The Perot Museum of Nature and Science's sports exhibition space has a new name, the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall, and a new $5 million donation from the Hunt family.
Lamar Hunt’s four children were on hand Monday for the announcement. They made the donation to honor their father, the sports legend who formed both the American Football League and Major League Soccer, and gave the Super Bowl its name. Lamar Hunt died in 2006.
“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,” Clark Hunt, chairman of FC Dallas and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, said in a statement.
Hunt's three sons, who are executives with FC Dallas, spoke at the announcement to mark the occasion, as did Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.
Not all of the talk was about athletics. Dan Hunt, vice president of Hunt Sports Group, noted his father was a geologist first. He said Lamar Hunt would have happily ditched the naming ceremony to see the museum’s displays of gems and minerals. He also would have appreciated the Perot’s design.
“Lamar would be so proud to have his name associated with such a magnificent building," Dan Hunt said. "He loved architecture. We often kid that he was not only a sports genius but surely an amateur architect at heart. And I know that he would have loved this building both inside and out.”
FC Dallas players Kellyn Acosta, Peter Luccin and George John were on hand for the announcement.
Perot officials say the sports hall is already one of the museum’s most popular spots. The space allows visitors to explore the physics and physiology of sports – including running, kicking, dancing and hitting. The hall also showcases sports-related careers with video featuring pediatric orthopedists, sports medicine experts, body-in-motion performance scientists, dietitians and fitness trainers.
The sports hall received unwanted attention last December when an exhibit tore off a visitor's ring finger.The visitor's ring got hooked on a button that was part of the exhibit. The visitor, an engineer from Mexico, lost the finger as a result of the incident.
Original posting: The sports hallat the Perot Museum of Nature and Science has a new name, thanks to a $5 million donation: the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall.
Hunt’s three sons spoke this afternoon at an event to mark the occasion, as did Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.
KERA's Jerome Weeks is covering the announcement; we'll update when more details come in.
Jerome reports that FC Dallas players Kellyn Acosta, Peter Luccin and George John were on hand for the announcement.
Lamar Hunt's sons are executives with FC Dallas.
FC Dallas tweeted the news:
Clark Hunt - "For all of Lamar's many accomplishments, his true passion was bringing joy to the fans." #DTID pic.twitter.com/fbRe3INkLY
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) October 14, 2013
.@DanHuntFCD now speaking - "Lamar would be so proud to have his name associated with such a magnificent building" pic.twitter.com/OYbNk3CWEj
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) October 14, 2013
