Russ Bookbinder has a long history of working in the sports realm. In San Antonio, he spent 20 years with Spurs Sports & Entertainment, overseeing business operations for four professional teams: the Spurs, the WNBA’s Silver Stars, the NBA Development League’s Austin Toros and the American Hockey League’s Rampage. He left the Alamo City in 2009 to serve as the Associate Vice Chancellor at Texas Tech University. In 2012, Bookbinder returned to San Antonio to become President & CEO of San Antonio Sports. Previously, he served on the San Antonio Sports Board of Directors, so he knew the organization well.
Under his leadership, San Antonio Sports expanded its signature youth program, i play! afterschool, serving thousands of children in Title I schools in five school districts; transformed the San Antonio Sports All-Star Football Game into an annual, televised event at the Alamodome that follows the All-American Bowl and features more than 100 high school seniors from Bexar and surrounding counties; contributed to bidding on and hosting major events including the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four in 2018 and 2021; navigated the organization through two years of a pandemic which saw unprecedented cancellations; and launched Fiesta FitFest, a three-day official Fiesta event focused on fitness.
Bookbinder stepped down in 2022 after serving the organization for 10 years. His tenure was marked by living and believing in the mission of transforming our community through the power of sport.