Sports impresario Lamar Hunt dies at 74
Hunt made his mark in a wide variety of athletic endeavors. While he is best known for starting the eight-team American Football League and later merging the circuit with the National Football League, he also played a prominent role in the development of American soccer, tennis, basketball, and ice hockey. His tireless work in these endeavors led him to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, National Soccer Hall of Fame, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame (among countless other accolades).
With such a wide-ranging and impressive sports resume, it is not surprising that some of Hunt's lesser-known accomplishments have gone overlooked -- such as his ownership of a Minor League baseball franchise.
Hunt, along with business partner Tommy Mercer, served as the owner of the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs, a Texas League franchise that operated from 1965-1971. The club played at Turnpike Stadium, a 10,500-seat venue that was expanded and renamed Arlington Stadium to house the Major League Texas Rangers in 1972.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs arose out of a tumultuous time in Texas baseball history. Mark Presswood, author of Baseball in Dallas, TX, and Baseball in Fort Worth, helped sort out the details.
Initally, Dallas and Fort Worth each had its own separate Minor League franchises. The clubs merged after the 1960 season as the Dallas-Fort Worth area prepared for entry into the Continental League, a proposed third Major League that was the brainchild of New York businessman (and eventual stadium namesake) William Shea and legendary baseball executive Branch Rickey.
The Continental League never got off the ground, as many of the league's proposed locations were soon awarded expansion franchises by Major League Baseball. The Dallas-Forth Worth Minor League franchise carried on, however, in various incarnations. After several years of play in the American Association and, later, the Pacific Coast League, the team was bought by Hunt and Mercer in 1964. The franchise began play in the Texas League the following season, as the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs.
With Hunt and Mercer involved in so many other projects, day-to-day operations of the Spurs were left to the late Dick Butler and Joe Macko, who currently works as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Texas Rangers.
"Lamar was a very generous man who paid us well and never interfered with how we were running the club," recalled Macko. "He would give us his opinion from time to time, but he trusted us and let us operate the club as we saw fit. We drew pretty well, too, especially once the fans found out that Hunt and Mercer were involved. Anything they did tended to get a lot attention."
Over their seven-year existence, the Spurs served as an affiliate of the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, and finally, the Baltimore Orioles. While a Baltimore affiliate, eventual big league skippers Joe Altobelli and Cal Ripken Sr. both spent time managing the club.
Hunt, always a big thinker, had hoped his co-ownership of the Spurs would lead to him being able to land a Major League franchise.
"I was involved with an attempt to bring Major League Baseball to the area," said Macko. "Representing Mr. Hunt and Mr. Mercer, I went to visit Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. He thought I was coming with a big check, in order to buy the Seattle Pilots franchise. Well, I did go up there prepared to make it happen, but we didn't succeed. The Pilots ended up re-locating to Milwaukee instead."
Of course, the Dallas-Fort Worth area soon received a Major League franchise in the form of the Texas Rangers, although Hunt and Mercer were not involved in that transaction. The Rangers' arrival meant the end of the Spurs, as the area had clearly outgrown Minor League Baseball.
In the 35 years that followed, Hunt never again involved himself with professional baseball. But, as his multiple Hall of Fame memberships and countless awards so ably prove, he remained very active as a pioneering sports entrepreneur.
Benjamin Hill is a contributor to MLB.com