“Clark Hunt inherited the team from his father, the founder of the Chiefs in 1959. Since then, he has diligently maintained and nurtured the team, guiding its growth even beyond the achievements of his late father.”

“Clark Hunt inherited the team from his father, the founder of the Chiefs in 1959. Since then, he has diligently maintained and nurtured the team, guiding its growth even beyond the achievements of his late father.”

In 1959, Lamar Hunt (b. 1932, d. 2006), the son of an oil tycoon H. L. Hunt, founded a new football league (the American Football League) and a new football team called the Dallas Texans—after the NFL turned him down for starting an expansion franchise. Soon, the NFL put a new team in Dallas, the Dallas Cowboys, and so in 1963, Hunt’s team moved to Kansas City and was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. In 1970, the AFL officially merged with the NFL, kicking off the modern era of football.

Lamar married twice: to Rosemary Carr, in 1956 (they had a son, Lamar Jr., and a daughter, Sharon) and to Norma Knobel, in 1964 (they had two sons, Clark and Daniel). Norma Hunt (b. 1938, d. 2023), Lamar’s wife, never missed a Super Bowl, attending every single Super Bowl from Super Bowl I (in 1967) to Super Bowl LVII (last year). Upon Lamar’s death, the team ownership was split between his four children, with Clark taking on leadership responsibility.

Clark Hunt (b. 1965) is now the owner of the Chiefs, and runs the team. He’s married to Tavia Shackles (b. 1971), and they have three children: Gracie (b. 1999), Knobel (b. 2002), and Ava (b. 2006). Here’s the family at after this year’s AFC Championship win,,Gracie is a pageant star, Knobel is a junior in college at SMU, playing soccer, Ava is a senior in high school (she’s headed to SMU in the fall).

The family are outspoken about their Christian faith, with Clark saying, “In our family, it’s faith, family and football, and in that order. That’s a challenge, but it’s something we really focus on as a family and it’s the No. 1 thing in our lives.”

The Hunts have also welcomed Taylor Swift into the “Chiefs Kingdom” (the name of the Chiefs fanbase) with open arms, gifting her a Judith Leiber purse. “I’ve had a chance to meet her at one of the many games that she’s attended this year, and she’s just as sweet as she can be,” Clark said. “I also got to see her play here twice this past summer, and what an incredible performer. Just one of the most amazing artists of our time.