Sporting KC
Sporting KC’s Pat Curran passed away
Curran was a founding member of the Sporting Kansas City ownership group
Sporting Kansas City announced the passing of Pat Curran this week. Curran was a founding member of the Sporting Club ownership group that purchased the team in 2006. Sporting KC will honor Curran at Children’s Mercy Park in conjunction with a home match during the 2025 season.
Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes spoke to the media about Curran before it was publicly announced. “Obviously it was a very sad day, and it is a sad time. He is one of the original owners. Personally, I have so many memories with him, around him in meetings, after games, after we’ve won things that I’ll never forget. He was a tremendous person. Incredible in his profession as a businessman. I learned a lot just talking to him. His family is top class in every way, shape or form.”
“On the club side, we’re going to miss somebody who was an integral part of who this club is today,” Vermes added. “Just a tremendous guy who was always very positive, always, always. He will aways be remembered here. “
Curran was a very successful businessman in the Kansas City region, but he will always be remembered by soccer fans as part of the ownership group that purchased the Kansas City Wizards. The group bought the team to help keep them in Kansas City, keeping another major league franchise in Kansas City. At the time, multiple cities were interested in drawing the Wizards away and their future was in doubt. Not only did the ownership keep the team in Kansas City, they thrived. The team rebranded, built a new soccer-specific stadium, and went on to tremendous success over the next decade, winning an MLS Cup and multiple U.S. Open Cups. Sporting KC became a franchise that was the model for other teams to emulate and learn from.
Vermes remembers Curran for how passionate he became for the sport. It is reported that Curran gained an interest in soccer watching his grandchildren, but he became a real fan of the sport with Sporting KC. Vermes appreciated how quickly Curran and the rest of the owners became passionate about the sport.
Curran went on road trips with the team or when they had preseason in Mexico and Argentina and quickly learned about soccer. “I would get little notes from him here and there,” Vermes recalled. “They were always short which I appreciate, but they were to the point, and they were very meaningful.”
Vermes talked about his enthusiasm after games and how Curran would express how glad he was that “we kicked their ass today”. Vermes appreciated how fired up he was for the team and how much he enjoyed winning.
Curran passed away on October 11, 2024. He is survived by his wife Janet and their four children — Josephine (Bill), Betty Jean (Cory), Wiley (Caroline), and Olivia (Will) – as well as seven grandchildren: Elle, Matilda, Freya, Smith, Otto, Asa and Archie.
Donations in his memory can be made to Antoine’s Fund, a local nonprofit created by Pat and Janet to support animal welfare.
We want to express our condolences to the Curran family from the staff of the Kansas City Soccer Journal and our thanks for being part of the group that saved the Wizards and Major League Soccer for Kansas City.
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