A moment of silence please, for Lamar Hunt.

[Scout1071]

I had the pleasure of actually knowing Mr. Hunt. Not in a close kind of way, but we had occassionally talked over the years and even had dinner together in Boston once.

I can tell you that he was as frugal as they came. He had a 2 bedroom apartment within Arrowhead Stadium. He stayed there when in Kansas City (he primarily lived in Dallas.) He drove an un-assuming compact rental car. He carried his own bags and drove himself.

He was a main factor in creating what we now know as the NFL. He even came up with the term "Super Bowl". He said that he was watching his son bounce a "super ball" around the room and it just came to him.....the "Super Bowl.

He never missed a World Cup tournament since around 1960. He was an avid soccer (football) fan. He never gave up on soccer in the US and has poured hundreds of millions of dollars creating and maintaining professional soccer in the US. Major League Soccer is on the verge of acquiring the best talent in the world and I guarantee that one day in the not-so-distant future that soccer will be selling out stadiums and packed bars like American Football. Lamar will be responsible for the next great league, long after he is gone.

He was a part owner of the Chicago Bulls. Most people aren't aware that he was an early investor in basketball as well.

There were plenty of things that irked me about his management style, but I always respected him.

Rest in peace Lamar.

[ToolTex]

1. I have a few "Lamar" anecdotes myself.

In the early 70's my family had a box next to Lamar and Norma in the SMU stadium for home Tornado games. (At the time they had three subscribed boxes). I don't remember who else was beside us, but one night the other couple talked over us to Lamar, and the couple had just flown in from Europe. His wife was pissed because the airline had lost the case with her jewelry. Lamar quipped back that could never happen to Norma, because she always wore all of her jewelry.

They were recently married, and she was still "talked" about as a "teacher" in dallas/richardson society.

Those were in times that he was driving a 15 year old Plymouth around dallas, and had holes in his shoes. Not really to be cheap, but I think because he really didn't care to be bothered.

Early in the years after he bought the KC Chiefs, and it was reported that they had lost $1 million in the year. I remember some stupid reporter interviewing his father, HL, and asking his opinion of Lamar's foolish investment. Old HL replied, "I guess he'll have to get that stopped sometime in the next hundred years."

[Redstone]

2. The only one of the Hunt family who was not an asshole.

His brothers tried to corner the silver market back in the 70s / early 80s and lost their shirts (Yes, there IS a God); I was in the jewelry business then and the spike in silver prices caused me no end of trouble...Lamar, on the other hand, was a decent sort.

Redstone

[brook]

3. Sorry, he was involved.

AP
Published: April 4, 1989

LEAD: The multimillionaire Lamar Hunt and 10 other defendants have independently agreed to settle class-action lawsuits stemming from an attempt by Mr. Hunt and his brothers to corner the silver market in 1979 and 1980, his lawyer has announced.

He also used to drag the tip off the table at the coffee shop when I knew him in his SMU days.

That said, my sincere sympathies to his family and friends.

[Redstone]

4. Oh, damn. I retract my statement. But, like you, I offer condolences to his family.

Redstone

[brook]

5. No harm.:)

He was a funny guy and he did a lot for sports. Most folks are a bundle of contradictions -neither all bad nor all angel. I just posted that in the interest of 'truthiness'. Accuracy was the main reason I got hooked on DU way back when.

[Redstone]

6. Roger that.

Redstone

[Scout1071]

7. His brothers really went down on that deal, not Lamar.

He was only peripherally involved as I recall.

[SteelBird]

8. RIP

He did a lot for the game of football and the city of Kansas City. Didn't know he had a role in the NBA though. He also I have read is the man who coined the term, "Super Bowl."