R.I.P. Lamar Hunt 1932-2006

[ToolTex]

[bigwillq]

1. R.I.P.

He was a genius, imo. Did a lot to promote sports in their modern form.

RIP

[ToolTex]

2. And a truly nice man.

[ReadTomPaine]

4. He was a hardcore oil biz conservative who put up "Wanted" signs for JFK.

JFK "Wanted for Treason". Doesn't sound very nice to me.

[ToolTex]

5. I don't think so, Tom. I think that was his father , H. L.

[ReadTomPaine]

6. He, his brother & his father were all ultraconservatives.

They founded the rabid right wing International Committee for the Defense of Christian Culture and more. He had quite a life outside of football.

[ToolTex]

9. You are talking about his older half brother Herbert and older brother

Nelson, and his father. In my personal experience Lamar he was an upstanding man and not as you suggest.

[Scout1071]

11. I agree 100% ToolTex.

I also knew Lamar and he was a man of very good character. He was far and away one of the most humble people I have ever met. And I'm not sure I'll ever meet anybody with a better memory and ability to recall specifics than Lamar. He was truly a genius in that way.

[ReadTomPaine]

13. He's listed on our own Demopedia under his father's entry for the cofounding...

of the International Committee for the Defense of Christian Culture mentioned above.

[ToolTex]

19. Then maybe somebody needs to look into the accuracy of our Demopedia.

Lamar and the families were extremely rich. (His father had two completely separate families). I am sure that they all contributed to many things. Possibly even the Baptist church in Dallas, one of the most anti-democratic orgs ever. But I don't think you have the proper cut of the man. He wasn't as you say.

[ReadTomPaine]

26. That's possible, though his individual contributions are a matter of record.

His politics seems quite right wing from the distance I have observed him. Your opinion regarding his personality is noted however, and I don't mean that in a dismissive way.

[Scout1071]

31. An honorable comment RTP.

I can only speak for myself when I say that I certainly wouldn't have agreed with him politically. But, I can tell you that personally, he was a fine man. And I am happy to hear that you will take that into account.

Have a lovely evening.

[ToolTex]

33. Tom, when your income is $7 million a day, which his was in the early 1970s

and you are a consersative businessman, I suspect you too might give the $10,000 maximums fairly often, even to things you weren't particularly interested in or even agreed with. They had a lot of money to give away, and as silly as this sounds, it might be difficult to know where it all goes. Especially if your nutcase father is suggesting to his children where to give money.

[ReadTomPaine]

37. While I might disagree, I appreciate your efforts to show another side of this..

Democrats of good conscience can disagree amicably, and I welcome the stories and anecdotes here with an open mind and have read them with an interested eye.

[Scout1071]

10. Tom, I think you are woefully misinformed about the character of Lamar Hunt.

I'm not saying that his family members, especially his father, were the best people in the world, but I personally knew Lamar and what you are saying is a bunch of bunk. Lamar had one religion - he worshipped greenbacks. Period.

He was admitted into 8 sports hall of fames. He was a founding investor in the NBA. He created the AFL and the modern day NFL. He spent hundreds of millions in soccer, here and around the world. He was a founding investor in professional tennis. He was a real estate mogul. He was a man who was flat out born to make money. I've seen his hectic schedule....and I can tell you that creating some kind of right wing Christian culture committee is a bunch of bullshit. Do you think that would really want to take people back out of his NFL stadiums on Sunday and put them back in pews? After almost 50 years of making the NFL the most popular game in the US? I don't think so.

Again, I'm not saying that his dad was a great guy. Neither was mine. Does that make me bad too?

[ReadTomPaine]

12. On OpenSecrets.com he has a long list of Oil/GOP contributions.

Often given in maximum amounts.

[Scout1071]

15. Oh well then.....since he was a Republican, I take back all those nice things

I said.

Get real. Yes, he was involved in the oil industry. Yes, he was a Republican.

That does not change that fact that he was a good man.

I knew him, so unless you have evidence that he raped little kittens or something else equally outrageous or offensive, you sure aren't going to change 15 years of my own personal experiences with man.

[ReadTomPaine]

16. He gave money to Ashcroft, the RNC, DeWine, RW PACs, and many more.

He may have been friendly toward you, but that doesn't absolve him of this. It is said Bush is charming in person at times, also. There is more to Lamar Hunt than those speaking of him here have said, and the whole truth should be told.

[ToolTex]

But Tom, you may not know all the truth of the man.

Nor may I. But I do know of what I have typed here. You are typing hearsay, I believe, not personal knowledge.

[ToolTex]

21. But Tom, you may not know all the truth of the man.

Nor may I. But I do know of what I have typed here. You are typing hearsay, I believe, not personal knowledge.

