Eddie DeBartolo

Biography

Edward "Eddie" John DeBartolo Jr. (born on November 6, 1946) is an American businessman and one of the most influential owners in NFL history, best known for his transformative 23-year stewardship of the San Francisco 49ers. Raised in Youngstown, Ohio, he was the son of a real-estate magnate, Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., whose development empire became one of the largest retail property businesses in the United States. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, DeBartolo joined the family business and helped guide its expansion, eventually directing the merger that created the Simon DeBartolo Group, one of the nation's dominant mall operators. But it was his ownership of the 49ers—acquired in 1977—that cemented his legacy. Under DeBartolo's leadership, the franchise became the NFL's gold standard. Between 1981 and 1995, the 49ers won five Super Bowls (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX), the most ever under a single owner. His teams, led by Hall of Fame coaches Bill Walsh and George Seif...