Gracie Hunt grew up in a football dynasty.
The Kansas City Chiefs heiress is the eldest child of team owner Clark Hunt, who inherited the team after his father died in 2006. Clark and his wife, Tavia Hunt, welcomed Gracie in 1999 before having her younger siblings, Knobel and Ava.
Now, Gracie is a mainstay at Chiefs games and has even befriended Taylor Swift since the pop star started a relationship with the team’s tight end, Travis Kelce, in 2023.
“The things that have been really important to me my whole life have been faith, family, football and philanthropy,” Gracie told PEOPLE in January 2025. “Because I’ve always been raised with the mantra that, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ ”
Though she has supported Clark and her family with their football endeavors, she added to PEOPLE that she has multiple interests outside of the sport as well — but she’ll always be there when called upon.
“I am certainly so fulfilled by all the things that I have created for myself opportunity-wise outside of football,” she said. “But it’s been a pleasure to be of some part of something that’s greater than myself, to serve where there’s room and need and to be their number one fan.”
Now, Gracie is rooting for her family’s team as they make their third consecutive appearance in the 2025 Super Bowl in a rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles, whom they defeated in 2023.
Here’s everything to know about Gracie Hunt, the daughter of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt.
She is the oldest of three children
Gracie is the eldest child of Clark and Tavia’s three children.
Her younger brother, Knobel Hunt, studied at Southern Methodist University, and her younger sister, Ava Hunt, has followed in his footsteps, signing in March 2024 as a cheerleader for the school which she currently attends.
She is a beauty queen
Gracie started her pageant-winning streak with Miss Texas Teen International in 2016 and 2018. Three years later, she was crowned Miss Kansas USA.
Tavia, Gracie’s mom, has a history in pageantry, with a similar timeline to her daughter. The older Hunt was Miss Missouri Teen USA in 1990 and went on to also win Miss Kansas USA in 1993.
Gracie told PEOPLE in 2021 that she got a lot of support from her mom while competing. “It’s really nice to get to walk down a road with someone who has been down that path before,” she said. “It really has just bonded us so much.”
She dreamed of being a soccer star
She may be devoted to the Chiefs but Gracie was once partial to a different type of football.
“Soccer was my first love,” she told PEOPLE in 2021. “I wanted to play in college. I won the championship when I was in high school with my high school team, and played club, as well.”
“After suffering four concussions, that was a dream that I could no longer pursue, which is really hard when you work your entire life to be good at something,” she continued. “I had to find a new dream.”
Her love of the game wasn’t out of left field, either. Her late grandfather Lamar was part-founder of Major League Soccer in 1996 and her father Clark was on Southern Methodist University’s nationally ranked soccer team.
“Soccer helped build my relationship with my dad. He was my first coach when I was little and those are sweet memories I’ll always cherish,” she told Maxim in 2023.
She is a philanthropist
Gracie started the organization Breaking Barriers Through Sports in 2016 to encourage people to find confidence through sports.
She joined forces with NFL Play60 to organize clinics for kids to receive top-notch sports coaching and the young philanthropist has also organized soccer workshops in Zambia, South Africa, Russia and Brazil.
The eldest Hunt sibling has also been an ambassador for the Special Olympics.
She is a health enthusiast
Having lived with celiac disease since childhood, Gracie was inspired to obtain a nutrition accreditation and personal training certification.
“Health and nutrition are something I care a lot about, and I love creating delicious and healthy dishes in the kitchen,” she told Maxim in 2023.
When Gracie decided to hang up her pageant sashes, she switched to distance running. According to her website, Gracie “completed two full marathons and two half marathons in 2022.” As always, her family was on hand to dole out support.
“When it comes to my newfound running passion, I love how supportive my friends and family have been,” she told Maxim. “My mom always believes in me and has given me the support and encouragement to take leaps of faith throughout my life. My dad has a little stopwatch and enjoys tracking me and analyzing my splits during my races.”
She has a degree in sports management
Gracie graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and broadcast journalism — she is also pursuing a sports management master’s at the University of Kansas.
Gracie has put her education to work in the family business on brand development and marketing for the Chiefs.
“I love working in sports and I see myself being involved in one capacity or another throughout my life, but I have also loved getting to pursue my own ventures and see where that takes me,” she said in a 2023 Q&A with Interview Magazine.
She is a cover girl
Maxim’s March 2023 issue featured Gracie as the cover star. In the accompanying interview, she discussed her philanthropic work, family dynamics, athletic pursuits and shared what she looks for in a relationship.
“My top three things: does he align with me on a faith basis? Is he athletic? What does his work ethic look like? And if you’re funny with a great personality that’s hard to beat,” Gracie said.
The former beauty queen also said she was thankful for the chance to follow in the footsteps of other impressive cover girls.
“I’ve always admired the many strong, smart, successful women featured in Maxim,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “They have inspired me in the fearless pursuit of their careers & dreams which makes this cover so meaningful to me. It still feels surreal!”
She is friends with Taylor Swift
After Swift began attending Chiefs games in 2023 to support Kelce, Gracie and the rest of the Hunt family have become friends with the megastar.
For Swift’s 34th birthday, Gracie posted a heartfelt tribute to the singer on Instagram and opened up about her personality. “Happy birthday to this queen!💖 Bright, beautiful, beyond talented and engaging,” she wrote in the caption. “Hope it’s your best & most blessed year yet!”
It appears that Gracie was already a fan of Swift — in her birthday post, she included photos of herself at multiple Swift concerts over the years.
“Growing up a fan of Taylor, it’s been beyond exciting to have her attend games and watch her joy and fun cheering on Travis and the Chiefs, the team that I’ve grown up loving and cheering for my whole life,” she told the New York Post in February 2024.
In January 2025, Gracie told PEOPLE that it felt a “little bit surreal” at times to have Swift attend so many games, as she’s “grown” their fanbase “between 30 and 40% from her attendance.”
“She is absolutely incredible, as the whole world knows, and it’s been such a special time to have her be a part of Chiefs Kingdom,” Gracie said. “She is just as beautiful and wonderful as you’d ever imagine her to be, so smart and intelligent.”
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