[karlrschneider]

24. I looked at the opensecrets list. It shows about 9,000 dollars over a 4 year

period. Pat Buchanan got 500.

[ReadTomPaine]

30. He gave over 5000$ in one contribution alone to the Texas RNC in '92

and has separate single soft money contributions of 10,000$ in some instances. He was a big GOP contributer no matter how one parses it.

[ToolTex]

36. His income was $7 million a day 35 years ago when oil was $4 a barrel.

So big whoop. $10,000 didn't get him to 8:05 AM.

[Scout1071]

38. Relatively speaking, he was not a big GOP contributor.

When you compare the vast fortune he had compared to the peanuts contributions you note......very little. And nobody is saying that he wasn't a Republican. That is not in dispute. All we are saying is that he was a good man. Republican or not. You know, some of them are alright people, just a little misguided. And Lamar certainly wasn't a NeoCon Evangelical. He was much more old school Republican. The kind of Republican I actually miss a little.

[leftofthedial]

18. oil biz repuke

who worshipped nothing but greenbacks.

Hmmm. That and his bio sound to me like he was an evil asshole who should burn in hell.

Lots of Nazis were dear, charming wonderful people too I'm told

[karlrschneider]

22. Guess I better get some asbestos underwear, been in the oil business for 45 years.

...

[ToolTex]

23. Yeah, but it is probably needed to keep the heat in, not out.

[karlrschneider]

29. Someone's been blabbing. You been sneakin' round my back door?

:D

[leftofthedial]

27. one strike isn't out

are you a repuke who loves money more than anything too?

If so, you might find asbestos whitey tighties on sale the day after Christmas.

[karlrschneider]

34. Nope, not a repuke and I don't worship anything.

But I don't hate money either, I just think of it as a necessary evil - I've been rich and been poor...I prefer rich but right now I'm just middle class and it suits me fine.

[ToolTex]

39. In reply to #27. Ohooooo, Talk dirty to me baby...

sounds like family to me.

[Scout1071]

25. Hmmmm....I'm seeing a pattern here.

People that knew him = wonderful, glowing things about him.

People that had never met him = bullshit, hateful spew.

Like it or not, America is still a capitalist society. And I, for one, enjoy making money. I'd love to make as much money as Lamar did. Am a bad person too? Do you know how many charities he funded? No. You don't know a thing about him.

You shouldn't be so quick to judge. My grandmother is a registered Republican and has donated to the RNC. Should she burn in hell too?

It is exactly statements like yours that give the "Left" a bad name.

Have some respect please. This is a tribute thread. If you don't have anything nice to say about a man you never met, then why don't you start your own Lamar bashing thread?

[Neecy]

43. further to this...

His name and phone number appeared in Jack Ruby's personal phone book, and the FBI searched Lamar's house shortly after the assassination. Apparently he knew Ruby and didn't deny it - but then, I suppose quite a few wealthy Dallas residents knew him as well. Still, there are quite a few strange ties to the Hunt family and the JFK killing.

[Scout1071]

44. That would be his father you are talking about.

H.L. Hunt.

I'd sure hate to be accountable for everything my father did.

[ReadTomPaine]

45. There are conflicting accounts for this.

According to Lamar Hunt and Jack Ruby, they never met or knew one another. However, Warren Commission Report staffers Leon Hubert and Burt Griffin claimed that he did in fact meet with him. Lamar Hunt's name was also found in one of Ruby's notebooks. I do not believe these conflicting accounts have ever been resolved, however I am not an expert on the Kennedy Assassination. Perhaps one of DU's resident historians on this affair can chime in and offer clarification.

[Neecy]

47. No, I'm not talking about his father

It was Lamar Hunt's name and number that appeared in Ruby's personal phone book.

[Scout1071]

48. Well then, I stand corrected.

I still don't think it's that big of a deal since they were both well-known Dallas residents. Hell, Lamar's contact info is in my phone book. Not his private line mind you, but his offices.

That is an interesting footnote about Lamar.

[ToolTex]

Neecy, do you really know what you are talking about?

Do you even know what Joe Rubenstein did in Dallas? Do you know what kind of town Dallas was in 1963? Do you know where Lamar worked in 1963? Do you have any clue why a sleazy con man like Ruby would want to have the phone number of one of the richest young men in town? Do you understand that in 1963 Lamar's phone number was in the city phone book?

The man just died. You had 43 years to connect him to Joe Rubenstein while he could defend himself, and you didn't or couldn't. It seems disingenuous to start now.

