Celebrating 40 Years
Game On! is a limited podcast series celebrating the 40th anniversary of San Antonio Sports and exploring what makes our local sports scene tick. Hosts Mary Ullmann Japhet and Jenny Carnes spill insider stories with athletes, coaches, and those making the big decisions about the future of sport in San Antonio. It’s not just sports; it’s the heart and hustle of the business of sports.
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Liberty Swift & Frank Miceli
Judge Peter Sakai
Jesse James Leija
Tim Derk
Henry Cisneros
Elena Wells & Wendy Brand
JoAn Scott
Triva Corrales
Rose Monday & Alanah Yukich
Jeff Traylor
Andrea Williams
Dr. Stacey Johnson
Marc Klein
Bruce Bowen
Ross Davis
George Block
How the Dream Began
Celebrating 40 years in 2024 wouldn’t be possible if not for the vision, courage and big dreams of some special people. The success of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles made a small group of community leaders realize that, through sports, San Antonio had the potential to both grow economically and improve quality of life.
Mayor Henry Cisneros shared that realization, envisioning the city as a destination for professional teams to call home. Local architect Ralph Bender, former pentathlete Robert Marbut, Jr., local swimming leaders George Block and Pete Williams, and Bill Hanson, the executive director of then San Antonio-based U.S. Modern Pentathlon Association saw amateur sports as the vehicle for Cisneros’ dream.
The Fried Chicken Gang
Bender sprang into action and scheduled weekly meetings at his office, promising to bring a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to each. Dubbed the “Fried Chicken Gang,” the group began scouting venues and looking for amateur sporting events to bring to the city. Their big dream, however, was to build a domed stadium in San Antonio.
The Ball Starts Rolling
Soon, as interest in the group rose, so did Bender’s chicken bill. After two years, the San Antonio Sports Foundation was officially established, with sights set on bringing the Olympic Festival to town. On May 30, 1987, despite feverish efforts which had marked the last two decades, the 1991 Olympic Festival was awarded instead to Los Angeles. San Antonio simply did not have the facilities required to put on such a high-profile event, and Cisneros knew it. Rather than roll over and accept defeat, he decided to do something about it. Just two days later, he and Marbut managed to get approval to put a temporary half cent tax increase on the ballot to build the domed stadium they had been dreaming about for years.
The Alamodome
In January 1989, the tax increase passed and construction of the Alamodome began. In that moment, all the things we now celebrate in our 40th anniversary year were made possible. In 1989, the San Antonio Sports Foundation was awarded the AAU Junior Olympics. Just as the “Fried Chicken Gang” had imagined, amateur sports really were the vehicle for Cisneros’ dream of San Antonio as a destination for sports, because in 1991, the city was awarded the 1993 Olympic Festival. And just in time for the Festival, the Alamodome opened its doors debt-free in 1993. Since then, San Antonio Sports has continued to grow, evolve and put the Alamo City on the sports map, bringing hundreds of national events that have surpassed over $1 billion in economic impact for our community.
We look forward to celebrating our 40-year history, accomplishments and impact on this community in 2024. In the spirit of the original “Fried Chicken Gang,” it’s time to dare to dream again and imagine what could be next for San Antonio Sports and this city.
40 Memorable Moments
- The Light at the Beginning is the Light at the End
- The Unwavering Power of Sport
- Alamo Hoops Dreams
- Game On!
- New Coach Leads the Team
- New Look, Same Great Fitness
- From Intern to CEO
- 2021 NCAA Women’s Final Four a Slam Dunk for S.A.
- Stay Active. Stay Healthy
- The World Cup of Tennis Comes to S.A.
- A Cinderella Story
- El Tri in the Dome
- The Stars Shine Brighter
- A Pool Full of Gold
- Phelps makes a Texas Sized Splash
- A Texas-Sized Bid Effort
- A Dome Full of Stars
- Dreams Transform Into (i) play!
- New Places to Play
- In it to win it! SAS Corporate Cup Launches in 2012
- What’s in a Name?
- 30,000 Runners Rock San Antonio’s Streets
- One Shining Moment in San Antonio
- San Antonio’s Basketball Resume Goes Global
- Movin’ On Up
- A Loss Transforms
- International Attention Starts to Fall on San Antonio Sports
- A Record Setting Final Four
- The Olympic Torch Returns to the 210
- The NCAA and San Antonio: How a Long Standing Love Began
- Dr. Blackwood’s Leadership and Legacy
- From Youth to Seniors–Providing Opportunities for All
- Fostering Youth Sports Dreams
- Creating a San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame to Celebrate the City’s Legacy
- 1993: A Year to Remember
- How the Alamodome gave San Antonio Sports the Cornerstone It Needed to Start Turning Head
- San Antonio’s First Major Sporting Event and How it Set the Scene for the Future
- How 40 Years Became a Possibility: The Merge That Made the Future Possible
- The Flame that Transformed S.A.’s Sports Landscape
