Kansas City Chiefs Owner

Get to know the Kansas City Chiefs owner behind the team’s recent Super Bowl success.

Clark Hunt

Clark Hunt is part owner, chairman and CEO of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Clark Hunt is chairman of the Hunt Sports Group, which sees him in charge of overseeing operations for the Chiefs and other various sporting organisations. Proudly, he is the son of American football’s pioneering ex-Chiefs owner and founder Lamar Hunt.

Lamar Hunt was the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and a founding member of the old AFL. After devastatingly passing away in 2006 from a diagnosis of prostate cancer, Clark Hunt and his family inherited the legal proceedings of the Chiefs. Despite only owning a 20.5% stake in the Chiefs in 2006, he took on the responsibility of CEO and Chairman and was the public face for the ownership group. The newly appointed head of the franchise would represent the Chiefs at all the scheduled owner meetings.

After his father’s tiresome work building the Chiefs franchise from the bottom up, Hunt was determined to continue the legacy his old man had entrusted him with. In December 2008, Hunt made his first critical decision as he elected to relieve Carl Peterson on his general manager duties with immediate effect.

The following year saw Scott Pioli instated as Chiefs general manager and the former opted to sack current coach Herman Edwards for Todd Hayley. Despite winning the AFC West in 2011, Hayley was fired and replaced by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. A stint of impressive results saw Hunt swing towards making Crennel the permanent head coach. Matters on the field hit an all-time low as the Chiefs slumped to the worst record of the 2021 season: 2-14. Therefore, it was with no surprise Crennel and Piolo paid with their jobs.

Clark Hunt decision sparked Kansas City success

Hunt would proceed to make a brilliant decision in 2013 which would alter the course of the Chiefs franchise history. Hunt managed to lure Andy Reid to the franchise as head coach after being let go by the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid confirmed he had received multiple offers from other teams but favored the opportunity in Kansas due to his admiration for the Hunt family. John Dorsey was appointed general manager albeit having no previous experience within this occupation, however, was familiar with Reid after working together at the Green Bay Packers.

Chiefs Kingdom bounced back superbly and qualified for the 2013 playoffs finishing with a record of 11-5 but would lose to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs. A record of 9-7 followed the next season, although was all but forgotten when they qualified for the playoffs the season after. Defeating the Houston Texans to win their first ever playoff game, steady progress was being made despite a loss to the New England Patriots the round after. Further improvement showed in 2016 after achieving a record of 12-4, winning the AFC West for the second time under Hunt. The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Chiefs and further problems occurred when Hunt fired Dorsey for cap mismanagement.

In 2018, the Chiefs featured in and hosted their first ever AFC Championship game but succumbed to the Patriots once more. Under the guidance of Andy Reid mixed with the superb craftsmanship of Patrick Mahomes, Hunt would rejoice in a period of total Chiefs domination. Appearing in four Super Bowls in five seasons and winning three of them.

Clark Hunt is an exceptional example of an owner who, when fully invested mentally within their franchise, with excellent decision making and continued patience, can drag teams from the worst team in the NFL to Super Bowl Champions in just seven years. Poetically the franchise has won the Lamar Hunt Trophy on four occasions, as the trophy was named after his father to recognise his services to the sport.

Hunt is also prominent leader in the NFL industry as chairman of the NFL finance committee and member of the NFL international committee, plus holding many more positions.