At approximately 10:00 PM Wednesday evening, December 13, at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas, Lamar Hunt passed away at the age of 74, according to his son Clark Hunt.
Lamar Hunt was the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as one of the founders of the American Football League and among the leaders of the AFL-NFL merger. Hunt is also credited with coining the term “Super Bowl” for the championship game of the NFL.
In addition to his work with professional football, Hunt was also a leading figure in bringing professional soccer to the United States. The Hunt Family served as the Investor/Operators of the Kansas City Wizards franchise of Major League Soccer from 95-06 and reveled as the Wizards claimed the 2000 MLS Cup. The Hunt Family still oversees the operations of two MLS franchises, F.C. Dallas and the Columbus Crew.
U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati issued the following the statement following the death of American sports icon Lamar Hunt on Wednesday evening.
“'A true gentleman.' Something tells me you are going to be reading that phrase many times as the sporting world remembers Lamar Hunt.
“There quite simply has never been a more influential person in sports in the United States, and when it comes to soccer he was the pioneer, the innovator and the patriarch all rolled into one. And that statement was as true in 1966 as it is in 2006.
“This is a truly sad day for the soccer community and on behalf of the entire U.S. Soccer Federation family, we would like to offer our deepest condolences to the Hunt family on their loss. His passing will be felt in every corner of the sports world, just as his legacy will live forever.”
