He Really Was in a League of His Own

R.I.P. Lamar Hunt. Far from being the stereotypical "rich sports team owner," he was a sports team owner who just happened to be rich.

The man's list of accomplishments is astounding: Founder of the American Football League, and a key player in its successful merger with the NFL; brought both professional soccer and tennis to the U.S.; attended the first 67 Cotton Bowls without interruption, until his illness slowed him down a few years ago. Oh, and he coined the name "Super Bowl" for the championship game in pro football. And yet the man had no discernible ego, and his home number was listed in the Dallas phone book.

Read some nice tributes to Hunt from DMN sports columnists Tim Cowlishaw and Rick Gosselin, as well as an archived story from 1959 (is the Internet cool or what?) about the AFL's founding.