Ed Whitacre Jr.​

As a high schooler, Ed Whitacre Jr. was a first baseman and defensive end. He graduated from Texas Tech University as the first member of his family to attend college. Sports continued to have a lasting impact on his life, as in 1992, then Southwestern Bell Corporation CEO Whitacre moved the Fortune 500 company to San Antonio, resulting in a dramatic and long-lasting impact on the local sports scene. In 1993, he was part of a 22-piece ownership group that bought the Spurs in 1993 and pledged to keep the team in San Antonio.​

​In 1995, Whitacre ensured that San Antonio would be a significant annual stop on the PGA Champions Tour through title sponsorship of the Southwestern Bell Dominion. He and AT&T officers have been consistent, high-level supporters of the annual Alamo Bowl and related activities, providing a reliable revenue source for San Antonio’s bowl game. In 1999, Whitacre committed to totally finance the 2007 Pan American games domestic bid for the city of San Antonio.  Due to his $1 million support, San Antonio Sports secured the domestic rights to be the sole U.S. bid city. ​

In 2000, Whitacre made good on his pledge, announcing that his company would be the naming rights sponsor for SBC/ATT Center. The $175 million state-of-the-art facility ensured that the Spurs would remain in San Antonio while boosting attendance and scholarships for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. In 2006, Whitacre signed on to sponsor the AT&T Corps Classic, which generated millions of dollars for the city through the 2006 nationally televised college football game between Army and Texas A&M. When negotiations for the PGA Tour’s planned TPC courses in San Antonio stalled, Whitacre came to the rescue to ensure that the plans would go forward.  AT&T announced its intention to be the naming rights sponsor of the two world-class golf courses, which now hosts the AT&T Championship and the Valero Texas Open.​