Longtime Chiefs exec JACK STEADMAN, who “spent more than four decades with the franchise and helped build its only Super Bowl team,” died yesterday at the age of 86, according to the AP. The Chiefs in a statement said that Steadman “died of natural causes.” Steadman had “been dealing with Alzheimer's disease in recent years.” He became GM in ‘66, and “became president of the Chiefs” in ’76. Steadman “remained active” on the franchise’s BOD “until his retirement” at the end of the ‘06 season (AP, 7/5). In K.C., Vahe Gregorian wrote the Chiefs “may well never have come here without Steadman’s voice in the process.” His “diverse legacy includes a principal role in the construction of the Truman Sports Complex, innovative at the time for featuring separate stadiums for football and baseball.” As the Chiefs' top exec, Steadman “oversaw three AFL championships and a Super Bowl victory,” assisted franchise Founder & former Owner LAMAR HUNT in the AFL/NFL merger and "emerged as a new breed of NFL executive whose expertise in financial matters was revolutionary” (KANSASCITY.com, 7/5). The K.C. STAR writes Steadman helped make K.C. "a major-league town.” He “helped build the Chiefs season-ticket base through an innovative payroll deduction plan.” He also was among the first NFL execs to “develop a time-payment plan for season tickets” (K.C. STAR, 7/6).
