed to corner the global market for the precious metal. By late 1979, they owned one-third of all world silver supplies. Prices jumped from $11 an ounce in September 1979 to $50 an ounce by January 1980. In the final nine months of 1979 alone, the brothers made between $2 billion and $4 billion in profits. On the 27th of March 1980, prices collapsed dramatically. The industry later called that day Silver Thursday. The financial disaster led to bankruptcy filings under Chapter 11 in September 1988. This episode remains one of the most famous commodity market manipulations in American history.
Hunt died on the 13th of December 2006 at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas after weeks of hospitalization. He was 74 years old when prostate cancer complications took his life. Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, called him a founder of the NFL as we know it today. Dan Rooney, chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, described Hunt as instrumental in forming the AFL-NFL merger. Mayor Kay Waldo Barnes ordered city flags flown at half-staff following his death. Clark Hunt became chairman of the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas after Lamar's passing. His wife Norma attended every Super Bowl from 1967 until her own death in June 2023. Hunt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972 and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1982. The U.S. Open Cup now bears his name honoring his pioneering role in soccer stateside.
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Common questions
When and where was Lamar Hunt born?
Lamar Hunt Sr. was born on the 2nd of August 1932 in El Dorado, Arkansas.
How did Lamar Hunt create the Super Bowl name?
Hunt wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle on the 25th of July 1966 suggesting the nickname after his children played with a toy called a Super Ball. The league owners officially named it the AFL-NFL Championship Game instead, but media outlets adopted Hunt's nickname for the event. The name Super Bowl became official starting with the third annual game in 1969.
What sports leagues did Lamar Hunt found or invest in?
Hunt founded the American Football League in August 1959 and later returned to soccer as a founding investor in Major League Soccer in 1996. He also co-founded the World Championship Tennis circuit in 1968 which launched what is now known as the Open Era of professional tennis.
Why did the Hunt family lose their fortune in silver trading?
The Hunt brothers aimed to corner the global market for silver by late 1979 when they owned one-third of all world silver supplies. Prices collapsed dramatically on the 27th of March 1980 leading to bankruptcy filings under Chapter 11 in September 1988.
When did Lamar Hunt die and who inherited his teams?
Lamar Hunt died on the 13th of December 2006 at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas after weeks of hospitalization due to prostate cancer complications. Clark Hunt became chairman of the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas after Lamar's passing.