The Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, after his Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans for the AFC Championship and earned a trip to the Super Bowl, said he wanted to “thank the Lord,” and that “the glory belongs to Him,” during an interview on the CBS Sports postgame show Sunday night, where he was presented with the Lamar Hunt trophy.
“Well, I’m almost speechless,” Hunt said. “First, I want to congratulate Andy, Patrick and all his teammates on an incredible performance today. “I want to thank the Lord for blessing us with this opportunity. The glory belongs to Him. And this trophy belongs to the best fans in the National Football League.”
Kansas City fought back from an early deficit to tally 28 unanswered points, establishing a commanding lead while preventing Tennessee from ever getting back into the game.
Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 23-of-35 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the game, finding wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a pair of scores in the first half to help Kansas City climb out of the early hole.
Mahomes had another MVP-worthy game, including a great 27-yard run for a touchdown to give the Chiefs the lead before halftime.
“Never would have happened without my guys downfield being doubled,” Mahomes said of the run. “That’s why it was possible. Two guys are doubled, and that left space for me.”
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“I’ve been blessed to be in a great situation with a lot of great football players and coaches around me,” Mahomes said in an interview after the game.
In postseason games, Mahomes has completed 46 of 70 passes for 615 yards, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also has run 15 times for 106 yards.
Mahomes also found wide receiver Sammy Watkins for a 60-yard touchdown later, putting Kansas City up by three scores.
Mahomes finished the game with 56 yards on the ground while Hill and Watkins each had productive days through the air. Watkins, in particular, hauled in seven catches for a team-leading 114 yards.
Kansas City held Titans’ tailback Derrick Henry, who had at least 180 rushing yards in each of Tennessee’s previous two postseason games, to just 69 yards on the ground.
Former Chiefs linebacker Bobby Bell presented the trophy to Clark Hunt and his family and said: “I’d like to present this to Clark and Norma Hunt, congratulations: the Lamar Hunt Trophy.”
Norma then gave a gentle kiss to the trophy that bears her late husband’s name.
“He loved the fans more than any person than I have ever known,” she said. “Plus great coach, great staff, great team, great fans.”
Presentation of Lamar Hunt trophy… Listen to that chant of Andy, Andy, Andy as #Chiefs heading to #SBLIV to break the 50 year drought… as Jack Buck called Super Bowl 50 yrs ago and his son will call this #SB50 #ChiefsKingdom #AFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/3YW4yUxEJF
— Brandon (@bampac29) January 19, 2020
“I can’t tell you how excited I am for the Chiefs to bring the Lamar Hunt trophy home to Kansas City,” Clark Hunt said, “but we’re not done yet. We’re gonna bring the Vince Lombardi trophy home to Kansas City.”
Legendary Chiefs coach Andy Reid will go back to the Super Bowl, this time with an AFC team, looking for his first win in the Big Game. His Philadelphia Eagles team lost in the Super Bowl in 2005.
The Hunts’ Christian background
As the Chiefs prepare for their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years, Hunt has other goals in mind beyond athletic success.
Hunt, who became a Christian at 10 years old, has built a culture around his Christian faith, saying he makes it a top priority for his staff.
“We want our employees to develop spiritually,” Hunt said in October at the CityFest East Texas Men’s Luncheon, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “In the National Football League, Christ is really glorified. My identity is my faith in Christ.”
In the same speech, Hunt also praised star QB Patrick Mahomes, the reigning NFL MVP who has led the Chiefs to the AFC championship game in each of his first two seasons as a starter. Hunt said the Chiefs were in search of a young quarterback to take the team to the next level, and Mahomes has turned out to be that guy.
“Watching Patrick last year was an unbelievable revelation,” Hunt said. “You would have thought he was a 10-year veteran.”
Since 2014, through a partnership with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, local churches and Hunt’s direct support, the Chiefs have offered their fans a nondenominational pregame chapel service, the first such recurring onsite faith event in the NFL. Church of the Resurrection was the 2019 host of the event, which takes place every week there is a noon home game. Because fans at Arrowhead Stadium may miss their normal Sunday worship opportunities by attending Chiefs games, a service is held in a pavilion at the stadium and features a message and worship starting at 10 a.m.
Hunt and his family regularly attend.
“It’s neat that he makes the effort for him and his family to come,” Kris Thomas, an FCA area representative in Kansas, said in 2017. “I guarantee on Christmas Eve they have a lot people out there who would like their time. And yet they make this a priority. I haven’t been here where they haven’t been here.”
“You’re establishing a new culture,” FCA’s Kansas City Director Alex Campbell said in 2017. “You get to see this thing come to a fruition where lives can be changed. Now people are actually saying, ‘If this happens, then I’ll get season tickets (for next year).’ The service has that much of an impact, and the season-ticket holders are saying, ‘We need this.’ It’s got to be fulfillment for the Hunt family for even having the vision.”
As Hunt has instilled his Christian faith in the Chiefs organization off the field, their on-the-field performance has accelerated, accumulating a regular-season record of 57-23 over the past five years, along with five playoff appearances and four divisional titles.
No, today’s earthquake in Kansas was not caused by Chiefs fans
