Kansas City Chiefs Owner Passes Away at 74

Lamar Hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs' owner, died Wednesday night at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas due to complications from prostate cancer. He had battled cancer for several years and was hospitalized the day before Thanksgiving with a partially collapsed lung. At that time, doctors discovered that the cancer had spread and therefore, had been under heavy sedation since last week.

Lamar Hunt grew up in Dallas and attended a private boys' prep school in Pennsylvania. Due to his love of sports, he was given the nickname, "Games." After 74 years, he definitely lived up to his nickname. He loved life and put everything he could to his ideas and passions.

The Kansas City Chiefs' owner was a founder of the American Football League and one of the leaders of the AFL-NFL merger. Remembered as a humble and inventive entrepreneur, Hunt also came up with the term "Super Bowl." His accomplishments throughout the years include owner and promoter of teams in professional football, basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer and bowling.

When NFL owners rebuffed Hunt's attempt to buy a franchise and move it to Dallas, Hunt founded the AFL. He owned one of the AFL's eight original teams from the inaugural 1960 season, the Dallas Texans. The Texans, however, struggled in head-to-head competition with the expansion Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Convinced that both franchises would suffer as long as Dallas remained a two-team city, Hunt moved the Texans to Kansas City in 1963.
In 1972, Hunt became the first AFL figure to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and each year the Lamar Hunt Trophy goes to the winner of the NFL's American conference.

Other ventures that Lamar Hunt had ventured into included two popular amusement parks in the Kansas City area. He created Worlds of Fun, a $50 million amusement park, and Oceans of Fun, a $7 million water recreation park. He also opened a pro bowling arena in Dallas. Actress Jayne Mansfield was the opening-night draw.

Lamar Hunt was one of the founding investors of the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He also co-founded World Championship Tennis and was made a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. Also, the NFL's trophy for the champion of the American Football Conference is named in honor of Lamar Hunt.

Counting pro football, Hunt has been inducted into eight halls of fame, including ones for soccer and tennis as well as the Texas Business Hall of Fame and the Kansas City Business Hall of Fame.

Hunt is survived by his wife Norma, children Lamar Jr., Sharron Munson, Clark and Daniel; and 13 grandchildren