Transforming the Community Through the Power of Sport

How the Dream Began

Celebrating 40 years in 2024 wouldn’t have been 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 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.