On May 15, 1993, the San Antonio Sports Foundation began a new chapter when the Alamodome opened its doors. Thanks to a temporary half-cent sales tax, an innovative funding solution advocated by Mayor Henry Cisneros and local business leaders, the Alamodome was able to open debt free.
The campaign for the Alamodome touted promises of significant economic impact. Even before its opening, it delivered on some of those promises. On February 1, 1991, San Antonio was awarded the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival.
Then, on July 8, 1993, only 15 days before the Festival’s Opening Ceremonies, the Sports Foundation got its next big break. After the NFL announced the Super Bowl would only be awarded to cities with an NFL team, all eyes turned to pursuing the NCAA Final Four. As a result of a bid effort executed with fervor similar to that of the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival, the 1998 NCAA Men’s Final Four was awarded to San Antonio.
“This is the greatest day in San Antonio sports history,” claimed Robert Marbut Jr., who served as the first executive director of the San Antonio Sports Foundation.
Marbut may have been right. With the Olympic Festival on the horizon and anticipation building for what would become the first of many NCAA Final Fours at the Alamodome, the future of sports in San Antonio was looking brighter than ever.
The Alamodome’s first days gave San Antonio Sports the footing it needed to propel the city into the limelight. With 31 years of the Alamodome in the rearview mirror and many more ahead, Marbut might now be second-guessing himself. The stadium provided a cornerstone for San Antonio sports to experience even greater days.