Tavia Shackles Hunt is the wife of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt. She was a pageant queen who was Miss Missouri Teen USA and Miss Kansas.
Tavia Hunt and her husband have three children and have been married for nearly 30 years. On her Instagram, she wrote in her bio, “Wife, Christ-Follower, Sports & Glamour Enthusiast, Community Volunteer. Pageant & Soccer Mom.”
She told KSHB in a September 2022 interview, “I would say that’s really the cornerstone for our family. Faith, family and football. But we say football is family because for us we really believe that we were made for relationships.”
Here’s what you need to know about Clark Hunt’s wife Tavia Hunt:
1. Tavia Hunt Was Born in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, & Was a Runner-Up to Miss USA Kenya Moore in 1993
Kyle Rivas/GettyKansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and his wife Tavia Hunt wave at fans during the Kansas City Chiefs Victory Parade on February 5, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tavia Shackles Hunt was born and raised in Lee Summit, Missouri, and began competing in beauty pageants from a young age, according to Her Life Magazine. She was named Miss Lee’s Summit and Miss Missouri Teen USA in 1990 as a teenager, according to the magazine.
Hunt then went on to compete to be Miss USA, winning Miss Kansas in 1993. She then was second runner-up that same year in 1993 in the Miss USA competition, finishing behind winner Kenya Moore, who would later be known for her role as a “Real Housewives” star.
She told KSHB, “My whole family is here in Kansas City. I’m born and raised in Kansas City, and Kansas City is home to me. I was Miss Missouri Teen USA and toured the entire state of Missouri. Then, I was Miss Kansas USA and visited, I think, every small town in Kansas during the course of that year. And so I feel I have a special bond to Chiefs Kingdom. Kansas City is such a special city, and it truly has my heart.”
2. Tavia & Clark Hunt Were Married in October 1993 After They Met While She Was Interning With the Chiefs in College
Tavia Shackles and Clark Hunt have been married since October 1993. They met while she was a college student interning with the Chiefs, which were owned by his parents, Lamar Hunt and Norma Hunt, at the time, according to KSHB. She was studying at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
She told the news station, “In 1991, I was a college intern in the PR department, and after the first kickoff luncheon at the end of the summer, we came back to kick off the season. At the end of that event, this nice guy came up named Clark and started talking to me, and we had a great conversation and had so much in common, we learned. He asked me if I’d like to have dinner sometime, and the rest is history.”
She told Her Life Magazine, “We met at the Chiefs’ kickoff luncheon. It’s ironic because my mother-in-law, Norma Hunt, met Lamar as a volunteer teacher for the team, also at a luncheon. They were married for 42 years.”
Tavia Hunt wrote on Instagram in October 2021, “28 years later and I love him more than ever. He’s steadfast, loyal, patient, kind, loving. A lifetime of love isn’t easy no matter the circumstances, (because life isn’t easy and selfishness comes too easily) but it comes down to a daily choice to love, forgive, and be ‘for’ each other. To choose to see the best in one another and overlook the faults. For us, that’s only possible with God. ‘And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.'”
3. She & Her Husband Have 3 Children: 2 Daughters & a Son
Clark and Tavia Hunt have three kids together. They have a son, Knobel Hunt, and two daughters, Gracelyn “Gracie” Hunt and Ava Hunt.
Gracie Hunt followed in her mom’s footsteps and competed in the Miss USA pageant after winning Miss Kansas in 2021, placing in the top 16, according to her Instagram. Tavia Hunt wrote on Instagram, “Welcome to the Miss Kansas USA sisterhood!😭💙👑 You are a shining example of what one can accomplish with discipline, focus, perseverance & faith.”
Ava Hunt is a student at The Covenent School in Dallas and is set to graduate in 2024, according to her Instagram. Knobel Hunt attends SMU, where he plays soccer, according to his Instagram.
4. She Is the Director of the Chiefs’ Women’s Organization
Tavia Hunt is the director of the Chiefs’ Women’s Organization, according to its Instagram page.
She told Chiefs.com in 2017, “We say football is family and it really is. Football brings people together and we’re excited to be here with our extended family and some of our amazing Chiefs wives and their significant others who are going to show us how they strut their stuff.”
Hunt told Her Life Magazine, “In KC, we have the best community and the best fan base in the entire country. It’s important for Clark and me to invest and give back to that community, and we’ve chosen to do this with a focus on children and hunger. We’re passionate about being involved and present for the fans and the organizations who support us.”
Hunt told KSHB, “I think it’s incredible to see how far women have come … not just in the league or the NFL but in society. I’ve been raised by strong women, and I want to raise strong women. So to take from Norma’s example and all that she’s contributed and then try to make my own mark on things while raising up the next generation. I don’t think there’s any greater reward for a parent than to see their child lean into the community, want to make a difference and really when they can love and serve in a way that gives them more pleasure than they’re giving to the people they’re serving. I think that’s really special, and that’s one of our greatest joys.”
5. Tavia Hunt Is Also Involved in Several Charitable Causes
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Charlotte Anderson, Suzanne Johnson and Tavia Hunt attend the Limited Edition Marchesa/NFL Collaboration Launch at National Football League on October 2, 2012 in New York City.
Hunt told Her Life Magazine she is involved in a lot of charitable causes, “In KC, we have the best community and the best fan base in the entire country. It’s important for Clark and me to invest and give back to that community, and we’ve chosen to do this with a focus on children and hunger. We’re passionate about being involved and present for the fans and the organizations who support us.”
She told KSHB she followed in the footsteps of her mother-in-law, “So Norma Hunt has been part of my life since I was 19 years old. She is like a second mother to me, and she’s just one of my greatest role models. I look up to her and love her with all my heart.”
Tavia Hunt added, “She’s treated me like a daughter from day one. She’s had so much impact in this organization, this city and, really, around the league. She and Lamar were the perfect match because they were beloved and just precious and treated people better than they wanted to be treated.”
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Tavia Shackles Hunt, Clark Hunt’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know