While the Dallas Cowboys did not make it to this year’s Super Bowl, the city of Dallas still came out as a winner, as Clark Hunt’s Kansas City Chiefs took home the hardware.
The Hunt family has been a prominent presence in sports, oil and gas, real estate, and other industries since 1936. The Hunts have also become one of the wealthiest families in America, starting with Clark’s grandfather, who is rumored to have inspired the television series Dallas.
The business entities operate under holding companies Hunt Consolidated Inc., and Petro-Hunt — both headquartered in Dallas — and the sports properties operate under the name Hunt Sports Group. Hunt Sports Group includes the Kansas City Chiefs, FC Dallas, and a minority stake in the Chicago Bulls.
The Hunts have also previously owned the Kansas City Wizards (Sporting Kansas City) and the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS).
Lamar Hunt, Clark’s father, founded the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 and was a founding member of the MLS (1996) and World Championship Tennis (1968).
He was also the driving force behind the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 and is credited with coining the term “Super Bowl” as the league’s championship game.
Lamar also founded the Chiefs franchise as the “Dallas Texans” as part of the AFL in 1960 before moving to Kansas City because Dallas could not support two teams. He owned the team until he died in 2006.
He was inducted into the Pro Football (1972), National Soccer (1982), and International Tennis (1993) Halls of Fame as a contributor to the sports.
The AFC Championship trophy also bears his name.
Hunt’s children, Clark, Lamar Jr., Daniel, and Sharron, took ownership of the Chiefs after his passing, and Clark has served as the CEO of the team since 2010, while his siblings run other parts of the various businesses.
Clark graduated from SMU’s Cox School of Business at the top of his class and was also a member of the Mustangs soccer team. He continues to have a significant presence in the Dallas area and is a member of the Dallas Business Hall of Fame.
Under his watch, the Chiefs have made 10 playoff appearances and won eight AFC West titles, three AFC Championships, and two Super Bowls.