NFL Players Mourn the Loss of Norma Hunt, One of the Only People to Attend Every Super Bowl

The Kansas City Chiefs may have won the 2022 Super Bowl (played in 2023) but lost an important figure on June 4, 2023. Norma Hunt is known as the Chiefs’ matriarch — she attended all 57 Super Bowls and was with the Chiefs from the very beginning. Norma’s blood runs thick through both the NFL and the MLS, as she was integral to the creation of the Chiefs, along with Dallas FC.

Just after she saw the Chiefs bring home another Super Bowl win after their first two wins in 1969 and 2019, Norma passed away. She’s not only a maternal figure to the team and the widow to Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt but also the current mother of Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt. But what exactly was Norma Hunt’s cause of death?

In 1964, Lamar Hunt married his second wife, Norma Lynn Knobel, then a schoolteacher. She was also a hostess for the Dallas Texans before they became the Kansas City Chiefs. Although Lamar has children from his previous marriage to Rosemary Carr, Lamar Jr. and Sharron Hunt, neither wanted to take over the family business.

In 2006, when Lamar passed away, his and Norma’s son, Clark Hunt, was named CEO and Chairman. Their younger son, Daniel Hunt, is also deeply involved in the family business. Norma is one of very few to have attended every Super Bowl, so she will be greatly missed at next year’s championship game. Until Norma’s death, she shared equal ownership of the Chiefs with all of Lamar’s children.

The Hunt family announced Norma’s death in a statement shared by the Chiefs. "Kind, generous, and unfailingly positive, Mom was one of a kind," the statement said. "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.

"Mom was steadfastly devoted to her family and fiercely passionate about her family's sports teams. 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."

Others who knew Norma were quick to share their statements and condolences. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote, "The entire NFL family is deeply saddened by the passing of Norma Hunt, who was a significant presence in the NFL for the last seven decades. I was fortunate to know Norma for nearly 40 years and was always struck by her warmth and grace, her partnership with Lamar, and her pride in their family. Norma's sense of family extended to the Chiefs' organization which she greatly adored.”

Even Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes tweeted, “Mrs. Norma was the best. Glad to be a part of this special organization she helped build. She will be missed! Prayers to the entire Hunt family.” While we await her cause of death announcement, at 85 years old, we imagine that she may have died of natural causes. But until the coroner confirms, we’ll have to wait and see.

Norma is survived by her sons, Clark and Daniel, as well as her grandchildren, Gracie, Knobel, and Ava.

Our condolences go out to Norma’s friends, family, fans, and all those who knew her.