The death of Norma Hunt, wife of late team founder Lamar Hunt, was announced by the Hunt family through the team.
She was 85 years old.
No cause of death was given.
“Our family is deeply saddened by the passing of our mother, Norma,” the statement said. “She was an amazing mother and an extraordinary woman who will be sorely missed by all who knew her.
“My mom was so kind, generous and unfailingly positive, she was one of a kind. Her joy and zest for life were infectious. She loved taking care of others, and always had an encouraging word. She was a loyal friend and a consummate host with the rare ability to make everyone she met feel valued and at ease.”
Norma Hunt has attended all 57 Super Bowls.
Lamar Hunt, who died in 2006, founded the Chiefs in 1960 — originally as the Dallas Texans in the AFL, which began play that same year.
After the NFL soon formed the Dallas Cowboys in response, Hunt moved the Texans to Kansas City and renamed them the Chiefs.
Superstar Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed his condolences on Twitter Sunday night.
“Mrs. Norma was the best.” Mahomes tweeted. “I am thrilled to be a part of this special organization that you are helping to build. We will miss her! Prayers for all Hunt family.”
In addition to being the owner of the then-Dallas Texans, Lamar Hunt was instrumental in helping found the AFL along with other businessmen who unsuccessfully tried to buy NFL teams.
The NFL and AFL agreed to merge in 1966 and have the best teams in both leagues in the post-season championship game.
Lamar Hunt is credited with coining the phrase “Super Bowl”, using it in a letter to former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.
By the third edition of the game in 1969, in which the AFL’s Jets beat the NFL’s Colts, the Super Bowl had become the official name.
Lamar Hunt has also been instrumental in helping to shape MLS, NASL, and World Championship Tennis as well as owning FC Dallas and a founding investment in the Chicago Bulls.
“My mom was steadfastly devoted to her family and deeply passionate about her family’s sports teams,” Hunt’s family statement continued. “She was by our father Lamar’s side every step of the way — from the merger of the AFL and NFL to form Major League Soccer, World Series Tennis, the North American Soccer League, and their founding investment in the Chicago Bulls. She was the only person we knew who rivaled his love of the sport. The two have found such happiness together, both at home and in stands around the world.
This past February, she attended her 57th and final Super Bowl and watched her beloved Chiefs lift the Lombardi Trophy for the third time. It was an apt conclusion to her streak as the only woman to attend every Super Bowl.”
Norma and Lamar Hunt’s son, Clark, has served as Chief Chiefs Officer since Lamar’s death in 2006.
“Her calm and deep faith has sustained her throughout her life, and we take great comfort in knowing that she is at home with the Lord,” the statement read. “She will be greatly missed by our family, our families, the FC Dallas families, and everyone who knew her.”
