Professional Bio

Denny Thum was promoted to President of the Kansas City Chiefs on May 8th by Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt. In his new role with the organization, Thum will oversee all aspects of the club’s business operations and will report directly to Hunt.

“Denny has been an outstanding member of the Chiefs organization for almost four decades, and we are very fortunate to have a person with his level of experience and expertise running the business,” Hunt said. “I know he will continue to do a tremendous job in his new role as President.”

“I would like to thank Clark Hunt and the Hunt Family for this tremendous opportunity,” Thum commented on the promotion. “As an organization, it will be our ongoing objective to build on the proud 50-year history of our franchise. It has been my privilege to serve the Chiefs for the past 35 years, and I am extremely honored to be named the fourth President of the club. We are committed to making the Chiefs fan experience the finest in the National Football League as we usher in a new era of Chiefs football.”

Thum brings a combination of integrity, vision and leadership to his new role. In addition to being entrusted with additional responsibilities with the Chiefs, he will continue to represent the franchise at the league level and in the Kansas City community.

Regarded across the league as one of the NFL’s most respected administrators, Thum enters his 36th season of service with the Chiefs organization in 2009. He is one of just three current members of the Chiefs organization who own the distinction of being continuously employed by the team during the tenure of every head coach in franchise history. Over those past 35 seasons, Thum has been an important player in helping the franchise evolve with a changing business and NFL climate, serving in a variety of roles.

Prior to his appointment as the franchise’s interim President in December of 2008, Thum had served as the franchise’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since May of 2006. In that capacity, he oversaw the budgets for the business side of the Chiefs operation and worked in conjunction with team ownership in formulating short-term and long-term strategic plans to ensure the continued vitality of the Chiefs franchise in Kansas City.

Over the past 25 years, Thum had played a major role in the club’s day-to-day football operation. With the advent of the salary cap in ‘94, he worked to formulate Kansas City’s strategy relative to player compensation and the salary cap. He was also intimately involved in the negotiation of Kansas City’s player contracts. In addition, he was responsible for assisting with the preparation of the entire football budget. He worked closely with the football staff and oversaw the coordination of the club’s training camp operations and other team logistical issues.

Thum was promoted to the post of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in May of 2006. He had served the previous 10 seasons as the club’s Executive Vice President/Assistant General Manager. Thum originally received the title of Assistant General Manager in ‘89 and added the responsibilities of Executive Vice President to his Assistant GM duties in ‘96.

The St. Louis, Missouri native began his longtime tenure with Kansas City’s NFL franchise as a staff accountant in ‘74. He was named the club’s Chief Accountant in ‘82 and was promoted to Director of Accounting in ‘83 before being elevated to the position of Assistant to the General Manager from ‘84-88. Thum was promoted to Assistant General Manager by Peterson shortly after Peterson’s arrival in Kansas City in ‘89.

Personal Bio

Thum is an alum of St. Louis University High School in St. Louis and is a ‘74 graduate of Rockhurst College in Kansas City. He was named to Rockhurst University’s Board of Trustees in 2008 after previously serving on the Alumni Board of Directors. He was selected as the school’s 2006 Alumnus of the Year for Outstanding Achievement and assisted with fundraising efforts for Rockhurst and its athletic program for many years.

Thum is on the Board of Directors for the St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation. He is also an active board member with SAFE (Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund), which benefits families of fallen police, fire and emergency personnel in the Kansas City area. He and his wife Carmen also take a hands-on role with a number of other charitable causes in Kansas City, including the Medical Missions Foundation and the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired. The Thums reside in Kansas City, Missouri with their two daughters - Megan and Lindsay.