Bobby Hunt obit

Former Auburn star, Alabama Sports Hall of Famer, dead at 85

 

He was not on the list.

Bobby Hunt, a star all-around football player at Auburn in the early 1960s who later started at safety for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I, has died. He was 85.

Hunt’s death was announced by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2015.

Born Aug. 15, 1940, Hunt was a multi-dimensional standout for a powerhouse Lanett High School team that finished undefeated in his senior season of 1957. Hunt played quarterback and defensive back, while also serving as punter and punt returner, earning first-team All-State and All-Southern honors and playing in the North-South All-Star game.

Following in the footsteps of fellow quarterback Dick Wood, Hunt was one of four members of that Lanett team who eventually played at Auburn, along with Dave Hill, Jimmy “Jug” Jones and Mailon Kent. Hunt and Hill also later played together with the Chiefs.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Hunt was a two-way star for Auburn coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan, excelling at both quarterback and safety. His 216 rushing yards vs. Mississippi State in 1959 was an Auburn record that stood for nearly 20 years.

“He’s just a great football player — that’s all," legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant once said of Hunt.

Hunt was a second-team All-SEC pick as a senior in 1961, after which the AFL’s Dallas Texans selected him in the 11th round (81st overall). He made an immediate impact as a rookie, totaling eight interceptions and earning first-team All-AFL honors for a team that won the league championship.

The Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs in 1963, and three years later faced the Green Bay Packers in the first Super Bowl. Hunt started at safety (with Hill on the offensive line) in a 35-10 loss.

“We were kind of in awe,” Hunt told Auburn Undercover’s Phillip Marshall in a 2016 interview. “We saw (Packers stars) Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke and all those guys. It wasn’t that we were afraid of them. We played well in the first half, but they had an interception right at the start of the second half and kind of got away from us.”

Hunt led the AFL with 10 interceptions that season, earning all-league honors for the second time. He played one more season in Kansas City before finishing his career with two seasons with the expansion Cincinnati Bengals.

Hunt played in 112 games as a pro, totaling 42 interceptions — tied for 67th in AFL/NFL history and fifth-best among those who played exclusively in the AFL. It’s also the most among players who grew up in the state of Alabama.

Hunt spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Bills before leaving football for a job with the Haggar clothing company, for whom he worked until retiring to Charlotte, N.C.

 

No. 20

Position           Safety

Personal information

Born    August 15, 1940

Lanett, Alabama, U.S.

Died    July 2026 (aged 85)

Career information

College            Auburn

AFL draft        1962: 11th round, 81st overall pick

Career history

Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1962–1967)

Cincinnati Bengals (1968–1969)

Awards and highlights

2× AFL champion (1962, 1967)

First-team All-AFL (1962)

AFL All-Star (1964)

Second-team All-SEC (1959)

AFL record

Most passes intercepted in a single game: 4 (tied)

Career statistics

Games played  112

Interceptions    42

Touchdowns    1