KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time ever, Norma Hunt won’t be at the Super Bowl — but her beloved Kansas City Chiefs will be there for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Patrick Mahomes made a promise after Hunt, the matriarch of the Chiefs and first lady of the NFL, died eight months ago that he would help the franchise win another trophy bearing her husband’s name this season.
Hunt is the wife of late Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, one of the most important team owners in NFL history and the namesake of the trophy given annually to the AFC champion.
Mahomes made good on that promise Sunday, leading the Chiefs to a 17-10 win at Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.
“We were going to win this trophy with Norma Hunt’s name on our jersey,” Mahomes said during the Lamar Hunt Trophy presentation on the M&T Bank Stadium field after the game.
He then looked toward Norma Hunt’s son, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, across the stage, “We promised you that, so we went out and got that thing.”
Norma Hunt, who the Chiefs remembered by wearing an NKH patch on their uniform fronts this season, died June 4. She was the only woman to attend each of the first 57 Super Bowls at the time of her passing.
“I appreciate him giving a shout out to my mom on the stage tonight,” Clark Hunt said.
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The trophy was renamed in Lamar Hunt’s honor for the 1984 season, but the Chiefs only ever played for it once in his lifetime after that honor was given.
“Four years ago, when you handed us our first Lamar Hunt Trophy, I gave it to my mom and the first thing she did was kiss it,” Clark Hunt said. “That moment showed how much she loved my dad and how much she loved the Kansas City Chiefs.”
The Chiefs have now played for an AFC title — and the Lamar Hunt Trophy — in six straight seasons and have won four trophies bearing the founder’s name after Sunday’s win.
“It’s a special time for our family all the way around, getting to participate in these games where we get to compete for the Lamar Hunt Trophy,” Clark Hunt said. “This year’s probably more poignant because my mom’s not here for the first time. “She was definitely in the backs of our minds throughout the week and tonight.”
Kansas City will face the NFC champion, either Detroit or San Francisco, in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“She would be so proud of Andy Reid, our coaching staff and the entire team tonight,” Clark Hunt said. “Chiefs Kingdom, we’re going back to the Super Bowl.”
Mrs. Norma was the best. Glad to be a part of this special organization she help build. She will be missed! Prayers to the entire Hunt family. 🙏🏽💔 https://t.co/YOiDzVUK3j
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) June 4, 2023
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