Norma Hunt, wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar and mother of owner Clark, has passed away at age 85

Norma Hunt, the wife of Lamar Hunt, founder and former owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, has passed away at the age of 85, the franchise announced Sunday.

The cause of death of the woman dubbed by many as the “First Lady of Football” is currently unknown.

Norma, the mother of current NFL team owner Clark, was the only woman to attend every Super Bowl and saw her beloved Chiefs hoist the Lombardi Trophy for a third time in February.

She stood by her husband’s side through his many sporting ventures, from the merger of the AFL and NFL to the formation of Major League Soccer, World Championship Tennis, the North American Soccer League and their founding investment in the Chicago Bulls.

In a statement from the Hunt family released by the NFL franchise, Norma was described as kind, generous and unfailingly positive.

Norma Hunt (center), wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, has died

The statement read: “Our family is deeply saddened by the passing of our mother, Norma. She was a wonderful mother and an extraordinary woman who will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

Kind, generous and unfailingly positive, Mother was one of a kind. Her joy and joie de vivre were contagious. She loved to take care of 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.

Mother was steadfastly devoted to her family and had a great passion for her family’s sports teams. She stood by our father Lamar every step of the way – from the merger of the AFL and 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. They found so much joy together, at home or in stadium stands around the world.

‘[…] Her quiet but deep faith sustained her throughout her life, and we take great comfort in knowing that she is home with the Lord. She will be greatly missed by our family, the extended Chiefs and FC Dallas families, and all who knew her.”

The NFL also honored the “First Lady of Football” with Commissioner Roger Goodell paying tribute to Norma in a statement released Sunday night.

“The entire NFL family is deeply saddened by the passing of Norma Hunt, who played an important role in the NFL for the past seven decades,” Goodell said.

‘Norma’s role in football was recently highlighted in the documentary aptly titled ‘A Lifetime of Sundays’. Norma’s place in NFL history will be forever remembered by the Chiefs organization and the entire league.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to Clark and the entire Hunt family, and the many people whose lives she influenced during her remarkable life.”

Norma was working as a teacher and hostess for the Dallas Texans when she met Lamar Hunt in 1964, five years after he and other members of “The Foolish Club” founded the AFL.

She and Lamar married later that year and had two children: current Chiefs owner Clark and Daniel.

Lamar moved the Texans to Kansas City and renamed them the Chiefs and the starting league eventually merged with the NFL.

Lamar, who died in 2006, also coined the term “Super Bowl” for the league’s championship game and named the AFC Championship trophy after him.

The Hunt family also played a central role in another kind of football: football.

Lamar was key to the effort to bring the World Cup to the US and his leadership also influenced the creation of MLS.

The Hunts rose to the forefront of American soccer in 1996 by becoming a charter investor in Major League Soccer.

Lamar took over the operations of FC Dallas in 2003 and his youngest son Dan is now president and chairman of the football club.

Tributes from both the NFL and football worlds for Norma poured in on Sunday.

Chiefs Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes

More to follow.