Legendary groundskeeper George Toma mourns loss of Chiefs matriarch Norma Hunt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A legendary groundskeeper is remembering the matriarch of the Kansas City Chiefs after the passing of Norma Hunt.

George Toma remembers the first time he met Norma Hunt. He said she was sitting in the fan “Wolfpack” section of the field because she believed fans came first.

“She was a very, very wonderful lady,” Toma said.

Toma was a groundskeeper for the Chiefs from 1963-1991, when the Chiefs moved from Municipal Stadium into the Truman Sports Complex.

“I can close my eyes and see Lamar and Norma jogging around the upper part of the complex,” Toma said. “Every time they came to town, they went jogging and came around the stadium. They never passed me up. They always came down to see me.”

Toma went on to become one of the most well-known and respected groundskeepers. He’s handled field prep work for 57 Super Bowls as well as World Series, Pro Bowl, and Olympic fields.

“I spent some time with her at the Super Bowls,” Toma said. “I spent a lot of time with her at Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco. She went to 57 Super Bowls, and this was my 57th Super Bowl with her.”

The 57th Super Bowl was also Norma Hunt’s last. She was able to watch the Chiefs bring home the Lombardi Trophy for the third time as the only woman to attend every Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt previously told KCTV5 News about the family tradition.

“My dad lived long enough to see the first 40 Super Bowls and he took my mother to every one of them,” Clark Hunt said. “It just became a ritual. As the streak got longer and longer, they would talk a photo outside of the stadium to prove that she had seen another Super Bowl.”

Toma hopes that, one day, Norma Hunt will be honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

“I would have to say one of the greatest ladies I met in my life and I’m 94 years old,” Toma said. “She never lost the common touch. She tried to make you happy.”

Even though Toma had not worked for the Chiefs for 35 years, he said Norma and the Hunt family sent him a Super Bowl ring. They previously sent him a Super Bowl IV ring and a championship ring from the team’s AFL championship days.

“They never lost touch with me and kept care of me,” Toma said. “I love them,”

The Hunt Family released the following statement following the passing of Norma Hunt:

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