Alumnus philanthropist and visionary sports leader Clark Hunt to keynote December Commencement

DALLAS (SMU ) – SMU alumnus, philanthropist and visionary sports leader Clark Hunt ’87 will be the featured speaker at SMU’s December Commencement Convocation on Saturday, December 17.

The indoor ceremony, scheduled for 9 a.m. at Moody Coliseum, will be streamed live at https://www.smu.edu/live.

“Clark Hunt’s tireless devotion to philanthropy and his dedication to uniting communities through sports is exemplary,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “As our students prepare to launch their careers, I hope that Clark’s remarks encourage them to foster a heart for giving and community involvement wherever they go.” 

Hunt’s stewardship as chairman and CEO of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs has transformed the club into one of the NFL’s most successful teams. Since 2010, the Chiefs have earned seven AFC West Division Championships, made nine playoff appearances, and hosted an NFL record four consecutive AFC Championship Games. The club captured its first Lamar Hunt Trophy as AFC Champions after the 2019 season and went on to win the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.

Hunt is also a founding investor-operator of Major League Soccer, a member of the MLS board of governors, and the chairman and CEO of FC Dallas. Hunt and his father, American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt ’56, helped establish MLS in 1996. He has remained an active driver of the league’s significant growth over the last 26 years. The Hunt family conceived and constructed the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States in 1999 – a pivotal moment in the history of MLS that solidified the long-term viability of soccer in this country. Recently, Hunt and his brother, Dan Hunt ’00, were integral in bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to North America and securing successful bids to have Dallas and Kansas City serve as host cities.

Hunt currently serves as a member of the SMU Board of Trustees. He graduated first in his class with an SMU bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1987 after four years as a letter-winner on the Mustangs’ nationally ranked soccer team. He was named one of SMU’s Cox School of Business Outstanding Young Alumni in 2004, received the SMU Cox School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018 and the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020.

A Dallas native, Hunt, and his wife, Tavia, have three children Gracelyn ’20, Knobel ’25 and Ava. Through the FC Dallas Foundation and the Hunt Family Foundation, Clark and Tavia participate in numerous philanthropic efforts focused on children’s health and youth education. In addition, they support a variety of charitable organizations, including the Crystal Charity Ball, Ronald McDonald House, and Special Olympics.

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