The Kansas City Chiefs are set to appear in the franchise's seventh Super Bowl this Sunday. The Chiefs, who appeared in the first ever Super Bowl back in 1967, have made five of the last six Super Bowls and are the league's current dynasty.
The Chiefs have been owned by the Hunt family for the entirety of their history dating back to the team's founding in 1959. Here's a closer look at the family's ownership of one of the NFL's iconic franchises over that time:
The Current Owners of the Chiefs
Kansas City is currently owned by the four children of franchise founder Lamar Hunt. Lamar Hunt Jr., Sharron Hunt, Clark Hunt, and Daniel Hunt hold an equal share of the team, though Clark runs the franchise.
How The Hunt Family Acquired the Team
As the NFL saw rising popularity in the 1950s, Lamar Hunt wanted to bring a football team to Dallas (the Dallas Cowboys had not been founded at that point). Hunt applied to start an expansion team in Dallas, but was shot down by the NFL. He had also attempted to buy the then-Chicago Cardinals, but was turned down.
An avid sports and football fan, Hunt brought together several other businessmen that were also turned down by the NFL to start expansion franchises. Hunt led them as they founded the American Football League, a rival football league to the NFL. Hunt founded one of the first eight AFL teams in 1959, the Dallas Texans, who moved to Kansas City and became the Kansas City Chiefs by 1963. The move came after the NFL responded to the upstart AFL by adding an expansion team in Dallas, the Cowboys. Hunt believed there wasn't enough room for two teams, and relocated to Kansas City.
Hunt owned the team until his death of prostate cancer in 2006. Following his passing, his wife, Norma, and his four children took over the franchise. Hunt's son, Clark Hunt, is the team's chairman and CEO.
The History of the Hunt Family's Ownership
The ownership of the Chiefs has resided entirely in the Hunt family since the team's founding. Hunt founded the team, and was the owner until his death in 2006. Ownership of the team is currently divided among his four children, though Clark Hunt is the team's chairman and leader.
The Wealth of The Hunt Family: A Breakdown
In 2024, Forbes estimated the Hunt family net worth at $24.8 billion. Forbes lists Clark Hunt as worth $1.4 billion. Forbes values the Chiefs franchise as worth about $4.2 billion.
The Hunt family fortune goes back to Lamar Hunt's father, Haroldson Lafayette, or H.L. Hunt, who was an oil tycoon. H.L. Hunt held the title over much of the East Texas Oil Field, one of the largest oil deposits in the world. In 1957, Fortune magazine estimated that he was worth up to $700 million, and one of the eight richest men in the world.
With the money inherited from his father, Lamar founded the Chiefs. Outside of his ownership in football, Lamar was also a significant investor in basketball, tennis, and soccer. The tycoon was a founding investor in the Chicago Bulls. He owned multiple professional soccer teams, including the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City), Columbus Crew, and FC Dallas. The Hunt family currently remains only in control of FC Dallas. Lamar was also a co-founder of World Championship Tennis. Outside of sports, he founded two amusement parks, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.
Family Legacy and Influence
Lamar Hunt's influence goes far beyond owning the Chiefs. He was the primary leader behind the founding of the AFL, which in turn led to the NFL-AFL merger, league expansion, the Super Bowl, and the overall growth of the game. He also coined the term "Super Bowl," coming up with the name based on one of his children's toys called the "super ball."
To this day, Lamar's legacy is honored in several ways, notably the AFC conference championship trophy which is rightfully named the Lamar Hunt Trophy.
Lamar's wife, Norma Hunt, was the only woman to attend every single Super Bowl up until her death in 2023.
Clark Hunt has carried on his father's legacy through his ownership of the Chiefs. He is also involved in multiple NFL committees, including the NFL International Committee, NFL Finance Committee, and NFL Personal Conduct Committee among others. Outside of the NFL, he played a key role in bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the United States.
Also following in his father's footsteps, the Hunt family continues to be involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors, primarily benefitting the Kansas City and Dallas areas. The Hunt Family Foundation puts 80 percent of their funds toward children's health and wellness and children and families in crisis.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who Owns the Kansas City Chiefs? Hunt Family Wealth, History Explained.
