DALLAS – In honor of a legendary sports figure whose enormous contributions ranged from forming the American Football League and Major League Soccer to naming the Super Bowl, Perot Museum of Nature and Science leaders today announced that its sports-themed gallery will be named the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall.
Hunt, who passed away in December 2006, was nationally renowned as a brilliant entrepreneur and an ingenious innovator who was beloved for his humble leadership and strength of character. The hall is being named after the Lamar Hunt family, who continue to carry out Lamar Hunt’s mission to “bring people together through sports, especially in his beloved city, Dallas.”
Hunt’s four children – Sharron Hunt; Lamar Hunt, Jr.; Dan Hunt; and Clark Hunt; – were on hand today for the unveiling of a large sign displayed outside the hall entitled the “Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall.” The children have made a $5-million contribution to the Museum in their late father’s honor. The gift from the Hunt Family Foundation and FC Dallas Foundation will help fund scholarships for underserved youth and families, support technology and innovation, and bring world-class traveling exhibitions to the Museum.
“The Perot Museum is a true treasure for both the Dallas community and the great state of Texas, and our family is excited to join in its mission to inspire minds through nature and science,” said Clark Hunt, chairman of FC Dallas and chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs. “Our hope is that the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall will be a space where future generations come together to explore the science of sports and develop curiosity and compassion for the world around them.”
Nicknamed “Games” during his childhood, Lamar Hunt’s passion for sports led to his involvement in six different professional sports leagues, seven sports franchises and forever changed the landscape of professional sports in the United States. Hunt founded the American Football League (AFL) in 1959 and the Dallas Texans franchise, which he renamed the Chiefs when the club moved to Kansas City in 1963.
Hunt was also a principal founder of Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as MLS predecessor, the North American Soccer League (NASL). The oldest ongoing national soccer tournament in the United States, the U.S. Open Cup (founded 1914) bears his name in honor of his pioneering role in that soccer in the United States. For his contributions to the sport, the National Soccer Hall of Fame bestowed upon Hunt their Medal of Honor in 1999, an award given to only three recipients in history thus far. Hunt also co-founded World Championship Tennis, the first professional tennis tour in the United States, and he hosted the tour’s showcase event, the WCT Final, at Moody Coliseum on the campus of his alma mater Southern Methodist University.
Hunt was the first member of the AFL inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. He is also enshrined in the respective Halls of Fame of both United States Soccer (1982) and International Tennis (1993), as well as the state Sports Halls of Fame of both Texas (1984) and Missouri (1995). In total, Hunt has been selected to 11 different “Halls of Fame.”
“Honor is a word often thrown about too casually, but in this case the Perot Museum is TRULY honored to name a hall after an individual who embodied the wide and varied world of sports, but also exemplified the meaning of sportsmanship in every sense of the word,” said Nicole G. Small, Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer of the Perot Museum. “Lamar Hunt was a great man, and we are fortunate that his family has chosen to become an integral part of the Museum.”
The Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall, which is located on the Lower Level, is already one of the Museum’s most popular spots. With a goal to “put your body in motion,” visitors to the hall explore the physics and physiology of sports, in a manner that makes science approachable and interesting, while inspiring visitors to a greater understanding of themselves, their bodies and the world around them.
Since the Perot Museum’s opening in December 2012, visitors of all ages have experienced different physical activities like running, kicking, dancing, and hitting. In the process, they have learned about the science of their bodies at play. They have also explored sports science and technology, and learned how the human body works, and how to improve physical performance through by observing your body in motion.
The hall also showcases sports-related careers with video featuring pediatric orthopedists from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, sports medicine experts from UT-Southwestern Medical Center, body-in-motion performance scientists from the University of Texas at Dallas, dietitians from the Cooper Institute Fitness Center and fitness trainers from Luke’s Locker.
“No matter whether a visitor is an aspiring young athlete or a weekend warrior, Lamar Hunt and his work embodies the best that sports have to offer,” said Carolyn Perot Rathjen, chair of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science board of directors. “We hope that this hall, which bears his name and his family’s name, will not only inspire learning about the sciences but will also represent the important lessons that sports teach – character-building, teamwork, goal-setting and hard work.”
TICKETS AND OPERATING HOURS AT THE PEROT MUSEUM
The Perot Museum is pleased to present its first-ever traveling exhibition, ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, a BODY WORLDS Production, which runs through February 17. Tickets to ANIMAL INSIDE OUT are timed entry and must accompany a timed-entry general exhibit hall ticket.
Non-members can purchase best value, bundled, timed-entry ANIMAL INSIDE OUT/ Perot Museum general exhibits tickets for $27 for adults (18-64), $18 for children (2-11; under 2 are free), and $22 for youth (12-17) and seniors (65+).
MUSEUM GENERAL ADMISSION TICKET PRICES (which alone DO NOT include admission to ANIMAL INSIDE OUT) are $15 for adults (18-64), $12 for youth (12-17) and seniors (65+), and $10 for children (2-11). Admission to the theater is $5 (short film) and $8 (long film) for adults, students, seniors and children. For members, general exhibit hall admission is always free, and admission to the theater is $5 (short film) and $6 (long film).
HOURS. Regular museum hours for general admission and the traveling exhibitions are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from noon-5 p.m. Please check perotmuseum.org for special holidays, extended hours and unexpected closings.
MEMBERSHIP. Charter Memberships (personal and gift) are $45 for students, $65 for individuals, $80 for dual memberships, $100 for Family, $160 for Family Plus, and $250 for Family Plus Platinum. Patron level memberships also are available for $350 and up. For details, call 214-756-5751 or go to perotmuseum.org.
Member-only hours! From 8:30-10 a.m. every Saturday and 10 a.m.-noon every Sunday, members can enjoy exclusive pre-general public access to the Perot Museum. Plus check perotmuseum.org for special member late nights.
The Perot Museum is located at 2201 N. Field Street in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit perotmuseum.org or call 214-428-5555.
