Kansas City Chiefs Heiress Gracie Hunt Was Born into Football Royalty. But What Does That Mean for Her Future? (Exclusive)

Gracie Hunt is running a route of her own.

The Kansas City Chiefs heiress was born into a football family as the daughter of Tavia and Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the four-time Super Bowl-winning team in pursuit of clinching its third consecutive NFL Championship title. Gracie, though, has a game plan beyond the sidelines.

At 25 years old, Gracie, herself, has a number of titles to her name: philanthropist, entrepreneur, women in sports advocate and fashion influencer. She's an athlete, having played club soccer in college and winning fitness awards in pageants. She was named Miss Kansas USA in 2021, too.

Don't get it wrong, though. Gracie, who self-describes as the Chiefs' "number one fan," is still a sideline staple at games — and through her numerous passions and past experiences, she has created opportunities to contribute to the team on track to make NFL history.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Gracie reflects on growing up in a family of NFL pioneers as the granddaughter of Lamar Hunt (who founded the Kansas City team and is credited for naming the Super Bowl) and opened up about how she's "fulfilled" herself with endeavors "outside of football."

Related: All About Clark Hunt, Chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs

Ironically, for Gracie, her sport of choice as a kid was football of a different kind. "I wanted to be the next Mia Hamm and soccer was my first love," she tells PEOPLE ahead of the Chiefs' anticipated return to the playoffs. In addition to the NFL sidelines, she grew up on the MLS sidelines.

"My grandfather, Lamar Hunt actually helped bring Major League Soccer to the United States. He fell in love with the game of soccer from watching World Cups internationally and was like, 'Why don't we have this here in the United States'?" she shares. "And so he helped found Major League Soccer."

Gracie, who was first coached by her father when she was "tiny toddling" around the soccer field, pursued the sport in high school and throughout her time at Southern Methodist University (SMU), her dad's alma mater until her childhood dream of going pro took a turn.

"God had other plans," the former college athlete says, citing "a few too many" concussions that took her out. This turn of events prompted her pivot — or as she calls it, the "soccer player shuffle" — away from sneakers and into high heels, following in her mom's footsteps of pageant success.

Related: All About Andy Reid, the Chiefs Coach Who Won Back-to-Back Super Bowls

Tavia, who coincidentally met her husband Clark as an intern for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1991, was crowned Miss Kansas USA in 1993. Gracie, who had "never even seen a pageant" until watching her mom's tapes when looking for a "new competitive outlet," entered a winning era herself in 2021.

Since then, Gracie has intertwined her love of sports with the influential and philanthropic pursuits she worked on throughout her reign as Miss Kansas USA to help shape the Kansas City Chiefs community into what it is today.

"The things that have been really important to me my whole life have been faith, family, football and philanthropy," Gracie says. "Because I've always been raised with the mantra that, 'To whom much is given, much is expected'."

As the eldest child of the Hunt's three kids — with a younger sister, Ava, and brother, Knobel, — Gracie admits she was a "daddy's girl" growing up, influenced by his personal love of sports and hardworking character. "I certainly look up to my dad as a role model for so many reasons," she says.

Related: Clark Hunt's 3 Kids: All About the Kansas City Chiefs Owner's Daughters Grace and Ava and Son Knobel

However, Gracie — who admires how her dad "leads with integrity and humility to his faith, to his work ethic, to his athletic background and all that he's accomplished" — clarified her stance on the possibility of following in his career footsteps one day.

"When it comes to the Chiefs, there's no 'I' in 'team'. It's not about me," Gracie makes clear.

"I am certainly so fulfilled by all the things that I have created for myself opportunity-wise outside of football. 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," she says of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I'd say the beauty about our family organization is that there's a place for everyone," Gracie adds.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Tavia, too, has had just as much of an influence on her eldest daughter's career goals as Clark, having been a selfless example of putting others first through various philanthropic initiatives with the Chiefs Women’s Organization.

Gracie, alongside the wives of Chiefs coaches and players, says she's "grown up getting to serve" with her mom in the organization that places emphasis on volunteerism in partnership with select local charities to make a difference in the Kansas City community.

"We serve in all areas, from homelessness to hunger. We've helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity," says Gracie, who jokes, "I can put up siding like no one's business!" She adds, "It's really just a beautiful way to bring people together and to give a sense of community."

In addition to the Chiefs Women's Organization, Gracie is part of the selection committee for the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders each year. "My mom runs that initiative with our Chiefs cheer director, Stephanie Judah, and they do a phenomenal job," she says.

Related: Who Is Andy Reid's Wife? All About Tammy Reid

While joining forces with her parents to contribute to their family's franchise is special for Gracie, she takes pride in passion projects outside of the organization that are uniquely her own. This allows her to separate her professional and personal life, despite them being "very much intertwined."

One example is her fashion-focused endeavor in partnership with sports broadcaster Erin Andrews and her eponymous clothing line, Wear. "Coming out with a capsule collection with Erin was a way for me to create something that is my own," Gracie says.

"Obviously it's in partnership with Wear, so it's our own — but it wasn't a Chiefs project or a family initiative," she says. "It was a Gracie Hunt initiative and something that I cared about, that I spent a lot of time creating and hoping that women would love as much as I did."

As an advocate for women in sports, Gracie is proud of the evolution of fashion for females in football, shouting out clothing designers like Kristin Juszczyk and Chiefs WAGs like Brittany Mahomes for influencing the style game in the League.

"It's been so fun to see women around the NFL help bring up the level of fashion," she says. "I'm really excited to see so many women coming together in this effort to help make more options for female fans because there's such a demand for it."

Related: Meet the Wives and Girlfriends Cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs Alongside Taylor Swift

Gracie calls out Taylor Swift, too, as someone who "crushes" game day style, while also shouting out the continued impact the 14-time Grammy winner has had on the Kansas City Chiefs since she started dating star tight end Travis Kelce at the start of the 2023-2024 NFL season.

"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 says of Swift. "She is just as beautiful and wonderful as you'd ever imagine her to be, so smart and intelligent."

Over the course of nearly two complete seasons, having the pop superstar "cheer on the Chiefs" is something that Gracie says "feels a little bit surreal" at times, approximating that she's "grown" their fanbase "between 30 and 40% from her attendance."

Of Swift, she adds, "It's just been so special to have her be a part of Chiefs Kingdom."

Related: Meet Chariah Gordon, Chiefs WAG Who Went from Giving Birth on Super Bowl Sunday to ‘Breaking the Internet’ with a Single Photo (Exclusive)

Now, Gracie and the Kansas City Chiefs have their sights set on one of their biggest — if not the biggest — goals of the year: winning the 2025 Super Bowl. "I think everyone's on the edge of our seats. It has been the most magical, surreal season in a lot of ways," she says.

"We'll say the record and just be in disbelief," Gracie says in reference to the team being 15-2 heading into the playoffs, which earned them a first-round bye and well-earned rest before continuing their journey in pursuit of securing the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history.

Noting a "hard playoff road ahead," Gracie has "full faith" in her dad and "his leadership of the team" alongside Coach Andy Reid and President Mark Donovan. She cites quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Kelce, defensive tackle Chris Jones "and all the other incredible leaders on the field," too.

"It's really their show and we're all so excited about it," the proud Hunt says, imagining the history-making potential that would double as a special "full-circle" moment for their family who's credited with naming the Super Bowl.

"Very much a dream come true," Gracie says, concluding, "That is how we all want to end it."

Read the original article on People