Clark Hunt has been involved in the leadership of the Kansas City Chiefs for nearly two decades and currently serves as the club's Chairman and CEO.
Hunt has been the driving force behind the resurgence of the Chiefs, transforming the iconic franchise into one of the most successful teams in the National Football League over the last decade. Since taking over as CEO in 2010, the Chiefs have earned five AFC West Division Championships, seven playoff appearances and back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game. Following the 2019 season, for the first time in club history, Hunt hoisted the award bearing his father's name – the Lamar Hunt Trophy – given to the champions of the AFC. The team advanced to Super Bowl LIV, the franchise's third NFL title game appearance and the first under Hunt's leadership, overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to claim a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers en route to earning the club's second Lombardi Trophy as World Champions.
In January 2013, Hunt modified the leadership structure of the organization, announcing that for the first time in club history, the head coach, the general manager and the team president would all report directly to the Chairman and CEO. Hunt hired Head Coach Andy Reid in 2013, and in seven seasons under Reid, the Chiefs have won 77 regular season games, which ranks second in the NFL during that span, and have qualified for the postseason in five-consecutive seasons (2015-19).
Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Hunt extended Reid's contract and also made a change in the leadership of the personnel department, naming Brett Veach as the seventh general manager in franchise history.
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 Finance Committee after serving as a member for seven years. Hunt is a member and former Chairman of the International Committee, and he also serves on the Management Council Executive Committee (CEC), the Personal Conduct Committee and Commissioner Roger Goodell's Chairmen's Committee. He was on the Commissioner Search Committee in 2006 which recommended Goodell as the successor to then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and was appointed to the NFL's Digital Media Committee in 2007, which was restructured in 2019. He was also one of six members on the NFL Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities.
Hunt was instrumental in securing the NFL's collective bargaining agreement in 2011 as one of 10 NFL owners charged by Goodell with negotiating the NFL's new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Again, in 2020, Hunt was an integral member of the NFL's negotiating team that helped deliver a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with NFL players a full season ahead of the deadline.
During his time as chairman of the International Committee (2011-18), Hunt played a key role in expanding the league's international efforts and the NFL's footprint overseas. The league has hosted at least one regular-season contest in London since 2007, with that expanding to four contests in 2019, including two games at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was developed through a partnership between the NFL and the English Premier League club. Going into the 2020 season, 31 teams have played a total of 28 London contests. The NFL has also hosted three regular season games in Mexico since 2016.
Twice in the past five seasons, the Chiefs have played internationally, hosting the Detroit Lions at London's Wembley Stadium in October 2015, and most recently, an away contest against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City's Estadio Azteca in November 2019.
The son of legendary American sports pioneer and Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt, Clark Hunt has built upon his father's legacy by ensuring the Chiefs organization remains focused on its core mission: Honor Tradition, Unite Our Community, Win with Character and Inspire Our Fans.
As part of that mission, the organization has made significant investments in the fan experience, utilizing new technologies and innovative ideas. That includes a $125 million commitment from the Hunt family to the $375 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium that was completed in 2010, providing Chiefs fans with first-class amenities while maintaining the distinct soul and mystique that makes Arrowhead one of the most iconic stadiums in the NFL. The team also installed a new stadium-wide Wi-Fit network and launched a mobile application, allowing fans to connect to their team and to each other in new, unique ways.
Prior to the 2019 season, the club completed three major projects to upgrade the stadium and the fan experience, including an upgrade to scoreboard technology, new concrete waterproofing measures, as well as replacing almost every seat in the upper seating bowl with a new model that included cupholders. Entering the 2020 season, the club upgraded technology inside an additional scoreboard, replaced all the seats in the lower level and renovated the stadium's team store.
The investment and commitment in Arrowhead go beyond football. After more than a year in development, Hunt and his family debuted the first phase of the Arrowhead Art Collection in 2013, highlighting regional artwork while promoting culture, providing educational opportunities and engaging the community. In total, more than 50 pieces of art have been installed at Arrowhead Stadium, combing two pieces of the cultural fabric of Kansas City – sports and the arts – inside a regional architectural masterpiece.
The Dallas, Texas, native, is also a founding investor-operator in Major League Soccer, serving as Chairman and CEO of FC Dallas, while his family originally founded two other MLS clubs, the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) and the Columbus Crew. Hunt is actively involved in the continued growth of MLS, serving as a member of the MLS Board of Governors, Commissioner Don Garber's Executive Committee, and as the Chairman of the Competition Committee.
Hunt graduated first in his class at Southern Methodist University in 1987, earning a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. He was also a four-year letterman on the Mustangs' nationally ranked soccer team. He was named one of the SMU Cox School of Business Outstanding Young Alumni in 2004, and he received the SMU Cox School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. In 2020, SMU presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award – the highest honor it can bestow upon its graduates – for outstanding leadership in philanthropy, business and civic life. He currently serves on the SMU Board of Trustees, and he also serves as President of the Board of Trustees for the St. Mark's School of Texas.
He and his wife, Tavia, are actively involved in numerous philanthropic initiatives in both Kansas City and Dallas. One of the Hunt family's lasting legacies is the Chiefs Charity Game, which has raised more than $13.5 million for local youth-focused charities since its inception in 1985. In 2017, the Chiefs and the Hunt Family Foundation were selected as a finalist for the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award, recognizing the influence of sports in inspiring healthy change in communities through innovation and collaboration. The Chiefs were also named 2016 Business Philanthropist of the Year in Kansas City by Nonprofit Connect, an association linking the nonprofit community to education, resources and networking opportunities.
The Hunts have three children - Gracelyn, Knobel and Ava.
