Clark Hunt’s Lessons for Leadership

Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt

Clark Hunt, SMU ’86, is a prominent sports executive and businessman, best known as the chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs and co-owner of FC Dallas. He credits his leadership philosophy style to what he learned under his legendary sports pioneer father Lamar Hunt’s tutelage and his time at Texas Delta. His natural inclination to hard work began in high school, excelling in sports and academics, and he carried this through his university experience by excelling as captain of the SMU Mustangs soccer team. After graduating first in his class and working at Goldman Sachs, he stepped into leading the family’s sports franchises. Clark emphasizes the importance of culture, teamwork, and surrounding oneself with great people, all lessons he learned at Texas Delta. Phi Delta Theta is excited to announce that Clark Hunt will be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in Dallas, Texas, on April 10, 2025.

Advice to College Students

Reflecting on your life’s journey, what advice would you give your college-aged younger self?

I recently delivered the Commencement Address at my alma mater, SMU, and I tried to impart upon the students five key lessons I learned during my college career. Here are those lessons:

Be willing to take risks. Sometimes, you have to take chances if you want to have great success. It was risky for the Chiefs to trade up and draft an unproven quarterback. But if we never took the risk, Patrick Mahomes would be wining Super Bowls in someone else’s jersey.

Work ethic is more important than talent. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you are not willing to work hard you are not going to fulfill your potential. We all had those teammates who might have been more talented, but weren’t willing to put in the work. Needless to say, those types of athletes are not in the NFL or MLS today.

Persevere in the face of adversity. Things are not always going to go your way. You are going to gets some bad calls, and you’re even going to lose some contests. Your ability to overcome the challenges will go a long way in determining your success.

Your character is your most important asset. When your days on this earth are over, you will be remembered far more for your character than for your accomplishments.

Choose your teammates wisely. Life is the ultimate team sport. If you want to be successful, you have to surround yourself with the right people—and you have to be a great teammate yourself.