Clark Hunt

One of the driving forces behind the creation of Major League Soccer, Hunt helped his father run the Kansas City Wizards until the team, now known as Sporting Kansas City, was sold in 2006.

Hunt remains a member of the league's board of governors and owns the MLS club, FC Dallas, and previously owned the Columbus Crew until 2013.[8]

Hunt was named chairman of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005.[9] Following the death of his father in 2006, he, his sister, and two brothers inherited ownership of the Chiefs.[2][3] However, Hunt is the operating head of the franchise; he represents the Chiefs at owners' meetings and has the final say on personnel changes.

After the Chiefs' loss to the New York Jets in the 2007 season finale, Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson announced that both he and head coach Herm Edwards would return to the Chiefs in 2008.[10] However, Hunt declined to immediately comment on Peterson's status.[10] Hunt spoke out weeks later and stated that the Chiefs were his "No. 1 priority"[11] and that "to have the best chance of success in 2008, having Carl here makes a lot of sense."[12] Hunt wanted to avoid having a new general manager come in with a new head coach, and starting from scratch again.[12]

On December 15, 2008, Hunt announced the resignation of Peterson from his positions as general manager, president, and CEO of the franchise effective the end of the season.[2][13] Prior to the decision, the Chiefs had a combined record of 9–24 under Hunt's leadership since December 23, 2006.

The official press release stated that Peterson resigned, but Hunt had said the conversation had been ongoing throughout the season.[2][13] Hunt said his decision to relieve Peterson of duties was not based on what happened the previous day, when the Chiefs lost an 11-point lead in the final 73 seconds and were beaten 22–21 by San Diego, dropping their record to 2–12 on the season.[2] He also said that the fate of head coach Herm Edwards would be settled after the season when a new general manager would be hired.[2][13] Hunt said he would split the duties previously held by Peterson and have someone in charge of the business side and someone else in charge of football for the franchise.[2]

Hunt had kept his search for a new general manager almost entirely leakproof, instructing subordinates that only he was to speak to the situation.[14]

Under Hunt, Columbus Crew won their first MLS Cup championship on November 23, 2008.[15]

In 2013, Hunt Sports Group sold the Columbus Crew to Precourt Sports Ventures, led by Anthony Precourt.

On January 13, 2009 Hunt hired New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli as the new Chiefs general manager. On January 23 the Chiefs fired head coach Herman Edwards,[16] and Todd Haley was hired as his replacement on February 6.[3]

Haley's first season did not go well, but he did a lot better in his second season. Hunt fired Haley on December 12, 2011, after the Chiefs had compiled a 5–8 record during the 2011 NFL season. Even though the team won the AFC West the year before Haley was replaced by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel mid-season. Crennel finished his stint as interim head coach with a 2–1 record, including a win over the previously undefeated, and defending Super Bowl Champions (2011 Green Bay Packers season). On January 9, 2012, Hunt named Crennel the team's permanent head coach.[17] The 2012 Chiefs finished with a 2–14 record, which was the worst in the league and for the first time in franchise history the Chiefs were set to have the first pick in the upcoming Draft. Hunt fired both general manager Scott Pioli and head coach Romeo Crennel following the disastrous 2012 season.

The Philadelphia Eagles decided not to renew head coach Andy Reid's contract after a 4–12 record, the worst of his 14-year tenure. He began exercising other head coaching opportunities and was highly coveted due to his success. During his 13 years in Philadelphia, Reid went 130–93–1 and made the playoffs 9 times (including one Super Bowl appearance). Even though there were 8 available head coaching jobs, Reid chose the Chiefs because he had a lot of respect for the Hunt family and the Chiefs Organization. On January 4, 2013 Hunt hired Reid to a 5-year contract. Originally Hunt was going to give Reid full control over all football operations (a similar arrangement to what he had in Philadelphia), but on January 13, 2013, Hunt hired John Dorsey as general manager. Previous to this Dorsey had no general manager experience but was the Director of Football Operations for the Green Bay Packers and had also worked as a scout in Green Bay. Dorsey and Reid both worked for the Packers from 1992 to 1998 so they had been very familiar with each other. Hunt announced that Reid and Dorsey would have equal say in football operations.

The 2013 Chiefs bounced back and finished 11–5, making the playoffs but losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the playoffs. The Chiefs failed to make the playoffs the following year but did still finish the 2014 season with a winning record at 9–7. In 2015, Reid's third year the Chiefs improved on their 9–7 record and finished the 2015 season with a 11–5 record. 2015 saw the Chiefs win their first playoff game in Hunt's tenure and the first for the franchise since 1993, when they defeated the Houston Texans in the wild card round of the playoffs. The Chiefs however lost in the second round to the New England Patriots ending their season. The 2016 Chiefs finished with a 12–4 record, the best of Hunt's tenure as head of the franchise and won the AFC West for the second time in his tenure. The Chiefs lost at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the 2016–17 NFL playoffs. Hunt fired general manager John Dorsey on June 22, 2017 due to cap mismanagement. He then promoted Co-Director of Player Personnel Brett Veach. The Chiefs won the AFC West again in 2017 and finished with a 10–6 record. They lost to the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2017–18 NFL playoffs.

The 2018 Chiefs finished with a 12–4 record and clinched a first-round playoff bye for the 2018–19 NFL playoffs. The Chiefs won in the divisional round and made the AFC Championship for the first time since the 1993 season and were set to host it for the first time in franchise history. They lost in overtime to the New England Patriots. In 2019, the Chiefs finished with a 12–4 record and again hosted the AFC Championship game. This time, however, the Chiefs won their first AFC Championship and brought home the Lamar Hunt Trophy, which was named after his father. The Chiefs then went on to win Super Bowl LIV, the second in their history and their first in 50 years. In his Super Bowl LIV trophy acceptance speech, he paid homage to his father’s trophy acceptance speech 50 years prior stating "It’s a beautiful trophy and I cannot think of a more perfect way to end the NFL's 100th season than receiving this trophy." The only change from his father’s speech was Lamar said "...the AFL's 10th season..." The following season, the Chiefs finished 14–2, setting a franchise record for wins in a season. The Chiefs played in Super Bowl LV, their second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl, but lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9–31, which was the team's largest margin of defeat in four seasons. In 2022, the Chiefs finished 14–3 and reached their third Super Bowl in four years. The Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four years against the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35.[18]

In addition to the on-field resurgence of the team, Hunt is a leading voice among NFL owners. In 2019, Hunt was named Chairman of the influential NFL Finance Committee after serving as a member for seven years. Hunt is a member and former chairman of the NFL International Committee, and he also serves on the Management Council’s Executive Committee (CEC) and the Personal Conduct Committee. Hunt was instrumental in securing the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement in 2011, and he was one of six members of the NFL Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities.