Politics
Record-Breaking Chiefs Star Passes Away
Bobby Hunt, the former Auburn standout who went on to become a record-setting defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs, has died at 85.
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame & Museum announced Hunt’s death in a Facebook post.
A cause of death was not revealed.
“The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame mourns the passing of 2015 Inductee Bobby Hunt,” the Facebook post read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Long before Bo Jackson became Auburn’s most famous two-way star, Hunt was doing damage on both sides of the ball for the Tigers.
He played quarterback and defensive back at Auburn from 1959 to 1961, appearing in 30 games.
Hunt threw for 1,185 yards and five touchdowns during his college career.
He was just as dangerous with his legs, rushing for 1,046 yards and 14 touchdowns.
That rare versatility made him one of the SEC’s toughest players during an era when football was still built on grit, punishment and ironman toughness.
Even legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant had praise for him.
“He’s just a great football player — that’s all,” iconic and rival Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said of Hunt, according to AL.com.
The Dallas Texans selected Hunt in the 11th round of the 1962 AFL Draft with the 81st overall pick.
Once he reached the pros, Hunt moved full time to safety and quickly proved he belonged.
As a rookie, he recorded eight interceptions and earned First-Team All-AFL honors.
That eight-pick season stood as a franchise rookie record until Marcus Peters matched it in 2015.
RIP Bobby Hunt 🕯️#Chiefs and #Bengals Safety of the 1960s
• Two-way Second-Team All-SEC defensive back/quarterback for #Auburn
• Two-Time AFL Champion
• 1962 First-Team All-AFL as a rookie
• Two-Time Second-Team All-AFL
• 1963 Original Kansas City Chief
• 1968 Original… pic.twitter.com/2OrnSyvOCu— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) July 30, 2026
The Texans won the 1962 AFL championship before moving to Kansas City the next year and becoming the Chiefs.
Hunt stayed with the franchise through the move and spent the next five seasons with Kansas City.
He earned Second-Team All-AFL honors twice, including in 1966, when he posted a career-high 10 interceptions.
Hunt also remains tied for the NFL record for most interceptions in a single game after picking off four passes in 1964.
He later downplayed the historic performance with the kind of plainspoken answer that fit the era.
“We were in a zone defense and (Oilers quarterback George) Blanda was trying to pick it apart,” Hunt told The Kansas City Star at the time.
“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
In 1967, Hunt started for the Chiefs in Super Bowl I, a 35-10 loss to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers.
He finished his playing career with two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Across eight professional seasons, Hunt recorded 42 interceptions in 112 games, including 108 starts.
After leaving the field, Hunt briefly moved into coaching.
He served two seasons as the Buffalo Bills’ defensive backs coach from 1970 to 1971.
Hunt was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, honoring a career that stretched from Auburn’s backfield to the first Super Bowl stage.
He played in a different football world, one with fewer cameras, smaller contracts and far less noise.
But the numbers still hold up.
A two-way Auburn star. A Chiefs record-setter. A Super Bowl I starter.
That is the kind of football life that does not need much dressing up.
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