Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber today issued the following statement regarding the death of American sports pioneer and founding MLS investor Lamar Hunt.
"All of us at Major League Soccer are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the true sport visionaries and a great friend to us all," Garber said. "On behalf of our owners, players, coaches, administrators and fans, we offer our sincerest condolences to Lamar's wife Norma, his sons Clark, Dan, Lamar, Jr., and daughter Sharron.
"There is no doubt that MLS and the sport of soccer in America would not be where it is today without Lamar Hunt's passion, commitment and unrelenting love of the game. He dreamed more than 30 years ago that America could someday be a Soccer Nation. And he lived to see that dream come true.
"Everyone at Major League Soccer was fortunate to have the opportunity to rub shoulders with someone who had a hand in writing our history, and to work alongside a man whose humility, quiet confidence and commitment continue to serve as a lesson to us all."
One of the most influential sportsmen in the world, the impact of Lamar Hunt on soccer in the United States is immeasurable. Hunt championed the sport for more than 30 years, beginning with his first experience with soccer in 1962 when he met his future wife, Norma, at a Shamrock Rovers game in Dublin, Ireland. In 1966, he viewed the FIFA World Cup in England, and then attended nine of the past 11 World Cups (Argentina '78 and Germany 2006 being the exceptions). Hunt was one of the few people in the world who attended a game in every World Cup stadium during World Cup USA 1994, World Cup France 1998 and World Cup Korea/Japan in 2002.
Hunt became an investor in the North American Soccer League's Dallas Tornado in 1967, owning the team for 14 years. Hunt served as Dallas Host Committee Chairman for World Cup 1994 and then became a founding investor in Major League Soccer prior to the League's first season in 1996. Hunt was the original investor-operator of the Columbus Crew and the Kansas City Wizards. In 1999 he established a milestone by the constructing the first stadium built specifically for an MLS team, Columbus Crew Stadium. In 2003, Hunt purchased a third team, the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas). Hunt opened another soccer-specific stadium in 2005 with the debut of Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. Hunt, who recently sold the Wizards to OnGoal, LLC, attended MLS Cup 2006 on November 12 at Pizza Hut Park.
Hunt, who saw the U.S. Open Cup renamed in his honor, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1982 as a builder. Information on memorial services will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Heart of a Champion Foundation.
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 N. Harwood
Dallas TX 75201
Heart of a Champion Foundation
P.O. Box 740126
Dallas, TX 75374-0126