[ToolTex]

50. Do you really know what you are talking about?

Do you even know what Joe Rubenstein did in Dallas? Do you know what kind of town Dallas was in 1963? Do you know where Lamar worked in 1963? Do you have any clue why a sleazy con man like Ruby would want to have the phone number of one of the richest young men in town? Do you understand that in 1963 Lamar's phone number was in the city phone book?

The man just died. You had 43 years to connect him to Joe Rubenstein while he could defend himself, and you didn't or couldn't. It seems disingenuous to start now.

[bobbie]

46. He and his family helped fund President Kennedy's murder

In addition to the wanted poster and newspaper ad that greeted the doomed President in Dallas.

Yeah, real nice family.

[ToolTex]

51. Really? Would you tell me how you know this Bobbie.

No one was talking about his family, only Lamar.

[karlrschneider]

14. I met him in Ted Shanbaum's home in North Dallas back in the 70s.

He seemed decent enough, obviously I didn't talk politics with him. My dad was somewhat acquainted with H.L. through Opie Dimmick (Seismographic Service of Tulsa) and I suspect they shared the same politics.
But Lamar (howcum they misspelled that name? :D ) was very pleasant to me, the lowly pilot. :-)

[Scout1071]

17. He did not have a pretentious bone in his body.

When we traveled, he always, carried his own bags (hell, he'd carry yours if he saw you needed it), requested compact rentals, did not wear designer or flashy clothes.

If he saw trash on the ground at the stadium.....he would get a broom. If his trash was full, he would take it out.

[karlrschneider]

20. You jogged my memory just there...the house I mentioned is about 30,000

square feet. Ted was showing us around - the 7 bathrooms, 5 wet bars, indoor/outdoor pool, all that sort of thing Texas zillionaires tend to have...he founded (I think, maybe bought) Lee Optical which was probably our company's biggest customer. After the tour, Lamar, my boss O.W. Coburn and I were
chatting and eating BACON of all things, fresh out of the brand new microwave oven they had just gotten, one of the first in the country I guess, and Lamar said "that's the only thing in this mausoleum I'd want"

No shit. :D

edit: O.W. was now-Senator Tom's daddy. He was almost as much of an asshole as his oldest son.

[EFerrari]

3. From the Chief's site:

Lamar Hunt: 1932-2006

The National Football League and the American sports community lost a true treasure at approximately 10:00 PM on December 13, 2006 when Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt peacefully passed away at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas at the age of 74.

Hunt was originally diagnosed with prostate cancer in ‘98 and quietly underwent many treatments and surgeries over the past eight years. He maintained his active schedule until entering the hospital for the final time on November 22nd. He is survived by his wife, Norma and their four children, Lamar, Jr., Sharron Munson, Clark and Daniel. He was also the proud grandfather of 14 grandchildren.

Recognized as one of the greatest sportsmen in American history, Hunt served as the guiding force behind the formation of both the American Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs franchise.

Hunt served as a positive influence on the game for 47 years dating back to his conception of the American Football League in ‘59. He was the first AFL figure to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ‘72, a remarkable feat considering he became involved in the game just 13 years earlier.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/323_bio.html

/oops

[Scout1071]

41. He also created the term "Super Bowl."

He often recounted the story of discussing a name for the championship bowl and he started calling it the "super bowl" in their meetings. He said he thought it came to him because his kids had "super balls" at the time that they would bounce all over the place. The owners jokingly referred to it as the "super bowl" in their meetings and much to Lamar's surprise, the name took on a life of it's own after that the media and fans eventually caught on to their nickname.

He was a founding investor of the Chicago Bulls.

He poured hundreds of millions into US Soccer. In fact the oldest tournamet in US History, the US Open Cup, was renamed a few years ago as the "Lamar Hunt US Open Cup." He once told me that he hadn't missed a World Cup since 1960. And while he obviously loved and heavily funded the US team through the years, he said that he loved to watch Brazil play. So much so that in the 2002 World Cup, he flew back and forth between Japan and Korea so that he wouldn't miss a single US or Brazil match.

He helped to found professional tennis as we know it today and is in the Tennis Hall of Fame.

And, of course, the NFL just wouldn't be what it is today without Lamar Hunt. Aside from the sheer success of the NFL, Lamar was instrumental in changing the face of the NFL by hiring an unprecedented number of African Americans. Interviews with former players say that Lamar Hunt did more for traditionally black colleges than people will ever know. He personally recruited each player. No, I'm not so idealistic to think that he did it out of the goodness of his heart because he wanted to do the right thing socially. No. Lamar wanted to win. He wanted the best damn team he could get and in doing so, he helped break a lot of barriers in professional sports.

