Jack Steadman
Encyclopedia
Jack W. Steadman is the former chairman, vice president, president
and general manager
for the Kansas City Chiefs
of the National Football League
.
Steadman retired as Vice Chairman of the Chiefs on January 31, 2007 after being in the organization for over four decades, dating to their days as the American Football League
's Dallas Texans.
Steadman – the franchise’s first general manager – also served as executive vice president, president, vice chairman and chairman in his 47 years with the Chiefs. He won four championships as general manager including the team’s Super Bowl IV
title. Steadman and Lamar Hunt
were at the forefront of the move to merge the AFL into the NFL.
and Dallas, Texas
. He attended Baylor University
and received his B.A. in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University
.
to establish the American Football League
and the Dallas Texans
. In 1963
the team moved to Kansas City, Missouri
when Steadman and Hunt negotiated with Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle to move the Texans to Kansas City as the Chiefs.
with a new multi-use stadium for both its baseball and football teams. Denver self-educated architect Charles Deaton
suggested to Steadman that the teams would be better served if each sport had its own stadium that was configured to its unique demands but that the complex reduce costs by sharing parking and highway expenses. The architect firm Kivett and Myers
perfected the plan (adding a rolling roof) and voters approved it. Arrowhead Stadium
opened in 1972 alongside Royals Stadium
(now known as Kauffmann Stadium).
The rolling roof was not to be built but the concept established Kivett and its successors in Kansas City as the dominant architects for almost all single-purpose major league
baseball
and football
stadiums that have been built since. In 2005, the rolling roof plan re-emerged as part of Kansas City's bid to host Super Bowl XLIX
, but the measure failed in the polls.
In 2005
, Steadman was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame, the only executive other than Lamar Hunt to be honored with induction. Also in 2005, Steadman was appointed as the club’s Vice Chairman of the Board where he served through the end of the 2006 season
until his retirement.
Steadman has joined Hunt in other ventures including Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Hunt Martin Materials, Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development Company. Steadman and Hunt developed Worlds of Fun
, a 165 acre (0.6677319 km²) family entertainment complex which opened in 1973 with Oceans of Fun
following in 1982. They were sold in 1995 to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
of Greater Kansas City; past Chairman and Board Member of the Private Industry Council as well as the Full Employment Council. He is a director of the American Royal
Association and the Starlight Theatre
Association. Steadman also serves as an Advisory Trustee for Midwest Research Institute
and is a past member of the Civic Council Board of Directors. In 1988, Steadman was honored by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City as the “Kansas Citian of the Year.”
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Steadman retired as Vice Chairman of the Chiefs on January 31, 2007 after being in the organization for over four decades, dating to their days as the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Dallas Texans.
Steadman – the franchise’s first general manager – also served as executive vice president, president, vice chairman and chairman in his 47 years with the Chiefs. He won four championships as general manager including the team’s Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
title. Steadman and Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
were at the forefront of the move to merge the AFL into the NFL.
Background
Steadman grew up up in Warrenville, IllinoisWarrenville, Illinois
Warrenville is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,363 at the 2000 census. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor.-History:...
and Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He attended Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
and received his B.A. in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
.
Hunt and Steadman bring football to Kansas City
In the early 1960s, Steadman worked with businessman Lamar HuntLamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
to establish the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
and the Dallas Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. In 1963
1963 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1963 Kansas City Chiefs season was the inaugural season of Kansas City’s new football franchise. Despite winning the 1962 AFL Championship the previous year, the Chiefs finished the year 5–7–2 and third in their division....
the team moved to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
when Steadman and Hunt negotiated with Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle to move the Texans to Kansas City as the Chiefs.
Truman Sports Complex
In 1967, Kansas City was considering replacing its aging Municipal StadiumMunicipal Stadium (Kansas City)
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
with a new multi-use stadium for both its baseball and football teams. Denver self-educated architect Charles Deaton
Charles Deaton
Charles U. Deaton was an architect who designed the futuristic Sculptured House featured in the film Sleeper, and Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium....
suggested to Steadman that the teams would be better served if each sport had its own stadium that was configured to its unique demands but that the complex reduce costs by sharing parking and highway expenses. The architect firm Kivett and Myers
Kivett and Myers
Kivett & Myers was a Kansas City, Missouri architecture firm that pioneered the design of modern professional sports stadiums.Clarence Kivett graduated from the University of Kansas in 1928 and his first big design project was the art deco design of Katz Drug at Main Street and Westport in 1934...
perfected the plan (adding a rolling roof) and voters approved it. Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
opened in 1972 alongside Royals Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...
(now known as Kauffmann Stadium).
The rolling roof was not to be built but the concept established Kivett and its successors in Kansas City as the dominant architects for almost all single-purpose major league
Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada
The major professional sports leagues, or simply major leagues, in the United States and Canada are the highest professional competitions in team sports...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadiums that have been built since. In 2005, the rolling roof plan re-emerged as part of Kansas City's bid to host Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX, the 49th edition of the Super Bowl and the 45th modern-era National Football League championship game, is scheduled to be played in 2015 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona...
, but the measure failed in the polls.
Chiefs organization
Steadman was named General Manager to Executive Vice President and General Manager in 1966; in August 1976 he was named President of the Chiefs; and in 1989 was named Chairman of the Board. During Steadman's term as President (1976–1989), the Chiefs entered a period of decline in which they never entered the playoffs for 15 years and only had four winning seasons.In 2005
2005 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2005 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 10–6 record, but no playoff berth. The Chiefs became the sixth 10–6 team to fail to qualify for the playoffs since the NFL introduced the wild card....
, Steadman was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame, the only executive other than Lamar Hunt to be honored with induction. Also in 2005, Steadman was appointed as the club’s Vice Chairman of the Board where he served through the end of the 2006 season
2006 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2006 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the team looking to improve on their 10–6 record in 2005 under new head coach Herman Edwards.The team battled many obstacles during the 2006 season, including the loss of starting quarterback Trent Green in the first game, the readjustment of a...
until his retirement.
Steadman has joined Hunt in other ventures including Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Hunt Martin Materials, Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development Company. Steadman and Hunt developed Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...
, a 165 acre (0.6677319 km²) family entertainment complex which opened in 1973 with Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun is a tropically-themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate Worlds of Fun's 10th year anniversary. At the time it was opened it was the largest water park in the world. It is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. Oceans of Fun is...
following in 1982. They were sold in 1995 to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
Community work
Steadman is active in local charities including Chairman, President and Campaign Chairman of the Heart of America United Way; President of the Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
of Greater Kansas City; past Chairman and Board Member of the Private Industry Council as well as the Full Employment Council. He is a director of the American Royal
American Royal
The American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri is a livestock show, horse show and rodeo held each year in October and November at Kemper Arena. The Future Farmers of America was founded during the Royal and Kansas City's professional baseball team the Kansas City Royals derive their name from the...
Association and the Starlight Theatre
Starlight Theatre (Kansas City)
Starlight Theatre is a 7,947-seat outdoor theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, United States that stages touring Broadway shows and concerts. It is one of three remaining self-producing outdoor theatres in the U.S.-History:...
Association. Steadman also serves as an Advisory Trustee for Midwest Research Institute
Midwest Research Institute
MRIGlobal is an independent, not-for-profit, contract research organization based in Kansas City, Missouri....
and is a past member of the Civic Council Board of Directors. In 1988, Steadman was honored by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City as the “Kansas Citian of the Year.”