Gracie Huntis running a route of her own.
The Kansas City Chiefs heiress was born into a football family as the daughter ofTaviaandClark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the four-time Super Bowl-winning team in pursuit of clinching its third consecutive NFL Championship title. Gracie, though, has a game plan beyond the sidelines.
At 25 years old, Gracie, herself, has a number of titles to her name: philanthropist, entrepreneur, women in sports advocate and fashion influencer. She’s an athlete, having played club soccer in high school and winning fitness awards in pageants. She was named Miss Kansas USA in 2021, too.
Don’t get it wrong, though. Gracie, who self-describes as the Chiefs' “number one fan,” is still a sideline staple at games — and through her numerous passions and past experiences, she has created opportunities to contribute to the team on track to make NFL history.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Gracie reflects on growing up in a family of NFL pioneers as the granddaughter of Lamar Hunt (who founded the Kansas City team and is credited for naming the Super Bowl) and opened up about how she’s “fulfilled” herself with endeavors “outside of football.”
Gracie Hunt and her dad, Clark Hunt.courtesy of The Kansas City Chiefs/Sydney Schneider
courtesy of The Kansas City Chiefs/Sydney Schneider
Ironically, for Gracie, her sport of choice as a kid was football of a different kind. “I wanted to be the next Mia Hamm and soccer was my first love,” she tells PEOPLE ahead of the Chiefs' anticipated return to the playoffs. In addition to the NFL sidelines, she grew up on the MLS sidelines.
“My grandfather, Lamar Hunt actually helped bring Major League Soccer to the United States. He fell in love with the game of soccer from watching World Cups internationally and was like, ‘Why don’t we have this here in the United States’?” she shares. “And so he helped found the North American Soccer League and then Major League Soccer.”
“God had other plans,” the former soccer player says, citing “a few too many” concussions that took her out. This turn of events prompted her pivot — or as she calls it, the “soccer player shuffle” — away from sneakers and into high heels, following in her mom’s footsteps of pageant success.
Gracie Hunt throwback playing soccer with her dad, Clark Hunt.The Hunt Family
The Hunt Family
Tavia, who coincidentally met her husband Clark as an intern for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1991, was crowned Miss Kansas USA in 1993. Gracie, who had “never even seen a pageant” until watching her mom’s tapes when looking for a “new competitive outlet,” entered a winning era herself in 2021.
Since then, Gracie has intertwined her love of sports with the influential and philanthropic pursuits she worked on throughout her reign as Miss Kansas USA to help shape the Kansas City Chiefs community into what it is today.
“The things that have been really important to me my whole life have been faith, family, football and philanthropy,” Gracie says. “Because I’ve always been raised with the mantra that, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’.”
Gracie Hunt waves to fans as Miss Kansas USA prior to a game.Vanbros and Associates
Vanbros and Associates
However, Gracie — who admires how her dad “leads with integrity and humility to his faith, to his work ethic, to his athletic background and all that he’s accomplished” — clarified her stance on the possibility of following in his career footsteps one day.
“When it comes to the Chiefs, there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’. It’s not about me,” Gracie makes clear.
“I’d say the beauty about our family organization is that there’s a place for everyone,” Gracie adds.
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Gracie Hunt with the 2023 Superbowl Championship trophy.Gracie Hunt Instagram
Gracie Hunt Instagram
Tavia, too, has had just as much of an influence on her eldest daughter’s career goals as Clark, having been a selfless example of putting others first through various philanthropic initiatives with theChiefs Women’s Organization.
Gracie, alongside the wives of Chiefs coaches and players, says she’s “grown up getting to serve” with her mom in the organization that places emphasis on volunteerism in partnership with select local charities to make a difference in the Kansas City community.
“We serve in all areas, from homelessness to hunger. We’ve helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity,” says Gracie, who jokes, “I can put up siding like no one’s business!” She adds, “It’s really just a beautiful way to bring people together and to give a sense of community.”
In addition to the Chiefs Women’s Organization, Gracie is part of the selection committee for the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders each year. “My mom runs that initiative with our Chiefs cheer director, Stephanie Judah, and they do a phenomenal job,” she says.
Gracie Hunt and her mom, Tavia Hunt, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity on behalf of the Chiefs Women’s Organization.Steve Sanders
Steve Sanders
While joining forces with her parents to contribute to their family’s franchise is special for Gracie, she takes pride in passion projects outside of the organization that are uniquely her own. This allows her to separate her professional and personal life, despite them being “very much intertwined.”
One example is herfashion-focused endeavorin partnership with sports broadcaster Erin Andrews and her eponymous clothing line, Wear. “Coming out with a capsule collection with Erin was a way for me to create something that is my own,” Gracie says.
“Obviously it’s in partnership with Wear, so it’s our own — but it wasn’t a Chiefs project or a family initiative,” she says. “It was a Gracie Hunt initiative and something that I cared about, that I spent a lot of time creating and hoping that women would love as much as I did.”
As an advocate for women in sports, Gracie is proud of the evolution of fashion for females in football, shouting out clothing designers likeKristin JuszczykandChiefs WAGslikeBrittany Mahomesfor influencing the style game in the League.
“It’s been so fun to see women around the NFL help bring up the level of fashion,” she says. “I’m really excited to see so many women coming together in this effort to help make more options for female fans because there’s such a demand for it.”
Gracie Hunt and Taylor Swift.Gracie Hunt/Instagram
Gracie Hunt/Instagram
Gracie calls outTaylor Swift, too, as someone who “crushes” game day style, while also shouting out the continued impact the 14-time Grammy winner has had on the Kansas City Chiefssince she started datingstar tight endTravis Kelceat the start of the 2023-2024 NFL season.
“She is absolutely incredible, as the whole world knows, and it’s been such a special time to have her be a part of Chiefs Kingdom,” Gracie says of Swift. “She is just as beautiful and wonderful as you’d ever imagine her to be, so smart and intelligent.”
Over the course of nearly two complete seasons, having the pop superstar “cheer on the Chiefs” is something that Gracie says “feels a little bit surreal” at times, approximating that she’s “grown” their fanbase “between 30 and 40% from her attendance.”
Of Swift, she adds, “It’s just been so special to have her be a part of Chiefs Kingdom.”
Clark Hunt and tavia Hunt with their kids before Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.Christian Petersen/Getty
Christian Petersen/Getty
Now, Gracie and the Kansas City Chiefs have their sights set on one of their biggest —if not the biggest— goals of the year: winning the 2025 Super Bowl. “I think everyone’s on the edge of our seats. It has been the most magical, surreal season in a lot of ways,” she says.
Gracie Hunt with her grandparents, Lamar and Norma Hunt.The Hunt Family
Noting a “hard playoff road ahead,” Gracie has “full faith” in her dad and “his leadership of the team” alongsideCoach Andy ReidandPresident Mark Donovan. She cites quarterbackPatrick Mahomes, tight end Kelce, defensive tackle Chris Jones “and all the other incredible leaders on the field,” too.
“It’s really their show and we’re all so excited about it,” the proud Hunt says, imagining the history-making potential that would double as a special “full-circle” moment for their family who’s credited with naming the Super Bowl.
“Very much a dream come true,” Gracie says, concluding, “That is how we all want to end it.”
source: people.com