He did own an incredible amount of real estate, including the limestone caves in Kansas City, which are the largest underground public storage facility in the world. Ironically, they are not far from Arrowhead Stadium. Lamar built a massive infrastructure within the caves for businesses that need to maintain a perfect cool, weather free environment. Thousands of business are housed there, including massive vaults for the US Postal Service. With no temperature flucations, water, sun, etc., it's the perfect place to store rare stamps, etc. The roads within it go for miles and are large enough for 18 wheelers. It's a trip being inside, just driving for miles into the earth. But, it was genius for storage and business purposes.

Frugal and genuius in a Warren Buffet kind of way. The man could make money just waking up in the morning. Hell, if I know Lamar, he probably figured out a way to make money upon his death.

[Scout1071]

7. I knew Lamar and he was a genius.

I worked for him and although I didn't appreciate the long hours and crappy pay, I did have the opportunity to talk with him many times through the years and I can confirm that he was indeed a genius with a nearly photographic memory.

If you talked about a certain game with him, he could tell you what the attendance was that day and who threw for how many yards, who had the most tackles, etc. And he didn't just know this information about sports.....he remembered everything about the people he met.

A couple of years after I stopped working for him, I received a call from his secretary. She said that she had been instructed to track me down and get my address. Later that week I received a letter from Lamar thanking me for some photos I had given him of us (with his wife) celebrating after his KC Wizards won the Championship. In the letter he said that he had been moving to a new office when he came across the photos in a drawer and realized that he'd never sent me a thank you. I got a great pic of him holding a Frosted Flakes box with Tony Meola featured on the box as the MLS Champ. He was so proud, he is absolutely beaming in those pictures.

I also had the pleasure of dining with Lamar a few times. He told me a story about a couple who wanted to get married in the parking lot of Arrowhead, in a tailgate ceremoy, before a Chiefs game! The couple sent him an invitation and much to their surprise, Lamar and his wife showed up for the ceremony and acted as witnesses. Lamar then invited them to his personal suite to watch the game, where he had champagne waiting for them.

He was frugal to say the least, but he was also a very humble man.

He will be missed.

Here are some additional Lamar facts that I posted the other day: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=5949438

[RummyTheDummy]

49. Thanks for sharing

This is the best story on the thread IMO. As an NFL fan, I'm grateful for his vision and contributions to the league. Of course so many DUers hate sports (and anything else that's joyful) so they couldn't possibly appreciate the man for anything beyond his politics, but it's still a great story. Thanks.

I met him in 2002 as part of my job at a local paper in Oklahoma. He was thinking of moving one of his MLS teams there. Anyway, I did the math in my head, knowing all about his father beforehand. Old + Rich + Republican = Dick head. Couldn't have been more wrong. It was an honor and a pleasure to meet someone who had directly contributed to something I love so much (the NFL).

That said, there's not a doubt in my mind his father was involved in the Kennedy assisination. It's a virtual certainty.

[GrumpyGreg]

8. Aaaargggh ! One more person dead that was born the same year as I was.

[karlrschneider]

32. Don't start worrying until you have more dead friends than live ones.

(I'm a little reluctant to make a list of my own) :D

[EFerrari]

35. Been one of those years for me.

Damn. And here I thought we were immortal. :(

This getting used to talking to people who aren't there isn't easy.

[ToolTex]

28. I have a few "Lamar" anecdotes myself. And I liked him.

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."

[LaPera]

40. I know this guy who insist....

O.J. Simpson is innocent, swears on it, because he knew Simpson and Simpson used to show up at a football camp he ran for kids and insist Simpson was such a great guy, nice and charming, etc...and that there's NO way O.J. would of killed his wife...no sir, no way, He said "I talked to the man many times and he was not just capable and too nice a guy to murder those people, the mother of his kids, no way."

People always project what they want others to see...And people see what they want to see.

Now Hunt, was a fucking republican, which is a disgusting ideology of hate, greed, imperialism and corporatism that says fuck the poor & the middle class, an ideology that believes in corporations over people.

If he was a republican, he was an asshole!

I've known people who also say Bush is a “sweet, giving, funny, charming guy”...I'm sure he can tell great and funny stories as well...

I’m sure there's people who know and/or met neocon Richard Mellon Scaife and many of those same people will say he’s neat and intelligent and is humble as can be…And I'll bet he is...when he’s in public…But he’s also a republican….which means, yes, he’s an asshole!

Excuse me, but I despise and don't trust anyone who's a lifelong republican....all assholes in my book!

[ToolTex]

42. And it could be that all generalizations are false.

No, actually George Bush is an imbecile up close or from afar.

[oasis]

52. Great guy, that Lamar. May he rest in peace.