We mourn the loss of Norma Hunt. On June 4th, we said farewell to the matriarch of Chiefs Kingdom. Kansas City is an electric sports town, so it’s only right that we get to claim one of the most recognizable women in the sports world. We honor the legacy of Norma Hunt.
A Woman Who Loved Sports
Norma Hunt was before her time. She’s a pioneer for being a super fan as a woman. So much talk in recent years has been about women in sports and how to increase their footprint across the entire landscape. For Norma Hunt, loving sports was just a part of who she was. In fact, when she met Lamar Hunt, she was working as a host for the Dallas Texans. Norma was destined to be the backbone of a historic franchise. When asked about her fandom in a 2020 interview with the KC Star, this was her response:
“The idea that a woman wouldn’t be into sports has always been just laughable to me, because since I was a young girl, I’ve been a sports fan. I do love to see so many women of all ages enjoying the NFL, covering the NFL, working in executive roles and now coaching in the NFL. I think it’s fantastic.”
For over sixty years, football fans have been able to see Norma Hunt enjoying Chiefs games, Super Bowls, and other NFL events as well. Her physical presence will be greatly missed, but her impact will be felt forever. She has inspired a new generation of lady football super fans that starts right at home with her granddaughters.
57-Time Super Bowl Attendee
By now, we’ve all seen this fun fact about Norma Hunt. Her attendance at all 57 super bowls is the most talked about fact of her life and it shows just how much she enjoyed the game.
Or does it?
Ask her, and the streak seems to be much more about her love for her late husband and the pioneer of American Football, Lamar Hunt.
“To be honest, the streak was never all that important to me, but it was always important to Lamar. He loved statistics and streaks, and it was fun for him to tell people I had seen every Super Bowl. As the numbers started to get higher and higher, I told Lamar that if he insisted on telling people I had seen every Super Bowl, then he better tell them I started when I was 8 years old!”
She downplayed the streak in that same 2020 interview with the Star, but her commitment is still commendable. Having to wait 50 years between appearances from her own team wasn’t enough to discourage Norma Hunt, she was proudly in attendance every year. In honoring her husband through her fandom, she became an NFL legend in her own right.
Kansas City will miss Norma Hunt, but we can take some comfort knowing that she can finally show Lamar his new Super Bowl rings and his namesake trophies his team has collected in recent years. The legacy of the Hunts will live on forever in Kansas City through the Chiefs.
