Bobby Hunt, a former Auburn star and starter for the Chiefs in Super Bowl I, died recently at the age of 85, according to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame & Museum’s Facebook account.
A cause of death was not revealed.
“The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame mourns the passing of 2015 Inductee Bobby Hunt,” the Facebook post read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Decades before Bo Jackson would become Auburn’s most famous two-way player, Hunt played quarterback and defensive back for the Tigers.
He appeared in 30 games for the Tigers from 1959-61, and threw for 1,046 while adding 14 passing touchdowns in his career.
Hunt flashed dual-threat capabilities under center, rushing for 1,048 yards and 14 scores in his tenure.
His college success led to the Dallas Texans selecting him in the 11th round with the 81st overall pick in the 1962 AFL Draft.
“He’s just a great football player — that’s all,” iconic and rival Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said of Hunt, according to AL.com.
Hunt transitioned to safety in the NFL and earned First-Team All-AFL honors by recording eight interceptions, a franchise rookie record that would be matched in 2015 by Marcus Peters.
The Texans won the 1962 AFL championship, and the franchise moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became the Chiefs.
Hunt spent the next five seasons playing for the rebranded franchise and earned a pair of Second-Team All-AFL honors, including in 1966 when he logged a career-high 10 interceptions.
He is still part of the NFL record books for his four-interception game in 1964 that is tied for the most in a single game in league history.
“We were in a zone defense and (Oilers quarterback George) Blanda was trying to pick it apart,” Hunt told The Kansas City Star at the time.
“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
In his final season with the team in 1967, Hunt started for the Chiefs in the inaugural Super bowl, a 35-10 loss to the Packers.
Hunt finished his career with two seasons with the Bengals.
He tallied 42 career interceptions across 112 games with 108 starts in eight campaigns.
Hunt transitioned to coaching after his career ended, but didn’t spend much time in that role serving just two season as a Bills defensive backs coach from 1970-71.
