Kansas City Chiefs matriarch Norma Hunt — the wife of the team’s late founder Lamar Hunt — died, the Hunt family announced 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 a wonderful mother and an extraordinary woman who will be dearly missed by all who knew her.
“Kind, generous and unfailingly positive, mom was one of a kind. Her joy and zeal for life were infectious. She loved caring for others, and she always had an encouraging word. She was a loyal friend, the consummate hostess and she had a rare ability to make everyone she encountered feel valued and at ease.”
Norma Hunt had 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 rebranded as the Chiefs.
Superstar Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed his condolences on Twitter Sunday evening.
“Mrs. Norma was the best,” Mahomes tweeted. “Glad to be a part of this special organization she help build. She will be missed! Prayers to the entire Hunt family.”
In addition to becoming owner of the then-Dallas Texans, Lamar Hunt was instrumental in helping found the AFL along with other businessmen who unsuccessfully attempted to purchase NFL teams.
The NFL and AFL agreed to merge in 1966 and have the best teams in both league play in a championship game following the season.
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, Super Bowl became the official name.
Lamar Hunt also played a pivotal role in helping form MLS, NASL and World Championship Tennis as well as owning FC Dallas and having a founding investment in the Chicago Bulls.
“Mom was steadfastly devoted to her family and fiercely passionate about her family’s sports teams,” the Hunt family’s statement continued. “She was by our father Lamar’s side every step of the way – from the merger of the AFL and the NFL to the formation of Major League Soccer, World Championship 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 sports. The two of them found such joy together, whether at home, or in stadium stands around the world.
“This February, she attended her 57th and final Super Bowl and watched her beloved Chiefs hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the third time. It was a fitting conclusion to her streak as the only woman to attend every Super Bowl.”
Norma and Lamar Hunt’s son, Clarke, had served as the Chiefs’ chairman since Lamar died in 2006.
“Her quiet yet deep faith sustained her throughout her life, and we take great comfort knowing that she is home with the Lord,” the statement said. “She will be greatly missed by our family, the extended Chiefs and FC Dallas families, and by everyone who knew her.”
